We are seeking to appoint a post-graduate research assistant for a period of 18 months.  The successful candidate with be based in the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) within the School of Biology.  

The project is funded by the Scottish Government as part of a Marine Mammal Scientific Support grant to SMRU with specific emphasis on the potential effects of tidal stream energy devices on marine mammals. Concerns about the impacts of tidal energy on marine mammals derive primarily from the potential for injury or mortality as a result of direct interactions (collisions) between animals and moving rotors of tidal devices.  However, the true risks posed by turbines remain uncertain due to a paucity of information on how marine mammals behave in close proximity to operating tidal turbines.   

This project, led by Dr Gordon Hastie and Dr Doug Gillespie at SMRU, aims to address this data gap by monitoring the behaviour of marine mammals in the vicinity of an operational tidal turbine. It will use a suite of sensor systems (active and passive acoustics, and underwater video technology) to detect, classify, and track marine mammals around an operational tidal turbine.  

The appointed Research Assistant will play a key role in the project and will be responsible for monitoring the operational status of the sensor systems, data download and archiving, and preliminary data cleansing, analysis, and reporting.   

Candidates with a strong mathematical or signal processing background are encouraged to apply. Previous use of passive and active acoustic data, in particular with regards to animal movement analyses, would be particularly advantageous.  

Potential applicants are welcome to make informal enquiries to Dr Gordon Hastie, email gdh10@st-andrews.ac.uk, http://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/contact/staffProfile.aspx?sunID=gdh10  or Dr Doug Gillespie, email dg50@st-andrews.ac.uk, http://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/contact/staffProfile.aspx?sunID=dg50   

The University of St Andrews is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all, which is further demonstrated through its working on the Gender and Race Equality Charters and being awarded the Athena SWAN award for women in science, HR Excellence in Research Award and the LGBT Charter;  http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/hr/edi/diversityawards/. 

Please quote ref: AR1840MR

Closing Date: 26 October 2016   

Further Particulars: AR1840MR FPs.doc

School of Biology/Sea Mammal Research Unit
Salary: £25,769 - £30,738 per annum
Fixed Term: 18 months in the first instance
Start: November 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter