Strategic Senior Research Fellow / Strategic Research Fellow

The role
What you’ll do
Who you are – Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge, and Skills required:
How to apply
Benefits
Employment Visa:

The role

Aberystwyth University (AU) is seeking to appoint four Strategic Research Fellows or Senior Research Fellows (according to level of experience and track record) in several key areas to tackle some of the major challenges of the 21st century: climate change adaptation and mitigation, and healthy food and diets. These posts are until 31st March 2023 in the first instance with Research Fellows supported to apply for longer term fellowships or to become closely aligned with the Institute’s future BBSRC strategically funded science on Resilient Crops. We are particularly keen to appoint researchers with expertise and interests in the following indicative and priority topic areas.

Plant Breeding Science. Approaches, including genetical genomics and genomic prediction, have great potential to accelerate and improve the efficiency of plant breeding. There is still significant research needed to optimise these approaches especially for use in hybrid crops and for complex traits such as yield. This Fellow will link the Institutes strategic Resilient Crop science to Aberystwyth based plant breeding programmes through approaches such as genomic prediction.

Crop Biodiversity. Climate change adaptation will require significant appraisal of genetic diversity in genebanks to help future proof agricultural production systems and landscape and environmental management. The Institute has built up significant genetic resources over 100 years. We are working with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Earlham Institute on characterising diversity genomically but we also need to do this phenotypically. This Fellow will be involved in the integration of genomic and phenotypic information for crop biodiversity.

Grains for Health. Our research and international collaborations on oats have developed significant genetic and genomic tools and resources. In addition, the National Plant Phenomics Centre (NPPC) has implemented advanced visualisation technologies for the evaluation of grains. This Fellow will bring together these tools and resources to help understand the imaging and metabolomic characteristics of oat and/ or legume grains, including as a result of domestication.

Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Maintaining a productive UK agricultural sector whilst reducing GHG emissions and improving ecosystems services is a significant challenge. An altitudinal challenge gradient was established in 2016 as a platform for generating data that can be used, including through modelling, to increase our understanding of land use, land marginality and the opportunities to combine production with environmental benefits where future farm payments are likely to be focused. As part of this, this Fellow would engage with industry and policymakers including through the creation of opportunity maps using strategic science data collected in the Resilient Crops Programme.

The Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University carries out research and innovation on grassland systems and the cropping of more marginal lands which constitute significant parts of the west of the UK and some arable areas of the east of the UK. The institute is strategically funded by the BBSRC and traces its history back to the Welsh Plant Breeding Station, established in 1919. BBSRC strategic investment funds the Core Strategic Programme in Resilient Crops which includes research on forage crops, upland grasslands, Miscanthus and oats. This strategic science is translated through our plant breeding programmes which span forage grasses and legumes, cereals and pulses, and energy crops with many varieties on national and recommended lists. These plant programmes involve collaboration with industry (principally Germinal Holdings, Senova and Terravesta) and enable us to address our vision of bringing about real-world impacts that deliver benefits to people and planet through research and innovation in the plant and agricultural sciences.

Where a visa sponsorship is likely, this section must briefly but clearly state the main duties and responsibilities of the role.

To make an informal enquiry, please contact Proffeser Iain Donnison at isd@aber.ac.uk.

Appointments are normally made within 4 - 8 weeks of the closing date.

What you’ll do

This job description is subject to review and amendment in the light of the changing needs of the University, to provide appropriate development opportunities and/or the addition of any other reasonable duties.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop an area of strategic science that aligns with the Resilient Crops programme and ideally in one or more of the four areas highlighted (Breeding Technologies, Crop Biodiversity, Grains for Health, Sustainable Agricultural Systems).
• Engage with other researchers in IBERS including those covering grassland science, upland agro-ecosystems, and the breeding of cereals, grain legumes and forage grass and legumes as appropriate.
• Develop relationships with national and international collaborators, industry and policymakers as appropriate.
• To undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post.
• To be committed to the University’s Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post.
• To be committed to your own development and that of your staff through the effective use of the University’s Effective Contribution Scheme.
• Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.

The responsibilities of this vacancy have been matched to the Academic Role Profile Research 3/4. Details of the role profile can be found at:

Role Profile 3:

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/media/departmental/humanresources/frameworkagreement/acad emicprofiles/R3.pdf

Role Profile 4:

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/media/departmental/humanresources/frameworkagreement/acad emicprofiles/R4.pdf

Who you are – Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge, and Skills required:

Essential

Desirable

• More information on Welsh Language Levels can be found at:

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/hr/policy-and-procedure/welsh-standards/

How to apply

To promote a flexible workforce, the University will consider applications from individuals seeking full time, part time, job share, or term time only working arrangements.

Applications for this role must be made through jobs.aber.ac.uk. You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English and any application submitted will be treated equally.

Benefits

• Flexible working policy
• 36.5 – hour week for full-time roles
• Generous leave entitlements – 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays and university closed days
• Commitment to Professional Development
• Enhanced contribution to our workplace pension schemes
• Staff recognition and reward schemes
• Opportunity to learn the Welsh language for free
• Staff relocation bursary
• Maternity, Paternity, Parental and Adoption Leave
• Staff discount for gym facilities, hospitality, and retail on campus.

Please keep reading

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities and, those that are currently underrepresented in our workforce. This includes but is not limited to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, candidates with disabilities, and female candidates.

We are a Bilingual Institution which complies with the Welsh Language Standards and is committed to Equal Opportunities. Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the institution, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English and any application submitted will be treated equally.

Employment Visa:

We welcome international applicants who are eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker Route.

Under the points-based system, this role meets the criteria to be sponsored by AU for an SWR application. Please be advised that AU will only support the Certificate of Sponsorship for any employment visas and will not support the payment of the employment visa for the offered candidate and/or dependants.

Any prospective candidates coming to work for AU under the SWR will require a minimum of 70 points, made up of the following:

• Appropriate knowledge is classed as the following:

• A national of a majority English speaking country
• Having an academic degree taught in English (if an overseas degree, must be verified by NARIC)
• Completing and passing an English language test at Level B1 or above.

For more information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa