Postdoctoral Research Associate

Grade UE07: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum, pro-rata if part-time

College of Science and Engineering / School of Biological Sciences / Institute of Ecology and Evolution      

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: 1st December 2025 – 30th November 2027

 

 

The Opportunity:

We are looking for a Postdoctoral researcher to join the research group of Dr. Matthew Silk (Institute of Ecology & Evolution, University of Edinburgh). The post would suit a researcher interested in applying network approaches in the context of behavioural and disease ecology. The ideal candidate will have strong skills in social network modelling and quantitative data analysis.

The project will use data-driven computational epidemiological models and statistical analysis of empirical datasets to investigate how animal social structure and dynamics contribute to the maintenance potential of wildlife disease hosts.   

The successful applicant will join an interdisciplinary research group working at the interface of ecology and network science. The post-holder will be expected to work with a high degree of independence, and encouraged to contribute their own ideas to the project direction. They will be expected to disseminate their results in papers, conference presentations, and/or other outputs, and will be supported in career development. 

 

This post is advertised as full-time (35 hours per week), however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns.

 

Your skills and attributes for success: 

• Experience using computational models for social networks.
• Strong skills in data processing and statistics.
• Knowledge of key concepts in social ecology and evolution.
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent time management and organisation.

 

Click here view a copy of the full job description.

 

Application Information 

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:

- CV

- Cover letter

 

As a valued member of our team you can expect: 

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits. 

 

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality. 

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab).

The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role.  This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant. 

 

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 15th September 2025.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone. 
 

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