Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ecotoxicology

About the role

The Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW) at the University of Exeter is hiring a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ecotoxicology, based in Exeter. The position sits within Prof. Ceri Lewis’s microplastics research group and is funded by South West Water as part of the FLAIR project. Contract runs to 30 June 2028. Deadline: 9 June 2026. Start date: July 2026.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate new analytical techniques for rapid microplastic detection in environmental samples including water, soils, and sludge.
• Optimize pyrolysis GC-MS and fluorescence-based methods for polymer identification.
• Collaborate with analytical chemists and machine learning specialists to build automated analysis pipelines.
• Process and interpret large datasets; write up results for peer-reviewed journals.
• Contribute to FLAIR project deliverables and report to South West Water as a funder.
• Participate in CREWW research seminars and support public engagement activities.

Requirements

• PhD (or near-completion) in chemistry, environmental science, ecotoxicology, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise in microplastics analytical methods.
• Proficiency with FTIR spectroscopy for polymer identification.
• Experience managing business-sensitive collaborative data.
• Strong deadline management and scientific writing skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Nice to have

• Experience with pyrolysis GC-MS for microplastic characterisation.
• Background in machine learning or automated image analysis applied to environmental data.
• Prior work with water utility or regulatory environmental monitoring programmes.

How to apply

Apply through the University of Exeter careers portal via the link above. Include a CV and supporting statement addressing the person specification. For informal queries, contact Prof. Ceri Lewis at c.n.lewis@exeter.ac.uk before submitting. Applications close 9 June 2026.