Job Vacancy - Marine Biologist
Please quote ref no: BAS 48/13
Closing date for applications: 05 May 2013 at 11:59pm
| 1. | Job Title: | Marine Biologist |
| Reference No: | BAS 48/13 | |
| Department: | Biological Life Sciences | |
| Line Manager: | ||
| Contract Type: | Antarctic Employment Pool (AEP) – minimum 19 month contract |
| 2. | Location: Antarctica - Rothera |
| 3. | Purpose: Within the Ecosystems programme, this project will assess the biodiversity, biomass and carbon budget of rocky shore communities in the Antarctic. The core of this project requires a detailed survey of a key location that was first described 15 years ago. The project aims are to describe the community structure in sufficient detail to assess carbon flow through the benthos, and detect any differences between surveys that will indicate how animals have responded to rapid climate change in this region. There is also an opportunity to work with experienced members of the team to broaden the scope of investigations. The position involves extensive SCUBA diving to study community structure and quantify ecological parameters. This requires extensive use of light microscopy and laboratory techniques to identify species and gather the ecological information that will feed into long term studies of shallow water communities in this region. The post involves a minimum of 1.5 years at the British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station, Antarctica and is expected to result in high quality scientific publications. The post holder will be expected to play a role in planning, organisation, and implementation of this research programme whilst also supporting a diverse range of marine science projects, and base activities, particularly during the summer months. |
| 4. | Duties: • To organise and implement the proposed research programme, which involves: 1. Animal collection, maintenance and study. 2. Stereo light-microscopy and use of keys to identify species 3. Careful measurement of growth rates, of key species, to assess carbon flow through the community 4. Preserving samples for genetic analysis back in Cambridge 5. Good laboratory skills to measure ecological information 6. Analyse data and prepare for publication 7. Help to prepare manuscripts for publication • To play an active role as a member of the marine team, being involved in a diverse range of marine projects Due to the remote location in the Antarctic strong organisational and interpersonal skills are required for this post |
