Wildfire and Uncertainty Scientist

at  Centre for Ecology Hydrology

Salary - £37,405 - £39,694
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 Wildfire & Uncertainty Scientist 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

..
We’re seeking a passionate and driven Research Scientist with a specialised focus on extreme wildfire attribution and ecological impacts, to drive innovative research and make a real difference in understanding and mitigating these critical challenges.
You will join our dedicated team of scientists in our Land Surface Science group at our Head Office in Wallingford, conducting research on extreme wildfire seasons and fire event attribution, focusing on addressing critical questions that help us understand and mitigate these increasingly severe occurrences. Their work seeks to determine how much of an event was caused by climate change, how much can be directly attributed to human activity, and how unusual these events are within a historical context. Additionally, we aim to forecast how much worse such events might become in the future, providing valuable insights for developing strategies to reduce their impact.
As a key member of this collaborative and close-knit team, you’ll engage in groundbreaking research and high-profile projects that are central to UKCEH’s mission. Your work will not only advance cutting-edge science but also drive real-world solutions that make a tangible and meaningful impact. This is a critical role which will involve collaboration with key partners such as the UK Met Office, ECMWF, and the University of East Anglia.
You’ll contribute to pioneering research efforts, including those under Terrafirma and NC-I fire research initiatives, while also playing a key part in advancing UKCEH’s involvement in UKESM development, iLeaps FLARE engagement, and the production of the State of Wildfire report. You will be instrumental in advancing models like ConFire/FLAME and JULES, and your work will culminate in significant outputs such as peer-reviewed publications and stakeholder reports.
TerraFIRMA:
https://terrafirma.ac.uk/about/the-project
NC-I:
https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/international-science-net-zero-plus
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:

• Investigating the ecological impacts of extreme fires on tropical and peatland ecosystems, and the carbon emitted from these fires
• Contributing to the annual “State of Wildfires” report, reviewing the previous year’s extreme fire activity
• Being part of the ConFire/FLAME and JULES-INFERNO development team, contributing to the ISIMIP project and fire model parameterisations in UKESM, including modelling landscape and peatland fires
• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders and key partners such as the UK Met Office, ECMWF, and the University of East Anglia

In this role, you’ll build a distinguished body of work, contributing to significant annual outputs including peer-reviewed publications and stakeholder reports, the publication of datasets, models, and digital assets, delivering presentations at conferences and workshops, and developing a deep understanding of key stakeholders and effective engagement strategies.
You will be expected to lead or manage tasks within projects, contribute to writing funding proposals, make significant contributions to publications, reports, and articles. We are seeking an exceptional communicator who excels in building relationships and conveying technical concepts with clarity. In this role, you’ll lead and collaborate on projects involving multiple team members, establish a strong external presence by working effectively with project partners, and offer specialist guidance and advice. Your ability to supervise and support the development of others, contribute to professional networks and events, and participate in organisation-wide forums will be crucial to your success.

For the role of Wildfire & Uncertainty Scientist, we’re looking for somebody who has:

• A PhD in a relevant science area, or a Master’s degree with equivalent relevant experience
• Excellent programming skills in a high-level language (e.g., Python) with experience of using Linux and running numerical models
• Demonstration of use of statistics and observational comparisons in data analysis or numerical modelling studies
• Experience in communicating activities and outcomes to a range of audiences
• Ability to translate technical concepts and provide specialist guidance and advice to others
• A willingness to travel, with frequent visits to Exeter, and potential additional travel requirements

We highly value a background in land surface and fire modelling, familiarity with Bayesian statistics, and a proven track record in fire science. * However, if you have strong skills in a combination of Bayesian statistical, numerical modelling, or experience in fire science, we encourage you to apply.

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.

• Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position at this time.

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.
How we work is just as important as what we achieve. We want UKCEH to be a welcoming, inclusive, engaging and collaborative place to work. We embed our values - excellence, integrity and teamwork - into everything we do.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Investigating the ecological impacts of extreme fires on tropical and peatland ecosystems, and the carbon emitted from these fires
• Contributing to the annual “State of Wildfires” report, reviewing the previous year’s extreme fire activity
• Being part of the ConFire/FLAME and JULES-INFERNO development team, contributing to the ISIMIP project and fire model parameterisations in UKESM, including modelling landscape and peatland fires
• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders and key partners such as the UK Met Office, ECMWF, and the University of East Angli

For the role of Wildfire & Uncertainty Scientist, we’re looking for somebody who has:

• A PhD in a relevant science area, or a Master’s degree with equivalent relevant experience
• Excellent programming skills in a high-level language (e.g., Python) with experience of using Linux and running numerical models
• Demonstration of use of statistics and observational comparisons in data analysis or numerical modelling studies
• Experience in communicating activities and outcomes to a range of audiences
• Ability to translate technical concepts and provide specialist guidance and advice to others
• A willingness to travel, with frequent visits to Exeter, and potential additional travel requirement

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.

• Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position at this time