Geospatial Researcher

The work undertaken by The James Hutton Group helps tackle our most pressing global problems such as the impact of climate change and threats to food and water security. The Information & Computational Sciences Department (ICS) comprises a wide portfolio of skills, working at a range of scales from molecular to global. The Group exploits expertise in bioinformatics, geoinformatics, data science, risk assessment and integrated complex systems modelling, as well as research computing and high-performance computing.

We are seeking a collaborative and motivated Geospatial Researcher, to join our Geoinformatics Modelling Group. You should have a Ph.D. in environmental modelling or similar with significant geospatial data experience, facilitated by sound GIS scripting skills (e.g. Python, R, etc.). You will work on a variety of major Scottish Government, UKRI and Horizon Europe-funded research projects to improve our monitoring and understanding of land management and climate change impacts on soil, natural and managed landscapes and the contribution that land-based solutions may bring to the climate emergency.

The post holder will be expected to contribute to the portfolio of research in the ICS Department, some of it within the Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Programme which commenced in April this year. As such, the post holder will have the opportunity and will be encouraged to develop their own scientific solutions to a range of research challenges and deliverables within this Programme, under the line management of Dr Matt Aitkenhead.

More information on the detail of the post and the post holder can be found below in the job description.

**Main Duties of Postholder**

The postholder will contribute to all aspects of the research cycle including research proposals, model development, analysis, and visualisation of model outputs, through to peer reviewed publications and approaches for knowledge exchange with non-academic audiences. Key activities include:

- Data analysis, interpretation, and publication of model results
- Development of models and model protocols that align with Institute and funder open science initiatives
- To contribute to publication of research in highly ranked peer-reviewed journals
- To contribute to (inter)national funding proposals
- To collaborate with Hutton researchers on interdisciplinary research across multiple departments

The postholder will be supported in their professional development to enhance their own research contribution and academic profile.

**Education/Experience/Skills**

**Essential**
- PhD in mathematical modelling, or equivalent post-graduate experience
- Domain-relevant experience (climate change, nutrient cycling, carbon dynamics, etc.)
- Experience using internationally recognised models (DNDC, ECOSSE, DayCent, etc.) or experience of developing smaller scale soil biogeochemistry models
- Knowledge of open science principles
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to engage with different audiences
- Experience in contributing to research proposals
- Ability to work both in interdisciplinary teams and unaided
- Fit with existing Research Groups within the ICS Department

**Desirable**
- Knowledge of contemporary global environmental and ecological issues in the context of sustainable agricultural production
- Experience in using the Linux operating system
- Practical experience of high-performance computing and associated job schedulers (e.g. SLURM, SGE, TORQUE)
- Expertise in development of data protocols for open science data archiving and robust data management
- Experience of github or equivalent open version-control data repository

**Other Skills**
- Ability to manage time in relation to meeting project deadlines
- Familiarity with relevant ethics and data protection guidelines