"Postdoctoral Research Associate (Fixed Term)"

Postdoctoral Position: Diversification patterns in Ediacaran early animals

The Deep Time Ecology lab is dedicated to understanding how ecology impacts evolution through deep time from the origins of animals to the present. The position is part of a five-year project starting in June 2026: Understanding selection in the early animals of the Ediacaran. This project will bring together geochemistry, palaeontology and evolutionary biology to create an innovative framework for understanding early animal evolution - specifically 1) What the patterns of early animal evolution were; 2) How selection acted upon these early animals; and 3) Why these adaptations occurred.

This position will focus on quantifying diversity throughout the Avalon assemblage of Ediacaran fossils.

The ideal candidate will:

• Have a PhD in palaeontology with a strong background in quantitative approaches for understanding early animal evolution.
• Experience of quantitative palaeoecological analyses
• Experience with scientific scripting language R.
• Experience in working with digital palaeontological data to extract morphological information

We are looking for an interdisciplinary researcher who enjoys working at the interface of palaeontology, ecology and evolutionary biology.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 30 May 2028.

Flexible working arrangements will be considered.

We particularly welcome applications from women and/or candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our Department.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to: Dr Emily Mitchell ek338@cam.ac.uk

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact Paulina Lasocka hr@zoo.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PF48653 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Key information

Department/location

Department of Zoology

Salary

£37,694-£46,049

Reference

PF48653

Category

Research

Date published

30 January 2026

Closing date

1 March 2026