Research Scientist - Plastic Pollution

National Oceanography Centre, Southampton Permanent Full time (37 hours per week) Who are we?

We are the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - the UK’s leading institution for integrated coastal and deep ocean research. Through our ground-breaking research, collaboration, and game-changing innovation we work to gain a deeper understanding of our ocean, helping every living thing on our planet flourish.

We are made up of a dynamic and vibrant community focused on solving challenging long-term marine science problems, underpinning international and UK public policy, business and societal outcomes.

The ocean has the potential to provide the solutions to so many of the social, economic and environmental challenges we face worldwide. To truly harness the value of the ocean, we put ocean research, science and discovery at the heart of our culture.

Join us in shaping the future of oceanographic research and contribute your unique perspective to our organisation.

Pollution is a global issue impacting marine resilience, ecosystem services, and human health and is one of the key priority research areas  seek a highly motivated Research Scientist to complement and extend our existing research interests, capability, and capacity in this field. In this position you will leverage your expertise and experience in designing and implementing laboratory and field studies, performing sample analysis by multiple techniques in our state-of the-art laboratories, data analysis, interpretation and publication, and communication of results to scientific audience and stakeholders.

Through ongoing projects at NOC, you will have access to research vessels, sustained ocean observatories, specialised analytical laboratories and equipment, and an extensive archive of marine samples and datasets. You will deliver new insights on marine microplastic pollution through the delivery of ongoing projects, you can participate in seagoing expeditions, and you will develop new approaches and research directions in the microplastics field.

You will have opportunity to extend your research into emergent contaminants (e.g. nanoplastics, PFAS) and predictive modelling.

You will join the Marine Ecosystem Processes Group within the Marine Science function at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton and contribute to our new expanding strategic research mission focused on Hazards and Pollution. We are a dynamic, multidisciplinary and multinational team of early career, mid-career, senior scientists and students. Our common goal is to understand the complexity of our Ocean and how it responds to ongoing stressors, such as climate change and anthropogenic pollution.

We deliver our research through targeted observational and experimental fieldwork, data analysis, sustained observations (including autonomous vehicles), state of the art and cutting-edge analytical technology and model development.

The position is offered at postdoctoral level, but offers opportunities for career development through increased involvement in future research proposals. You will be involved in the supervision of research students (MSc, PhD). Through participation in various projects, you will have the opportunity to create a strong research profile, expand your international network, and engage with stakeholders. NOC is committed to supporting this role and it is a permanent appointment.

You will have a PhD or equivalent experience in environmental/marine sciences, high level scientific, technical and analytical expertise in environmental/marine/plastic pollution. We are searching for exceptional candidates with a strong understanding of marine plastic pollution issues, hands‑on experience in microplastic sampling and analysis, and proficiency with analytical tools (e.g. vibrational spectroscopy, mass spectrometry).

Knowledge of polymer chemistry, degradation processes, and weathering will be an advantage. You should have a track‑record of delivering strong insights through peer‑reviewed publications in the field and have the desire to deliver and develop ambitious programmes of research. An essential characteristic of the successful…