Research Assistant/Associate in Water Resources Modelling

Salary: 

Research Assistant -  £33,951 to £35,608 per annum

Research Associate - £36,636 to £46,049 per annum

Newcastle Universitya 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: 03 April 2026

The Role

In the 50th anniversary year of the 1976 drought, we are excited to launch this new opportunity for a Research Assistant or Research Associate in Water Resources Modelling to join us in the School of Engineering. The project is timely by providing policy-relevant information for climate resilience planning in the water sector. The core of this project is a controlled simulation experiment using simulation outputs from climate models, hydrological catchment models and the Water Resources model for England and Wales (WREW), a national-scale, simulation model. You will quantify national and regional water supply-demand imbalances during a 1976 style drought event by tracking key measures of water system performance, specifically determining how effectively today’s system and operational rules would manage a modern 1976-type drought event. You will join a diverse community of colleagues based in Newcastle in our Civil and Geospatial Discipline, supported by Dr Anna Murgatroyd with expertise in water resources and hydrology.

In this role, you will be involved in the planning, management and delivery of a fast-paced 8-month project on water resources. You will lead the design, development and execution of a multi-model simulation experiment to assess water system response to severe drought conditions, and ultimate contribute to the writing of a short policy brief and academic paper that summarises the project outputs.

The project will allow us to place the 1976 drought in the context of past climate change for both rainfall, river flows and water system response following the ‘ClimaMeter’ attribution approach, and to explore worst case storylines of the 1976 drought. You will use the WREW modelling framework (Murgatroyd et al. 2022) to quantify national and regional water supply-demand imbalances during a 1976 style drought event by tracking key measures of water system performance, including annual and seasonal reservoir storage, reservoir drawdown during drought onset, and rate of reservoir re-fill during the recovery phase. Your analysis will specifically determine how effectively today’s system and operational rules would manage the onset, peak, and recovery phases under a 1976-type drought event. This includes evaluating the efficacy of demand saving measures from water use restrictions in alleviating the progression of the drought. Vulnerabilities in the system will be identified as WRZs or systems that exhibit the most significant deterioration in performance during the drought, specifically focusing on the duration and severity of water use restriction events (e.g. hosepipe bans), and comparison of how the timing of drought alerts differ between the demand scenarios.

How to apply: To apply please submit a CV and cover letter that outlines how you meet the essential criteria for the role. We are especially keen for candidates with experience in hydrological and water systems modelling.

What happens next: This position is an 8-month full-time fixed term position, with an expected start date in April 2026. 

We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University. If you’d like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact anna.murgatroyd@newcastke.ac.uk. We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and can provide additional support to adjustments to meet your needs.

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 Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/

Find out more about our Research Institutes: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/engineering/

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate

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

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Research Assistant

• Knowledge of hydrological processes and environmental engineering principles to ensure sustainability is embedded in the planning
• Experience modelling hydrological processes
• Experience of network simulation modelling i.e. for water supply systems
• Experience working with and analysing large climate and hydrological datasets
• Understanding of systems-based approaches to planning, including use of decision-support systems i.e. modelling and optimisation tools for evidence-based water planning
• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences
• Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems

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

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• 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

• Honours degree in Geography, Engineering or Earth Sciences

In addition for Research Associate

• PhD in Hydrology or Water Resources Management (recently submitted or close to submitting)

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: 29187