14 Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Leeds University Business School (LUBS) is a full service business school built on the rigour of disciplinary strength while working in a pluralistic way to deliver impactful research and education. With a research environment judged to be conducive to producing world leading and internationally excellent research by the REF 2021 panel, the Faculty is investing substantially in the further development of this environment through the Faculty’s two year Post Doctoral Fellowship Scheme We are looking for enthusiastic and highly motivated individuals who can make a significant contribution to our research activities. You will receive a structured programme of support.  Dedicated mentors will work with you and advise you on journal article preparation and submission, grant application, and new research and career trajectories. You will also have opportunities to develop teaching skills by undertaking teaching duties at definite, identifiable points in the year. 

In this role, you will join a large international team of scientists from the SWAIS-2C project “Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice sheet to 2 °C of Warming” and work with Dr Lauren Gregoire to understand the drivers of past Antarctic ice sheet collapse. The SWAIS-2C international team are drilling the sediments below the Ross Ice Shelf to reveal how much of the West Antarctic ice sheet melted when the climate was warmer than present, thus revealing how sensitive the Iice sheet is to the 1.5-2°C Paris Agreement warming target. Your role in the project will be to run and analyse the first coupled climate-ice sheet simulations of the Last Interglacial period (127,000  years ago) from the UK flagship Earth System Model UKESM on national High-Performance Computing facilities. You will be supported by technical and scientific experts from the Centre for Environmental Modelling And Computation (CEMAC) and National Centre for Atmospheric Science. The aim is to evaluate the climate and ice sheet mechanisms driving Antarctic ice sheet retreat or collapse during past warm interglacials, including ocean circulation changes, marine ice sheet instabilities and tipping points. The work will further our understanding of the key mechanisms in future ice sheet evolution, test the complex models used to make projections and contribute to the next IPCC reports. 

You will work closely with the UK SWAIS-2C team of 8 UK academics and 6 postdoctoral researchers led by Prof. Tina Van de Flierdt and Dr Ed Gasson, working across Imperial Colledge London, the University of Exeter, UCL, the British Antarctic Survey and Durham University. This UK team will apply a range of techniques to reconstruct and model the past evolution of the West Antarctic ice sheet. You will also have opportunities to visit and collaborate with international SWAIS-2C scientists from New Zealand, the United States, Germany, Australia, Italy, Japan, Spain, Republic of Korea and the Netherlands being part of a vibrant community of researchers. 

You will become a key member of the SAFice team focused on quantifying the concentration of ice-forming particles emitted from burning SAF in jet engines rather than fossil kerosine. SAFice is a new NERC funded project based in Leeds involving partners in Sheffield and Imperial. It will make use of the new PINE chamber, for counting ice-forming particles (Ponsonby et al. 2024), and also the new jet engine test rig at the Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC) in Sheffield. SAFice is one of 10 projects funded through a NERC call focussed on understanding aviation’s non-CO₂ impacts on climate, which is in turn part of a £1.7 Billion investment in making the UK’s aviation sector more competitive (Innovate UK, ATI). Hence, you will be well-positioned in the expanding field offering a solution to a climate problem.

This role will be based on the university campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

This role will be based on the university campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

You will join a team of climate and atmospheric scientists at the University of Leeds to work on the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Department for Transport (DfT) funded project Modelling Aviation Global climate Impacts from Contrails and Aerosols (MAGICA). You will work with Dr Alex Rap, Professor Dan Marsh, Dr Wuhu Feng, Professor Ben Murray, Professor Piers Forster and Dr Chris Smith to develop the Community Earth System Model (CESM) contrail cirrus scheme, perform climate simulations to quantify the aviation aerosol and contrail cirrus effective radiative forcings, and estimate aviation climate metrics using the Finite amplitude Impulse Response (FaIR) climate model emulator. You will also collaborate closely with the other researchers involved in the project (at Leeds and at University College London), as well as with our project partners: Airbus, Aviation Environment Federation, British Airways, International Air Transport Association, Jet2.com, Met Office, and Rolls-Royce.

MAGICA is a collaborative project involving research groups at the University of Leeds and University College London, funded through the NERC/DfT “Jet zero: Aviation’s non-CO2 impacts on the climate” programme. The overarching aim of MAGICA is to quantify the aviation aerosol-cloud interactions effect and provide robust contrail cirrus effective radiative forcing (ERF) estimates. By assessing these two key aviation ERF terms for current air traffic and fuels, but also for a series of future aviation scenarios, the project will directly guide future aviation technology solutions and policy.

You will have, or be close to obtaining, a PhD in the field of Atmospheric Science (or a closely related field). You will have knowledge of atmospheric and/or climate modelling and evidence of a strong commitment to publishing scientific results at an international level. Experience of modelling aviation climate impacts and developing climate model parameterisations are desirable. 

The overarching aim of this research project is reproducing cement from Rubble. The outcomes intend to enable closed loop recycling of concrete.

This role involves high-temperature calorimetry and synthesis of clinkers with different heating modes (e.g., microwave), followed by phase assemblage and microstructure characterisation to deliver optimal performance and the best hydration characteristics which must also be assessed. 

This role is part of the Innovate UKraine project on the Safe, Sustainable, and Swift Reconstruction of Ukraine. You will work with universities, businesses, and NGOs across Europe in an innovation and demonstration project that can swiftly deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits across war and disaster torn regions, as well as develop an ultimate solution for the recycling of all end-of-life concrete.

The ‘Integrated Surveillance Suite for Targeting Interventions to Cholera Outbreaks’ three-year project is funded by the Wellcome Trust to develop integrated pathways for the testing, tracking, and treatment of cholera. An important part of controlling cholera relates to understanding the spatial extent of emerging outbreaks and targeting interventions to reduce their impact. In environments with sparse or delayed testing data, this means the use of predictive modelling to identify and respond to risks.

We are looking to recruit a dynamic and creative researcher to drive forward our research on the simulation of cholera outbreaks in developing countries. Working with academic partners at University of Oxford and UCL, and international partners in Bangladesh, the post holder will develop agent-based models of the activities, mobility, behaviours, and feedback loops that influence the spread of cholera epidemics. As part of this work, we will explore model interfaces with concurrent developments at Oxford around Gaussian Process modelling of disease transmission. The models will also integrate with data visualisation dashboards, developed by another researcher at Leeds, to enable exploration of future scenarios and policy interventions. Given the collaborative nature of the project, it is important that the post holder is comfortable in working within and across interdisciplinary teams. 

This role will be located in the School of Geography’s Institute for Spatial Data Science (ISDS). As well as working closely with Prof Ed Manley, Dr Roger Beecham and other members of the project team, there will be opportunities to network and contribute to research activities in ISDS and the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA).

This role will be based on the university campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

We are looking to recruit an independent and ambitious Research Fellow on the NERC-funded project, Losing their Cool, which aims to investigate the physical interactions between the atmosphere and the glacier surface at high-elevation (>6,000 m a.s.l.) in the Everest region of Nepal. The project is seeking to understand the processes that determine ice temperatures at the point of formation, with melting and refreezing in the accumulation area being a possible explanation for the surprisingly warm ice temperatures observed previously at lower elevations. To help test this hypothesis, we are seeking a numerical modeller, who can combine field observations of conditions within the firn with physically-based simulations of key subsurface processes to evaluate the role of melting and refreezing in prescribing glacier characteristics.

The project will focus primarily on the accumulation area of the Khumbu Glacier, in the Western Cwm of Mount Everest, building on the team’s previous experience drilling in the lower part of the glacier, below the icefall. This time, the team will drill and instrument shallow boreholes using an ice corer, to measure englacial firn and ice temperatures, and image the interior of the boreholes to characterise firn density and quantify the magnitude and frequency of previous re-freezing events. The Research Fellow will use these empirical data to drive a numerical model that can simulate both the energy fluxes driving warming at the surface, and the consequent subsurface meltwater flow and refreezing processes. These data will enable us to isolate the impact of meltwater re-freezing on ice temperature, and determine the extent to which this changes in a warming climate.

The Research Fellow will be based in the School of Geography at Leeds, but will work closely with a second Research Fellow at Aberystwyth University, and with project partners in Uppsala and Bergen, to ensure the field observations are effectively integrated with the numerical modelling experiments. It is essential that the successful applicant has experience of, and/or enthusiasm for developing skills in numerical modelling of the surface energy balance and processes within the snowpack. The Research Fellow will lead all aspects of the firn modelling, including its calibration for the specific field site, sensitivity testing to robustly quantify uncertainties, and validation of the model outputs against the field observations. Strong analytical skills are essential. The post includes an allocation of funds for conference attendance and we anticipate the Research Fellow will lead several high quality publications.

The post is available from 1 October 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter, for a period of 24 months, and will be based in the River Basins, Processes and Management cluster in the School of Geography at Leeds. 

Seeds underpin sustainable agriculture and food security, providing the majority of global food principally as cereals and legumes. High vigour seeds display rapid, uniform germination and seedling establishment that is tolerant of stress conditions. We hypothesise a central role for DNA repair and damage signalling processes in seed germination vigour which impacts on seedling establishment. Here we will use genetic, biochemical and high throughput analytical approaches to reveal the molecular link between genome integrity and seed vigour, establishing the mechanistic basis of how seed germination impacts on seedling vigour. The ultimate aim of this project is to apply the knowledge gained in this study to develop novel lines of plants with improved germination performance through modulating the activity of these DNA repair factors. We will test the potential of key factors to genetically improve the resilience of seed germination in Arabidopsis and Brassica oleracea, a crop species important to UK agriculture.

One in ten people need surgery each year, but waiting times are at an all-time high with 7.2 million people awaiting routine treatment. This means people are living with prolonged symptoms, added anxiety, and employment issues, in addition to paying for additional care. This affects the quality of life for patients, carers, and their families. Demand for hospital care is limited by the availability of acute care beds with over thirteen thousand patients occupying beds (one-seventh of total NHS bed capacity) who are medically fit but don’t have access to suitable community and social care support. Technology can help to address these problems by making surgical care pathways more efficient. But uptake of technologies into routine care is slow with only a small number making it and benefiting patients. The new NIHR funded HealthTech Research Centre has been established to accelerate surgical care, so that technology can be used more effectively in surgery to ensure early diagnosis and personalised care; enable surgery to be more precise, less invasive, and safer; and help speed up recovery.

Based at the Management and Organisation Department, Leeds University Business School, the new Health-Tech Research Centre (HRC) is seeking a Research Fellow to help deliver this exciting multi-disciplinary project. You will have the opportunity to work with colleagues in our state-of-the-art Behaviour Lab, which is fully equipped with the latest technology in behavioural science. A variety of research methods will be used, including interviews, workshops, experiments, social network analysis, and both primary and secondary quantitative data analysis. Expertise in quantitative research is essential, and experience of mixed-methods research is desirable. The project will touch on medicine, engineering and technology issues in addition to behavioural and organizational factors. This is an excellent opportunity to gain applied research experience. You will be working at the forefront of today’s issues in medical science, while working with a broad range of stakeholders from medicine and business, and a part of a vibrant research community within Leeds University Business School and the University of Leeds.

We are seeking a Research Fellow to fulfil a key role in a project investigating the dynamo process that generates large-scale planetary magnetic fields. In this role you will focus on enhancing the performance of the existing Leeds Dynamo Code as well as performing and analysing numerical dynamo simulations to gain fundamental insight into the dynamics of rotating convection and dynamo action. You will be based in the Deep Earth Research Group within the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds and work closely with Professor Chris Davies. This work is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Pushing the Frontiers grant “Earth’s Core as a Layered System”. 

Are you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge?   Do you have a background in applied health research?  Do you want to further your career in one of the UK’s leading research intensive Universities?

 An opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, ambitious Research Fellow to work on two exciting research projects: D-MAPP, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Arthritis, Work and Well-being, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The post will be situated in the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Medicine within the Faculty of Medicine and Health, working with Professor Philip Conaghan and Associate Professor Sarah Kingsbury.

D-MAPP: This mixed methods study will develop and subsequently evaluate (in conjunction with the Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research) a digital rehabilitation package of care for distal upper limb pain. Intervention development is now complete and the Research Fellow in Applied Health Research will provide support for a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the intervention with patients and healthcare professionals, prior to formal testing, to explore issues of usability, adoption and adherence of the intervention. For this project, you will work closely with the Research Fellow in Digital Health, who has led the intervention development. 

Nuffield: This mixed-methods study aims to provide guidance to employers and policymakers on how they can support improved wellbeing among working-age people who are diagnosed with arthritis. The Research Fellow in Applied Health Research will use qualitative methods to explore the experiences and lives of working-aged people living with arthritis to identify reasons why people’s employment is (or is not) affecting their wellbeing. You will subsequently use a co-production approach to develop recommendations for employers, working closely with the Research Fellow in Health Economics to map the findings of the qualitative work onto those from the quantitative analysis, to inform the co-production process.

The synergy of distinct disciplines that all focus on behavioural models and the development of new state-of-the-art modelling frameworks holds the promise of providing new Data-Driven Behavioural Models (DDBMs) combining the strengths and addressing the distinct limitations of each area. The development of DDBMs will come at a time when big data sources constantly challenge traditional modelling approaches. Additionally, the growth in human-machine interactions, such as with the advent of autonomous vehicles, will require the development of AI consistent with human behaviour to guarantee public safety and wider adoption in the market. 

The Choice Modelling Centre at the Institute for Transport Studies seeks to hire an early career researcher to take part in the ERC-funded project “SYNERGY”. The project’s aim is to combine key techniques from Choice Modelling, Mathematical Psychology and Machine Learning, and help to develop new approaches. 

The role will involve working at the cutting edge of Choice Modelling but with a keen focus on helping to build bridges across areas, helping to develop modelling frameworks that will actively shape future policy making. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate sufficient theoretical and technical knowledge in choice modelling, and possess an open mind to new ideas and approaches. Knowledge of a programming language, with an emphasis on R and/or Python, is also strongly advised. 

As a member of the team, you will be based at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) where you will work with Professor Stephane Hess and other researchers in the Choice Modelling Centre (CMC), drawing also on expertise in its global network. You will become part of a highly productive team, have the opportunity to work with other groups in the University of Leeds and take part in international conferences for the purpose of disseminating the findings of the research. You are expected to contribute to methodological research on bridging choice modelling, mathematical psychology and machine learning in the context of transport, health and environment. As this is a multi-faceted research project, you will be able to contribute to individual components of the work as well as helping to shape the direction of the research according to your own interests and background. You will be expected to take academic ownership of large parts of the programme and make a lasting contribution to the field. 

The role will involve working at the cutting edge of Machine Learning for analysing human decisions/behaviour, but with a keen focus on helping to build bridges across areas, helping to develop modelling frameworks that will actively shape future policy making. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate sufficient theoretical and technical knowledge in machine learning, and possess an open mind to new ideas and approaches. Knowledge of a programming language, with an emphasis on R and/or Python, is also strongly advised. 

As a member of the team, you will be based at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) where you will work with Professor Stephane Hess and other researchers in the Choice Modelling Centre (CMC), drawing also on expertise in its global network. You will become part of a highly productive team, have the opportunity to work with other groups in the University of Leeds and take part in international conferences for the purpose of disseminating the findings of the research. You are expected to contribute to methodological research on bridging choice modelling, mathematical psychology and machine learning in the context of transport, health and environment. As this is a multi-faceted research project, you will be able to contribute to individual components of the work as well as helping to shape the direction of the research according to your own interests and background. You will be expected to take academic ownership of large parts of the programme and make a lasting contribution to the field. 

This is a new role which has arisen through the award of an AHRC grant to Prof Alice Deignan to fund a project entitled ‘Young people, figurative language and criticality’. The project aims to describe the figurative language used with and by young people in the framing of ideology and new concepts, and to estimate their levels of awareness of this framing. The project will combine corpus building and analysis with interviews and think aloud protocol tasks. The project partners are the Universities of Birmingham and Lancaster, Oxford University Press, and schools in Yorkshire and Birmingham.