About Us:

The role is based in the Conservation Science Group in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. There, led by Professor Andrew Balmford, research is underway centred around the impact of food on the natural environment: how can we feed a growing human population at the least cost to people and nature? This is a broad question and so the research covers a wide range of topics, including species population modelling, the biodiversity and greenhouse gas impacts of meals served in a hospital, through to the effect of package size on purchasing habits and food waste. We are looking for a motivated individual to work on a number of these topics. If you have experience in coding, strong critical thinking skills, and a passion for preserving the planet, we would love to hear from you.

The role:

As a Research Assistant, you will join the Conservation Science Group and the Mandala project (www.mandala-consortium.org) to work primarily on methods for assessing the sustainability of food and applying them to real-world data. Working closely with the team behind 'LIFE' - a state-of-the-art biodiversity assessment method, and with access to an exciting novel dataset on the food purchasing habits of 2000 households in the UK, this work has the potential for substantial impact in policy and the scientific literature. Work will include helping to develop a pipeline to estimate the impacts of individual food products and applying them to food purchasing data to explore the demographic drivers of consumption impacts. Work may also include contributing to a global standard of food impact assessments. Potential aspects of this role are broad, but might include a review of existing approaches to assessing the impacts of agricultural products, data manipulation - bringing together several data sources, developing code to automate procedures, carrying out statistical analyses and presenting results in various formats.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Relevant degree (Bachelors or Masters) in a quantitative / analytical subject.
• Experience in computer programming, particularly in the context of data manipulation and analysis using a language such as Python.
• Experience in working with large datasets programmatically.
• Statistical analysis and scientific writing skills.
• Organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to communicate research findings clearly in oral and written formats to collaborators and other members of the group

Desirable skills and knowledge - Experience working in a professional environment. - An understanding of the principles of reproducible scientific methods (e.g. version control, open access data and code).

For informal enquires, please contact Dr Thomas Ball at tsb42@cam.ac.uk.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available up until 21 March 2026 2026 with a possibility of extension.

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

Flexible working requests will be considered.

We particularly welcome applications from women and candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our University.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any queries regarding the application process please contact Anastasia Nezhentseva.

Email: an286@cam.ac.uk Telephone: (0)1223 330117

Please quote reference PF46284 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

We are inviting applications for the post of Senior Collections Lead. This new four-year position is available at the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge and is based on-site.

The University Museum of Zoology holds a collection of approximately two million specimens covering the entire animal kingdom, past and present, of which around 5,000 are on public display. The collections are designated as being of outstanding national and international significance and are vitally important for our knowledge of the history of fauna around the world, and for the history of science itself.

The Museum's main purpose is to promote and advance the understanding and appreciation of the richness and diversity of animal life in the past, present and future of our planet. This is achieved through teaching, research and public engagement - the Museum is both one of Cambridgeshire's leading visitor attractions, welcoming over 150,000 visitors annually, and a major research hub. The Museum is part of the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge, and is housed in the David Attenborough Building, sharing space with NGO and academic partners in the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. There are numerous stakeholders in the Museum within and beyond the University.

The Senior Collections Lead's primary responsibility is to manage the team responsible for Collections Management, Care, and Conservation; whilst also playing a significant role in the delivery of this work, particularly in areas of collections management. You will be an ambitious and creative individual with proven successful experience of leading and motivating teams with a diverse and active workload. You will have a deep knowledge of contemporary natural history museums practice, particularly in collections management, and a practical understanding of the processes of conservation. You enjoy people-management, work-planning and negotiation, and have the ability to develop schedules to balance the needs of a wide range of stakeholders. You are excited by the creative possibilities of making collections accessible for research, teaching and public engagement. You will have the people skills to be a superb ambassador for the Museum when engaging with external users of our collections and capable of working effectively with our academic Curators.

For more information, please refer to the Further Particulars.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 4 years in the first instance.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a basic disclosure (criminal records check) check, a security check and a standard Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Informal inquiries are welcomed and should be directed to the Museum's Assistant Director, Jack Ashby: jda26@cam.ac.uk

Interviews are likely to take place on 7th August 2025, and candidates who are shortlisted for interview are likely to hear that they have been shortlisted on or around 31st July.

We particularly welcome applications from women and candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our University.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any queries regarding the application process please contact Anastasia Nezhentseva.

Email: an286@cam.ac.uk Telephone: (0)1223 330117

Please quote reference PF45931 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Are you a great communicator with a keen eye for detail? The Zoology Department at the University of Cambridge have an exciting opportunity for an HR Administrator to join our team as soon as possible.

Located in the heart of Cambridge, the Zoology Department is a buzzing and friendly community of over 250 researchers, students, and visitors who are passionate about exploring the wonders of the natural world.

As the HR Administrator, you will help support various HR processes, including recruitment, induction, probation, end of limited contracts, sickness, and parental leave. In addition, you will be responsible for maintaining the visitors' database, drafting Visitor Agreements, and managing the departmental casual workforce through the Cambridge Casual Workforce System.

You will possess excellent communication skills and be proficient in all standard Microsoft Office packages, including Word, Excel and Outlook. You should be highly organized, self-motivated, and able to prioritize your workload within a demanding timetable. Tact and discretion are essential when handling confidential information and documents. Previous general administrative experience in a higher education organisation or research institute would be desirable. Previous HR experience is not specifically required as training in Cambridge University HR systems will be provided.

Due to the need to foster a good understanding of the department and build relationships this role is based on site.

What we Offer: The University of Cambridge offers excellent benefits, extensive opportunities in a stimulating environment.

The University salary structure includes automatic service-related pay progression in many of its grades and an annual cost of living increase. In addition to this, employees are rewarded for outstanding contribution through a number of regular pay progression schemes. Staff also benefit from a generous annual leave entitlement.

The University offers employees a wide range of competitive benefits, from health care cash plans to childcare, a cycle to work scheme, to shopping and insurance discounts. University-led initiatives in the areas of equality, diversity and wellbeing include staff and student networks. These include the Women's Staff Network, the Disabled Staff Network, the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network, Parents and Carers and the LGBT+ Network. We also hold a wide range of Equality and Diversity events on a regular basis. Wellbeing at Cambridge is a University-wide initiative aiming at supporting and maximising the health and wellbeing of staff.

The University offer a range of family-friendly policies, including maternity, adoption and shared parental leave. In addition, workplace nurseries, childcare vouchers, a childcare salary sacrifice scheme and a high-quality holiday play scheme are available to help support University employees with caring responsibilities

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a basic disclosure (criminal records check) check and a security check.

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

Flexible working requests will be considered.

We particularly welcome applications from candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our University.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any queries regarding the application process please contact Anastasia Nezhentseva.

Email: an286@cam.ac.uk Telephone: (0)1223 330117

Please quote reference PF46106 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Two Research Assistant posts are available in the Connectomics Group directed by Greg Jefferis in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. We have obtained a Wellcome Discovery Award to proofread, annotate, and analyse the first mosquito brain connectome, with a focus on the chemosensory circuits involved in human host-seeking. Applicants will work with electron-microscopy image data, annotate and proofread automatically segmented reconstructions of neurons, develop open source tools for data analysis/processing, and perform neuron morphology, connectivity, graph/circuit analyses etc. to obtain biological insight. A background in neurobiology or a strong quantitative preparation (e.g. in bioinformatics/computer science) will be helpful.

Successful candidates will join a team based in Zoology with 15 team members, carrying out data processing and computational analysis of neuronal reconstruction data. They will interact closely with a similar team in the US as well as experimental groups in Cambridge (Greg Jefferis) and Boston (Meg Younger). Candidates will need to be highly motivated and develop a good understanding of the nature of the data and the scientific aims of the project. This will be critical to setting priorities as the project develops. Close teamwork and a collaborative spirit will be essential, but team members will have increasing opportunities for scientific independence as their expertise develops.

Candidates will report to a team leader based in Zoology and will be mentored by an experienced post-doc. There will be opportunities to contribute to training new team members as the group expands and to general project management, as well as to participate in public engagement activities.

The roles will be based on site in the Department of Zoology.

Interview dates: Interview in Cambridge between 16th and 20th June 2025 (may be conducted remotely under exceptional circumstances).

Fixed-term: The funds for these posts are available for two years, with a possibility of extension subject to project status and funding. available for 2 years in the first instance.

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

Flexible working requests will be considered.

We particularly welcome applications from women and candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our University.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any queries regarding the application process please contact Anastasia Nezhentseva.

Email: an286@cam.ac.uk Telephone: (0)1223 330117

Please quote reference PF45916 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

An exciting new opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Associate has become available within the Bivalve Transmissible Neoplasia Group (www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/btn), a newly-established small, interactive and international research team based at the Department of Zoology, with strong collaborative links with other groups in Cambridge and beyond. The group's research is focused on the genetics and evolution of a recently discovered family of clonally transmissible cancers which affect several species of marine bivalves.

This new position is part of an ERC-funded project examining genome evolution in hundreds of samples from multiple independent marine transmissible cancer clones. The role provides an exciting opportunity to combine single-cell cancer genomics with molecular cytogenetics and statistical modelling to study the causes and consequences of extreme chromosomal instability in these cancers.

The role will involve: - Learning and applying cytogenetic methods for generation and analysis of chromosome imaging data - Developing new methods for inference of copy number alterations from single-cell DNA sequencing data - Analysing patterns of single-cell copy number variation to identify mechanistic signatures of chromosomal instability - Interacting with international experts in molecular cytogenetics, single-cell sequencing, somatic evolution, and comparative cancer genomics - Possible scope for field work involving marine bivalves.

The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, passionate about cancer genome biology and somatic evolution, and willing to learn, develop and apply state-of-the-art molecular and computational approaches. They will hold a PhD in a relevant subject, have a solid computational background, and be able to curate, analyse and interpret complex single-cell data sets. Experience in molecular biology, cytogenetics or histopathology is desirable.

Please refer to the Further Particulars for more information.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years, with a possibility of extension subject to project status and funding.

Flexible working requests will be considered.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any queries regarding the application process please contact Anastasia Nezhentseva.

Email: an286@cam.ac.uk Telephone: (0)1223 330117

Please quote reference PF45896 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

A Research Associate post is available in the Global Coastal Wetlands Research Group directed by Thomas Worthington in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge.

The applicant will work on large-scale understanding of coastal wetlands - primarily mangrove forests and tidal marshes. This will include mapping and modelling of distribution, value, condition, and opportunities for restoration. The work will be highly collaborative, notably with The Nature Conservancy, but also with academic, NGO, and other partners.

The Project's main goal will be to improve our understanding of these ecosystems as a means to support conservation interventions, including protection and restoration. Outputs will inform both international and local interventions, for the benefit of biodiversity and the many stakeholders who benefit from these ecosystems. The successful candidate will have a PhD in a relevant subject such as interdisciplinary ocean science, or ecology and preferably a good understanding of the conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems. The successful candidate will also require strong technical skills in terms of statistical and spatial analyses, and the ability to coordinate and manage large datasets.

The successful candidate will be based in the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI)'s David Attenborough Building in central Cambridge, which provides exceptional opportunities for applied interdisciplinary collaboration. The candidate will have the opportunity develop a large network of research collaborators based at universities and non-governmental organizations. The work is on site.

There will be the potential for the Research Associate to work with researchers based at The Nature Conservancy, contributing to research across different themes, which will include looking across the seascape at the three main coastal wetlands - tidal marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses.

When applying please pay special attention to the personal specifications as these form the basis of the selection process. Please explain clearly how you meet the essential and, where possible, the desirable criteria. Please do not include degree certificates and transcripts, or pdfs of published papers as these will not be reviewed.

Flexible working requests will be considered.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any queries regarding the application process please contact Anastasia Nezhentseva.

Email: an286@cam.ac.uk Telephone: (0)1223 330117

Please quote reference PF45834 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.