Freshwater Ecology Assistant

at  Centre for Ecology Hydrology

Salary - £30,684 to £32,563
Hybrid working (50/50)
Permanent
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.
UKCEH is looking for an experienced Freshwater Ecology Assistant to join our team of talented individuals, contributing to scientific discovery and generating the data, insights and solutions that researchers, businesses and governments need to solve complex environmental challenges.
Working at UKCEH is rewarding. Our science makes a real difference, enabling people and the environment to prosper, and enriching society. We are the custodians of a wealth of environmental data, collected by UKCEH and its predecessors over the course of more than 60 years.

As a valued member of our team, you’ll get:

• 27 days annual leave, rising to 29 days after five years, plus 3 days for our Christmas closure
• 10% employer pension contribution
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave (subject to qualifying requirements)
• 24 hour, 365-day access to support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues plus access to our trained Welfare Officers
• Flexible working opportunities

..
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic Ecology Assistant with a special interest in freshwater environments, to join our Lake Ecosystems Group. Based in Lancaster, our teams of dedicated scientists conduct fundamental research on lake ecosystems to understand their responses to environmental stressors like climate change and pollution, focusing on physical, chemical, and biological processes. Our multi-faceted approach includes data analysis from the UKCEH Cumbrian Lakes monitoring program, modelling, and experimentation to offer robust lake management advice. We collaborate with universities, research institutes, water companies, regulators, and various organisations to advance our research.
Working within this small but lively and established team, you’ll be actively involved in collecting vital samples and measurements during a range of different field and boat-based freshwater surveys (largely in the beautiful English Lake District) and will undertake subsequent analysis in the laboratory and using computer programs. Therefore, you should be well-organised and detail-oriented, applying a methodical and logical approach both in laboratory work and when preparing and managing field equipment.
You’ll play an important role in the interpretation of data, modelling, and reporting on ecological change therefore, you should be comfortable with computer programming and using statistical methods. Additionally, we seek someone who is eager to assist with projects, is open to new ideas and possesses strong communication skills with the confidence to ask questions.
You’ll be joining a leading independent, not-for-profit research institute that’s committed to recruiting talented people like you, progressing your career and giving you the support you need to thrive at UKCEH.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Assisting in campaign-based and routine fieldwork, including boat-based long-term ecosystem monitoring in the English Lake District and sampling at a large-scale experimental facility.
• Conducting laboratory analysis of water samples to determine their chemical properties and plankton communities.
• Assisting in water quality modelling, including preparing driving data, running the model, and summarizing results.
• Contributing to reporting on research projects, including summarizing and plotting data, and assisting in interpretation.

This role requires a high level of autonomy, so you must be capable of working independently and exercising good judgment, knowing when to seek guidance in problem-solving. Additionally, you should be able to manage and prioritise a dynamic workload of both short- and long-term tasks, while also supporting your team members.
Current projects the team are working on include:
- UKCEH Aquatic Mesocosm Facility (CAMF) - enables controlled studies of shallow lake ecosystems to understand how external factors like climate warming impact these vital freshwater environments, which are crucial for services like water supply, flood regulation, and supporting human well-being (
https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/documents/e99f9531-3d46-46fd-9bda-6e7900d4c07b

)

• The UKCEH’s extensive long-term lake monitoring program in England and Scotland, which spans over 420 lake-years, provides crucial data for understanding and modeling environmental changes in lakes, supporting their management and the preservation of ecosystem services vital to human well-being (

https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/long-term-lakes-monitoring

)

• The UKCEH’s Cumbrian Lakes monitoring, initiated by the Freshwater Biological Association in 1945, is the world’s most comprehensive long-term lake study, recording a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological data every fortnight across four lake basins, supplemented by high-resolution automatic water quality monitoring (

https://uk-scape.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/cumbrian-lakes-monitoring-platform
)

For the role of Freshwater Ecology Assistant, we’re looking for somebody who has:

• A qualification in Environmental Science, Ecology, Geography or Zoology (e.g. HND/Degree)
• Previous proven experience undertaking fieldwork and has an enthusiasm for working outdoors in all weather conditions (previous boat-based work a significant advantage including boat handling and towing trailers)
• Experience working in freshwater environments, with skills in identifying phytoplankton and/or zooplankton
• Confidence working in laboratory environments (i.e., carrying out chemical analysis, concentration calculations, species identification)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the confidence to ask questions, speak up, and engage effectively with others in the team
• Meticulous attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and precision in tasks such as preparing equipment for working in the field, undertaking laboratory work
• An understanding of the importance of budgetary control and value for money
• Full UK manual driving licence (to enable transport to field and laboratory sites) and the flexibility and willingness to travel to different sites

Although not essential, we would be delighted if you also have experience in interpreting complex data, including knowledge of statistical methods (i.e., ANOVA, correlation, and regression), as well as experience in computer programming with languages such as Python, R, FORTRAN, or VBA.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone seeking to further develop their experience, and further training and courses are offered to help support your personal development. If we’ve just described you, we’d love to meet. Apply now.

Please send us your CV, accompanied by a covering letter which highlights any relevant skills and experience, together with what excites you most about the role and working for UKCEH.

• Whilst we do invite applications from international candidates, we are currently unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.

About Us
Here you can explore the kind of roles we recruit for, search our latest vacancies, learn more about what it’s like to work at UKCEH, and find out about the many benefits of joining our team.
Every one of our 600+ staff and 50+ postgraduate students plays a vital role in delivering our ambition to understand the environment and the human impact on it, so that together people and nature can prosper.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Assisting in campaign-based and routine fieldwork, including boat-based long-term ecosystem monitoring in the English Lake District and sampling at a large-scale experimental facility.
• Conducting laboratory analysis of water samples to determine their chemical properties and plankton communities.
• Assisting in water quality modelling, including preparing driving data, running the model, and summarizing results.
• Contributing to reporting on research projects, including summarizing and plotting data, and assisting in interpretation

For the role of Freshwater Ecology Assistant, we’re looking for somebody who has:

• A qualification in Environmental Science, Ecology, Geography or Zoology (e.g. HND/Degree)
• Previous proven experience undertaking fieldwork and has an enthusiasm for working outdoors in all weather conditions (previous boat-based work a significant advantage including boat handling and towing trailers)
• Experience working in freshwater environments, with skills in identifying phytoplankton and/or zooplankton
• Confidence working in laboratory environments (i.e., carrying out chemical analysis, concentration calculations, species identification)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the confidence to ask questions, speak up, and engage effectively with others in the team
• Meticulous attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and precision in tasks such as preparing equipment for working in the field, undertaking laboratory work
• An understanding of the importance of budgetary control and value for money
• Full UK manual driving licence (to enable transport to field and laboratory sites) and the flexibility and willingness to travel to different site

Please send us your CV, accompanied by a covering letter which highlights any relevant skills and experience, together with what excites you most about the role and working for UKCEH.

• Whilst we do invite applications from international candidates, we are currently unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position