Research Assistant/Associate (Sensory Pollution)

Salary: 

Research Assistant: £33,951 to £36,608 per annum

Research Associate: £36,636 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 14 April 2026

The Role

We’re looking for an independently-minded reseacher in biogeography, ecology, environmental science or a related field to join our Leverhulme Trust funded project studying urban sensory pollution. You will be open to collaborating and communicating across disciplines, to work on a project that will combine research in social and physical sciences. You will be excited by the prospect of joining a project in which you will be given signficiant autonomy and independence to shape and develop the research, within the framework set by, and with the support of, the wider team.

Urban Sensory Pollution in Singapore and Johor Bahru is a research project that seeks to understand how urban sensory pollution (e.g., light pollution, noise pollution, etc.) impacts on both humans and ecosystems, in polluted and non-polluted sites. The project will focus on how impacts relate to the governance and conceptualization of senses as pollutants, and the extent to which this correlates with actual harms (e.g., reductions in biodiversity, loss of ecosystem services). Funding runs until April 2028.

You will lead in the data collection and analysis on our biodiversity work package, conducting rigorous fieldwork that you will undertake during two visits to Singapore. You will collect cross taxa ecological data via field surveys and audio recorders to assess community level impacts of sensory pollutants in the urban environmnet. You will concurrently collect data on sensory pollutants using environmental monitors. You will deliver high-quality analyses of the biodversity data, and share your findings, in collaboration with the project team, in leading scientific journals and at academic conferences. You will work with a high degree of independence, as appropriate seeking input from the project team: Dr Robert Shaw, an urban geogrpaher who will carry out social science research on the impacts on urban sensory pollutants in the same cities, and Dr Nick Cutler, a biogeographer with experience in studying the built envrionment and its impacts on biodiversity.

You should be experienced in studying biodiversity, ideally with experience in lone working and the deployment of environmental sensors in a field setting. While you will work in collaboration with the research team, you will be given significant autonomy with a chance to take ownership of your part of the research.

This is an excellent opportunity for a confident early-career researcher to gain expertise in interdisciplinary collaboration, with a focus on how scientific and social scientific research can inform each other. As well as the project team, you will form part of Newcastle University’s Physical Geography research cluster, a world-leading group of scientists at the forefront of research on earth surface processes, environmental change, and shifting human-environment relationships. You will be based in a Geography unit ranked #36 in the 2025 QS Global Subject Rankings for Geography, within the wider School of Geography, Politics and Sociology.

Application Process

In order to apply please provide evidence of how you meet the essential criteria required for the role outlined in ‘The Person’ by uploading a letter of application along with your Curriculum Vitae (CV).

If you would like to have an informal conversation about this role, please contact Dr Robert Shaw (robert.shaw2@ncl.ac.uk)

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles.pdf. These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and, secondly, the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Find out more about the the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences here

Contact for the post is Dr Robert Shaw (robert.shaw2@ncl.ac.uk)

Duration of post is until 15th April 2028, tied directly to the Leverhulme Trust grant. We hope to interview in May 2026, with a view to starting as soon as possible after.

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

• Develop a detailed plan for the biodiversity work package, including specification of the target organism(s), processes and pollutants
• Develop the methodology for the biodiversity work package of the Urban Sensory Pollution research project
• Carry out the research during two visits, each of roughly 5 weeks, to Singapore
• In collaboration with the project lead, carry out research on the environmental monitoring work package
• With support from the team, analyse data from the biodiversity work package
• Lead, in collaboration with the team, the production of research outputs including journal articles and conference papers
• Collaborate with the project team to integrate the research, data and outputs from across the work packages

Research Associate

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

Research Assistant

• Research experience in one or more of the following areas: ecology, environmental sciences, biological conservation; a background in physical geography is also acceptable provided the candidate can demonstrate an appropriate level of expertise in biodiversity research
• Experience in fieldwork monitoring cross taxa ecology
• Experience of using environmental sensors (e.g. to monitor light, sound or similar)
• Experience of data handling and analysis
• Excellent track record of scientific writing (for career stage), with publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• Understanding of relevant methods, debates and literature for the study of biodiversity
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, including by email, teleconference, and in-person meetings
• Experience of delivering posters or papers at academic conferences
• Experience of using GIS software and conducting data analysis using R or similar

Desirable

• Experience conducting bioacoustic monitoring and AI driven species identification
• Experience conducting lone fieldwork for extended periods

In addition for Research Associate

• Awareness of the research environment
• High level of analytical and problem solving capacity
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity
• Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high quality publications

Attributes and Behaviour

• Willingness to take initiative and self-start
• Detail-oriented, especially with regard to data management and writing
• Willingness to work as part of an interdisicplinary team across science and social science
• Excellent communication and organization skills
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of and commitment to good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

Research Assistant

•    PhD at or near completion in environmental science, ecology, biological conservation, biology, physical geography or a related field (i.e., thesis submitted and awaiting viva or thesis submitted for internal review)

In addition for Research Associate

• PhD in in environmental science, ecology, biological conservation, biology, physical geography or a related field

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29235