Spatial Statistician

Overview Of RoleRothamsted Net Zero and Resilient farming Area are seeking a spatial statistician or spatial modeller to work on a project exploring the relationship between soil properties and weed patch dynamics.

The team have secured funding to work with industry-leading Agritech companies to develop, build and evaluate a camera-equipped self-propelled sprayer for weed mapping and precision patch
- or spot-spraying. As part of this project, the team will develop models linking prior weed abundance with variation in soil properties across agricultural fields, to improve predictions of weed patch emergence in the following year. These models will provide greater insight into the formation and dynamics of weed patchiness within agricultural fields, whilst also providing a basis for further improvements in weed patch-spraying, facilitating significantly reduced agricultural herbicide usage.

The main duties will include:
- Using methods from spatial statistics, analyse data on soil properties collected from fields across the UK.
- Explore relationships between soil and weed patchiness- Generate plausible realisations of soil properties based on the analysis of soil data and use these to run simulation models
- analyse outputs from models and contribute the publications that report results in the scientific literature and at conferences

We anticipate high-impact, multidisciplinary articles from this work. The research group has an excellent publication record so the post will provide a suitable springboard for someone who is seeking a career in agri-environmental science.

The post attracts a salary ranging from £31,350 per annum FTE for 18.5 hours per week (£15,675 actual), for a 22 month fixed term period.
- About The Company- Established in 1843, Rothamsted Research is one of the UK's leading Research Institutes delivering world class agricultural science. Our commitment to learning and development, equality and diversity as well as creating a positive work life balance, enable a welcoming environment for all prospective employees. As part of our flexibility to working arrangements for our staff, the institute operates a policy whereby regular homeworking arrangements can be considered.