Research Fellow P-FASE Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences 106939 Grade 7

Position Details

School of Geography Earth and Environmental Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range 36636 to 46049 with potential progression once in post to 48822

Grade: 7

Full Time Fixed term contract until May 2028

Closing date: 24th February 2026

This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.

Please note: We are advertising for both a Research Associate (106940) 8660 and a Research Fellow (106939) 8684 however there is only 1 post available

Background

The recruited research associate will be working on the NERC Environmental Challenges grant P-FASE: Advancing And Integrating Knowledge And Data On PFAS Sources Fate And Risks For UK the School of Geography Earth and Environmental Sciences research will be complete in the Water Sciences division working on the fate and transport of Per-(poly)-fluorinated substances (PFAS).

PFAS are a diverse set of chemicals with different structures and functional groups. There are currently major gaps in our knowledge of how different PFAS occur and behave in the environment.

For example we do not know all the sources of these chemicals; how their different properties affect how long they persist and transform; there in the environment the various PFAS forms go; and how they accumulate in and affect organisms. Fate and exposure experiments and modelling are essential approaches for predicting and assessing the movement and bioavailability of chemicals in the environment.

The post holder will be expected to conduct laboratory and field analytical research to study the environmental fate and transport of different PFAS at surface water - sediment interfaces. For this experiences in working with artificial flow simulators (flumes) such as the Birmingham EcoLab ( and modelling will be highly desired.

Please note: This position is being advertised at 2 different grades but only 1 candidate will be recruited.

Role Summary

• Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids

• Operate within area of specialism

• Analyse and interpret research findings and results

• Contribute to generating funding

• Contribute to licensing or spin out deals with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues asset or company sales IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods such as scientific experimentation literature reviews and research interviews *
• Present research outputs including drafting academic publications or parts thereof for example at seminars and as posters *
• Provide guidance as required to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research *
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines*
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Mesocosm experiment setup and operation
• Collection of simulate fate and transport experiments sediment cores and water
• Analysis methods for pollutant identification
• Active field sampling (soil and groundwater)
• Design and conduct flume experiments and manipulations

* These indicative responsibilities may also be included in a research role at grade 6.

Person Specification

• First degree in area of specialism and normally a higher degree relevant to research area or equivalent qualifications
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Fluency in relevant models techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010 and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly
• Knowledge of pollutant transport experiments
• Fate and transport modelling and measurements
• Fate processing experiments (flumes columns)
• Toxicology
• Experience of mesocosm experiments
• Experience of fate and transport experiments
• Experience of fieldwork to collect samples for pollutant analysis
• Experience of modelling software and methods for pollutant transport
• Experience in working with flumes and artificial rivers

Informal enquiries to Suman Hira email:

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications:We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website.