Marine Environmental Economist

Purpose

We are seeking a marine environmental economist to join the 'CUPIDO: Calculating the strength of the plastic pump in counteracting the deep export of oceanic carbon' research programme, which has been funded through a UK Research Innovation Future Leader Fellowship to Dr Clara Manno. CUPIDO aims to identify the biological mechanisms that facilitate the export of plastic from the surface to the deeper layers of the ocean and to quantify the impact of this export on the ability of the ocean to uptake carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 
 

The postholder will work within the British Antarctic Survey Ecosystems team, which includes scientists involved in studies of zooplankton dynamics and their role in biogeochemical processes, and the impact of environmental stressors on the operation of the ecosystem. As a member of the BAS Ecosystems Team, you'll work alongside internationally recognised experts in a collaborative, supportive environment that values innovation, creativity, and scientific excellence. You'll have unrivalled access to high-quality datasets, mentorship, and field opportunities that will accelerate your research career.
 

The post holder will work on plastic pollution in Antarctica, in terms of how plastics move through the socio-ecological system, where interventions are most needed, and how policy performance can be improved. The post holder will develop an integrated modelling framework that maps the entire chain of the plastic pollution from its sources to its impacts. The successful candidate must be highly experienced in data analysis, impact and policy assessment, cost–benefit and cost–efficiency analyses. A special focus will be to investigate the potential influence of plastic local sources (generated by tourism, fisheries and science activities). In situ data collected by the CUPIDO team, together with additional existing datasets, will be available to parameterise the model outputs. 
 

The successful candidate will be highly experienced in marine plastic pollution and/or the ocean environmental economy. A familiarity with the wider issues of Plastic pollution sources in Antarctica is also desirable. 
 

Duties

You'll help us to deliver new insight on plastic pollution in Antarctica, in terms of how plastics move through the socio-ecological system, where interventions are most needed, and how policy performance can be improved. You will develop an integrated modelling framework that maps the entire chain of the plastic pollution from its sources to its impacts. 

• Contribute to the preparation and planning of CUPIDO research activities, including supporting fieldwork planning in terms of data collection.

• Synthesise key datasets for model parameterisation.

• Develop and implement integrated modelling framework that maps the entire chain of the plastic pollution from its sources to its impacts.

• Prepare parameterisation datasets and model output for curation in appropriate data centres (e.g. Polar Data Centre, British Oceanographic Data Centre). 

• Lead and publish high quality, timely and relevant peer-reviewed research related to the CUPIDO objectives. 

• Form and maintain national and international relationships and collaborations for scientific research with the Antarctic research communities. 

• Travel to national and international meetings to present research findings. 

• Proactively pursue and contribute to future research grant opportunities.

Engage with stakeholders and the general public to communicate the objectives of the CUPIDO project

Skills, Qualifications, and Experience

Essential

• PhD in Marine Environmental Economy (or similar).

• Experience in marine plastic/microplastic pollution and SOCIAL cost–benefit and cost– efficiency analyses.

• Evidence of time management skills.

• Self-motivated, with confidence to present complex pieces of work in an understandable way to a range of audiences (both oral and written).

• Ability to work independently, but also to keep seniors informed. Decide on the appropriate experiments to answer research questions.

• Must be able to work as part of a team and present the project to others.

• Good statistical analysis skills and ability to manage large datasets.

• Enthusiastic and passionate about the topic.

Desirable

• A good publication record.

• Familiar with Southern Ocean/Antarctic plastic issue.

• Ability to interface with different data sources.

• Experience of managing projects.

As a BAS employee, you'll be eligible for the following benefits:

• 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days
• Civil Service pension (with 26% or more employer contribution, depending on your band)
• 24 hours/365 days access to employee assistance programme (including support with physical, mental, social, health and financial issues)
• Flexible and family friendly working opportunities
• Cycle to work scheme
• Access to discounted shopping on a range of retail, leisure, and lifestyle categories and much more

We will give full consideration to requests for flexible and part time working, such as reduced hours, compressed hours or job sharing. We also offer hybrid working and recognise the many benefits this brings. The nature of the role will determine if flexible and hybrid working options are possible.

The pay band minimum is the normal starting pay for those new to a role. In exceptional circumstances, when relevant skills and experience can be identified, a higher starting salary may be considered.