Faculty of Science
School of Biological Sciences
Senior Research Associate in Population Genomics
Ref: RA2327
Starting salary from £38,249 per annum, dependent on skills and experience, with an annual increment up to £45,413 per annum.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Research Associate to join the School of Biological Sciences to conduct research on the genetic diversity and evolution of the red fox.
You will be part of Dr Anders Bergström’s research group (https://research-portal.uea.ac.uk/en/persons/anders-bergstr%C3%B6m), and work on a new project aiming to understand the diversity and evolution of red foxes across the United Kingdom, with a particular focus on contrasting foxes living in urban and rural environments. Cities are expanding worldwide, with major implications for wildlife and biodiversity, but the red fox is an iconic example of a species that actually manages to thrive in these new environments. The project will apply whole-genome sequencing to many hundreds of foxes from urban and rural locations across the UK, to study the impact that urban environments have on genetic diversity and adaptation.
You will have a postgraduate level research degree, equivalent qualification or experience in a relevant research area and be able to work in a collaborative and dynamic research environment. This will be a computational post, in which you will be responsible for processing genomic sequencing data from large numbers of fox samples, and lead analyses of population structure, gene flow, kinship, inbreeding and natural selection.
You should have experience working with genomics data and bioinformatics analyses, handling large amounts of data in command line and high-performance computing environments. Expertise in read mapping, genotype calling, genotype imputation, statistical genetics and genome-wide association testing would be particularly beneficial. You should have a strong interest in evolutionary biology and population genetics. The role can be entirely computational, but can also involve some amount of lab work if this would be of interest.
This full-time post is available from 1 December 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter) on a fixed term basis until 30 November 2029.
UEA offers a variety of flexible working options and although this role is advertised on a full-time basis, we encourage applications from individuals who would prefer a flexible working pattern including annualised hours, compressed working hours, part time, job share, term-time only and/or hybrid working.
Benefits include:
- 44 days annual leave inclusive of Bank Holidays and University Customary days (pro rata for part-time).
- Family and Work-life balance policies including hybrid working and considerable maternity, paternity, shared parental leave and adoption leave.
- Generous pension scheme with life cover for dependants, plus incapacity cover.
- Health and Wellbeing: discounted access to Sportspark facilities, relaxation rooms, 320 acres of rolling parkland, wellbeing walks, Wellbeing Ambassador network, on-campus medical centre including NHS Dentist, Occupational Health and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme.
- Campus Facilities: Sportspark, library, nursery, supermarket, post office, bars and catering outlets.
- Exclusive shopping discounts to help cut the cost of household bills, childcare salary sacrifice scheme, Cycle to Work scheme and public transport discounts.
- Personal Development: unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning courses, specialist advice and training from our Organisational Development and Professional Learning Team.
Closing date: 8 July 2025
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