Senior Research Associate

**Salary**

£17,433 - £19,552 (£34,866 - £39,105 x0.5 FTE) per annum

**Contractual hours**

18.5

**Basis**

Part-Time

**Job category/type**

Fixed Term - Part-Time

**Job reference**

REC00002771

Experience the pride of being part of a select group - one of only four universities in the south-east of England to achieve a prestigious Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework. Additionally, we proudly rank among the top 140 universities globally in the Times Higher Young University World Rankings.

Ambition, Responsibility and Openness drive our every endeavour. Join our esteemed institution with a proven track record of success, and where dedication to excellence is key. We want people to make their mark in a professional community that truly values people, innovation, and achievement.

**The Role**:
We are looking to appoint a highly motivated individual who is passionate about marine restoration. This Senior Research Associate position, within the School of the Environment and Life Sciences is funded through the NERC Integrating Finance and Biodiversity for a Nature Positive Future Grant NE/Z503368 led by the UK Centre for Hydrology and Ecology. The Seascape Restoration Research Network was established in 2022 with the purpose to identify practical opportunities to better integrate finance and biodiversity in seascape restoration for a nature-positive future. There is increased government, investor, and public support for nature-based solutions to address biodiversity loss, net zero ambitions, climate change and green economy needs, improved ecosystem service delivery, and community benefits, which has led to a rapid increase in active coastal habitat restoration projects. However, these pilot projects typically face the same challenges, particularly related to the integration of biodiversity and finance into seascape restoration projects. This project currently has a regional focus, bringing together those working in marine restoration projects in the Sussex Bay to Solent regions, but this role will facilitate the scaling up nationally

In this role you will communicate with regional and national restoration projects to bring researchers, practitioners, policy makers and regulators together to overcome barriers and challenges to delivering and financing marine ecosystem restoration at scale.

This role will have 3 main aims:

- Facilitate, through coordination, dialogue between academics and policy, finance and government stakeholders through a national-level event focused on scaling up coastal and marine restoration. This will include helping with the planning and delivery of the ‘Reconnecting our Seascapes’ Symposium & workshop in June 2025, to be held at the Zoological Society of London and contributing to outputs arising from this symposium and workshop.,
- Coordination and co-development of seascape research strategies and monitoring plans across the Solent - Sussex Bay region to meet knowledge gaps of Blue Carbon Evidence Needs Statement, deliver the recommendations set out in a roadmap to achieve high-integrity marine natural capital markets in the UK produced, (produced in Phase I of the project) and develop better integrated biodiversity metrics to enable marine restoration finance.
- Map existing UK networks and partnerships with a focus on delivering marine biodiversity restoration, assess the role of the Seascape Restoration Research Network, and where appropriate integrate with other networks or scale nationally.

The working pattern for this position is 0.5FTE

Interviews are anticipated to be held 10 February 2025

**Discover the advantages of joining our university. We offer a range of attractive benefits and opportunities to enhance your work experience**:

- Competitive salary, including incremental progression within your scale.
- Generous pension scheme.
- Generous leave entitlement of 32-35 days a year, plus bank holidays, and an additional Christmas closure.
- Family-friendly policies supporting flexible working.
- Staff discounts and loyalty schemes.
- Staff car parking and discounted public travel.
- Excellent training and development opportunities.
- Staff wellbeing programmes.
- Long service milestones, and recognition awards which may be awarded to staff for exceptional performance.
- Recreation facilities, including discounted gym membership, food on campus schemes, use of the Library and staff social activities.
- Discounted learning.
- Start-up business mentoring from expert entrepreneurs via our Entrepreneurs in Residence programme.
- The perks don’t stop there - click ‘apply’ for further information on My Reward and Benefits

**UKVI Statement**

**ED&I Statement**: