Job Description

Salary

The starting salary will be from 34,132 on Grade E for Associate level and from 42,632 on Grade (F) for Fellow level, depending on qualifications and experience.

Contractual hours

36.5

Package

Generous holiday allowances, flexible working, pension scheme and relocation package (if applicable).

Job category/type

Research

Date posted

25/07/2025

Job reference

P99122

Environment, Science and Economy Faculty.

This new full-time post is available from September 2025 on a fixed term basis

There is one position available at either Fellow or Associate level, please ensure you read each job description detailing the difference in the roles and the person specification that is expected for each level.

Summary

of the role

We are seeking to appoint a Research Fellow or Research Associate to join one of five QCF projects in the rapidly expanding area of solar radiation modification.

The main objective of the research will be to apply state of the art statistical and machine learning methods to the United Kingdom Earth System Model (UKESM1) to explore the potential climate impacts of marine cloud brightening (MCB). The University of Exeter performs cutting-edge world-leading research into SRM under the Global Systems Institute (https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/institutes/gsi/research/rci/) and in the aerosols cloud and climate group (https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/groups/aerosol-clouds/).

Uncertainties surrounding the representation of complex, non-linear cloud processes (e.g. cloud droplet activation) by simplified parameterisations propoagate to climate modelling of MCB impacts. Only a limited number of MCB deployment strategies have been investigated using climate models (e.g. location, timing, size and amount of aerosol), and a large fraction of the possible scenario parameter space still remains unexplored, preventing a robust examination of the potential climate impacts.

The post holder will work on constructing an exceptionally fast and accurate surrogate model using modern day statistical and machine learning methods of the UKESM1 to understand how different MCB injection strategies impact the climate system. The sucessful candidate will explore various strategies such as inverse problem methods, Bayesian calibration as well as history matching to examine these impacts.

As part of this project, the post holder will apply these statistical technicuqes to the UKESM1 and recently developed parameterisations of cloud droplet activation developed within Dr Patridge's research group. The post holder will gain an invaliable experience in climate modelling, and the topic of aerosol - cloud - interactions, which remain as the largest uncertainty in the human forcing of the climate system. The role will involve working closely with other QCF team members and opportunity for collaboration with staff in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics working in uncertainty quantification (https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/institutes/idsai/research/uncertaintyquantification/).

About you:

Candidates should have experience in constructing surrogate models for complex computer models such as Gaussian Processes and/or Deep Learning models, advanced regession models; and/or various inverse problem techniques such as Bayesian calibration and history matching. Candidates should have experience in atmospheric science or climate and an interest in modelling aerosol-cloud-interaction processes.

Please ensure you read the and Person Specification for full details of this role.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world's most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today. More than 99 percent of our research is of international quality and 47 percent is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).

We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research - Green Futuresand how we are transforming educationfor a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustmentsare available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community.

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenantand welcome applications from service people.

Benefits

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

39/41days leave per year


options for flexible working


numerous discounts at leading retailers


onsite gyms on all of our campus' and a cycle to work scheme


sector leading policies around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave(up to 26 weeks full pay), paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay) and a Fertility Treatment Policy


stunning campus environments in Exeter and Cornwall, in the beautiful South West of England

Further information

Please contact Daniel Partridge d.g.partridge@exeter.ac.uk@exeter.ac.uk