Junior Postdoctoral Research Associate – Fixed term (project funded)
Closing date for applications: 6 September 2026
Start date and duration of contract: January 2027 – August 2029 (possibility of extension, subject to funding)
Location: OSPAR Secretariat offices: The Aspect, 12 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AS
Basic salary: Approximately £41,200/year (exempt from UK income tax)
A complete job description with instructions on how to apply1 is here:
https://www.ospar.org/organisation/vacancies.
We are looking for an ambitious early-career researcher with an interest in developing and applying novel environmental science to real-world sustainability challenges.
Profile: Postdoctoral (or PhD close to completion) in marine ecology, oceanography, Earth system science, environmental science, environmental modelling, or a closely related discipline.
Specific duties and responsibilities: Working at the interface of environmental science, policy and international collaboration, the postholder will contribute to the scientific development of regional Safe Operating Space frameworks while playing a central role in building productive relationships with project partners, governance organisations and other stakeholders. They will help ensure that scientific knowledge is developed collaboratively and translated into approaches that can support evidence-based decision-making across regional and global ocean governance. The postholder will collaborate closely with other work packages to integrate ecological indicators, model outputs, cumulative impact assessments and governance information into an operational framework for regional ocean management, and will collaborate with policy makers within OSPAR. Technical expertise and interpersonal skills to facilitate dialogue across disciplines, sectors and cultures is essential. Key responsibilities of the role include:
- Contributing to the development of methods for translating the Planetary Boundaries Safe Operating Space framework to regional ocean and ABNJ contexts.
- Supporting the development of new control variables describing regional ocean ecosystem health and food-web integrity.
- Integrating outputs from ecological models, risk assessments and cumulative impact analyses into regional Safe Operating Space assessments.
- Working collaboratively with researchers across OceanSOS to integrate ecological, modelling and governance outputs into practical decision-support frameworks.
- Working with project partners and stakeholders to co-design decision-support approaches relevant to regional and international ocean governance.
- Representing the project at workshops, stakeholder meetings and international conferences
- Contributing to scientific publications, project reports, policy briefs and presentations for both academic and non-academic audiences.
Required competencies:
- PhD (or close to completion) in marine ecology, oceanography, Earth system science, environmental science, environmental modelling, or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrated research experience in one or more relevant fields, eg., marine ecosystems, ecosystem functioning, environmental indicators, cumulative impact assessment, Earth system processes or marine conservation.
- Evidence of scientific publication or equivalent research outputs appropriate to career stage.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills and, ideally, knowledge of co-production and participatory research approaches.
- Strong facilitation and listening skills, and excellent communication skills.
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a multidisciplinary international research team.
- Quantitative and analytical skills, including experience analysing complex environmental datasets.
1 Applicants’ data will be handled in line with the OSPAR Privacy Policy, https://www.ospar.org/privacy