Research Associate in Biodiversity and Pollution Modelling

About this role

The Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation (CHEPI) at Imperial Business School is recruiting a Research Associate to join an exciting interdisciplinary project at the frontier of environmental economics and biodiversity science.

Governments around the world are regulating greenhouse gas emissions — but the wider ecological consequences of these policies remain poorly understood. This Royal Society-funded project will deliver the first causal and monetised estimates of biodiversity impacts arising from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), embedding findings within a planetary health framework that connects climate policy, air quality, and ecological change.

You will be supervised by Dr Laure de Preux (Imperial Business School) and Dr Will Pearse (Department of Life Sciences), working across disciplinary boundaries to produce research that is both scientifically rigorous and directly relevant to policymakers.

What you will be doing

• Integrate and harmonise large-scale biodiversity, environmental, and industrial emissions datasets across Europe
• Apply causal inference methods to identify the impact of EU ETS regulation on local co-pollutant emissions
• Develop species distribution models and analyse biodiversity responses to policy-induced environmental change
• Contribute to the economic valuation of biodiversity outcomes within a planetary health cost-benefit framework
• Produce academic publications, policy briefs, and reproducible research outputs for scientific and policy audiences

What We're Looking For

We are seeking a quantitative researcher with:

• A PhD (or equivalent) in biodiversity science, environmental science, geospatial modelling, data science, or a related quantitative field.
• Strong experience with large, complex spatial or environmental datasets
• Proficiency in R or Python and strong quantitative modelling skills
• Ability to analyse complex data and produce clear, policy-relevant insights.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to disseminate research findings to diverse audiences