We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a NERC-funded Pushing the Frontiers project on development-centric demography and adaptation under environmental change.
The NERC-funded project develops a new development-centric framework for understanding adaptation under environmental change. Current models often treat phenotypes as fixed traits, overlooking the developmental processes through which organisms construct their phenotypes, creating a key “phenotypic gap” in demographic theory. The project integrates modelling, experiments and empirical data to understand how developmental trajectories (e.g. growth, maturation and resource allocation) shape survival, reproduction and adaptive potential. By treating organisms as active systems that regulate their own development and modify their environments, the work aims to improve predictions of population resilience and evolutionary responses to environmental change. The project builds on recent work developing a “development-centric” approach to demography (see Smallegange 2026, Academia Biology for an overview).
The postdoc will design and conduct laboratory and field experiments using a tractable model system (bulb mites) to quantify developmental responses to environmental change and generate empirical data on life-history and population processes.
 
For all informal enquiries please contact isabel.smallegange@ncl.ac.uk 
Key Accountabilities
-Design and conduct laboratory and/or field experiments to quantify developmental responses to environmental change in bulb mites Rhizoglyphus robini
-Generate and analyse empirical datasets on life-history, trait development and population processes
-Work closely with a modelling postdoctoral researcher to align data collection with model requirements
-Develop experimental protocols and ensure high standards of data quality and reproducibility
-Analyse data using appropriate statistical approaches
-Contribute to integration of empirical findings into the wider project framework
-Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences
-Support engagement activities, including communication of findings to non-academic audiences
-Contribute to a collaborative and inclusive research environment
The Person
Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours
-PhD (or near completion) in ecology, evolutionary biology, or a related discipline
-Demonstrable experience in experimental or empirical ecological research
-Experience collecting and analysing biological data
-Strong quantitative skills (e.g. statistics in R)
-Ability to design and deliver independent research
-Strong communication and teamwork skills
Desirable
-Experience with life-history, developmental biology, or behavioural ecology experiments in small invertebrates
-Experience linking empirical data to modelling or theory
-Experience with controlled laboratory systems
-Interest in adaptation, climate change or conservation applications
Qualifications
-PhD in ecology, evolutionary biology, or a related discipline (Research Associate)
-Near Completion of a PhD in ecology, evolutionary biology, or a related discipline (Research Assistant)
More information and application: https://jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastle-Research-AssistantAssociate-in-Experimental-Evolutionary-Ecology/1385085933/
Location: Newcastle University, UK
Start date: Summer 2026
Closing date: 17 May 2026
Interviews: 2 and 5 June 2026
Please circulate to anyone who may be interested.

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