Project Coordinator and Research Assistant - Marine Science and Restoration

Lancaster Environment Centre

Location: Bailrigg, Lancaster, UK

Salary: £33,002 to £37,694 part time indefinite with end date

Closing Date: Friday 30 October 2026

Interview Date: Thursday 19 November 2026

Reference: 1056-26

Position Overview

An exciting opportunity exists for a project coordinator and research assistant position to support two large projects: 1) a Royal Society funded fellowship: Harnessing island-ocean connections to support ecosystems and people, and 2) a UKRI funded fellowship: Ensuring Transformative Ecosystem Restoration by the Private Sector.

Details:

Salary: Grade 6

Hours: 0.8 FTE

Location: Lancaster. Travel for fieldwork and project meetings as required.

Duration: 3 years with possibility of extension

Responsibilities

We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to support the delivery of two research fellowships and the associated research teams:

Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowship: Awarded to Prof Nick Graham to establish the Island-Ocean Research Hub. This project investigates island-ocean connectivity, seabird nutrients, island rewilding, and their effects on ecology and ecosystem services. The project collaborates across 4 universities, with fieldwork in 5 countries, employing a large research team. The role involves supporting this fellowship for 0.5 FTE (2.5 days per week).

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship: Awarded to Dr Tim Lamont. This project explores mechanisms for scaling up tropical marine restoration (coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass) and the role of business sustainability initiatives. Collaborations include the world's largest coral restoration program and sustainability reporting standards. Support for this fellowship is for 0.3 FTE (1.5 days per week).

The role includes elements such as:

Fieldwork planning (risk assessments, diving safety, ethics, permits)

Fieldwork support and research assistance

Laboratory work and organization

Website and logo development and maintenance

Social media and public engagement

Team cohesion and coordination (organizing socials and retreats)

Visa and logistics support

Workshop and meeting organization

Budget oversight and expenditure

Reporting, data management, and data sharing requests

Maintaining contact with project partners and collaborators

Welcoming and inducting visitors and new team members

You will work closely with Nick Graham and Tim Lamont, collaborating with other research team members and project partners.

Candidate Profile

Preferred candidates will have experience in marine or biological science and/or project management. A proactive and enthusiastic approach, along with good interpersonal skills, are essential.

About Lancaster University and Lancaster Environment Centre

Lancaster University is a research-intensive institution ranked in the top 10 UK universities. The Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) is a multidisciplinary department addressing environmental challenges across natural and social sciences. LEC has strengths in tropical systems such as coral reefs and rainforests. The environment fosters career development with a focus on diversity, equality, inclusivity, sustainability, well-being, and decolonization. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds.

Interview Information

Interviews are anticipated to be held in November 2026.

Application Requirements

Cover Letter: Discuss interest in the position, career fit, relevant skills, and experience (max 500 words).

CV: 2 pages.

Supporting Statements: For each Personal Specification point, provide a paragraph (~50-200 words) with evidence of experience.

Referees: Contact information for two referees (no letters needed).

For more details, see the Further Information link. For informal inquiries, contact Nick Graham at nick.graham@lancaster.ac.uk or Tim Lamont at tim.lamont@lancaster.ac.uk. These are not required for application and won't influence decisions.

#s1-Gen

We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to support the delivery of two research fellowships and the associated research teams

A Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowship awarded to Prof Nick Graham to establish the Island-Ocean Research Hub. This new project will investigate island-ocean connectivity and the influence of seabird nutrients and island rewilding on island and marine ecology and ecosystem services. The project has collaborating parters at 4 other universities, fieldwork planned in 5 countries, and will employ a large team of researchers. Your role would support this fellowship for 0.5 FTE of your time (i.e. 2.5 days per week)
A UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship awarded to Dr Tim Lamont. This project will investigate mechanisms for scaling up tropical marine restoration (coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass), and the role of business sustainability initiatives in delivering large-scale ecosystem restoration. The project has collaborations with the world's largest coral restoration programme (www.buildingcoral.com), and the private sector's most widely used sustainability reporting standards (www.globalreporting.org). Your role would support this fellowship for 0.3 FTE of your time (i.e. 1.5 days per week)
The role will include elements of the following, along with general support for the two projects: Fieldwork planning to include risk assessments, diving safety, ethics and research permits; fieldwork support and possible involvement as research assistant; lab work and organisation; website and logo development and maintenance; social media and public engagement support; team cohesion and coordination including organising socials and retreats; team visas and other needs; workshop and meeting organisation; budget oversight and spending; help with reporting; data management and requests for data sharing; maintaining contact with project partners and collaborators; welcoming and inducting visitors and new group members.
You will work closely with Nick Graham and Tim Lamont, collaborate with other members of the research team, and coordinate with project partners.
Preferred candidates will have experience in marine / biological science and/or project management. A proactive and enthusiastic approach and good interpersonal skills are essential.
Lancaster University is a research-intensive university, ranked in the top 10 of UK universities. The Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) is a large and multidisciplinary department, tackling environmental challenges across the natural and social sciences. Within LEC, there is particular strength in high diversity tropical systems, including coral reefs and tropical rainforests. LEC offers a highly collegial and stimulating environment for career development based on departmental values and embedded Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) considerations and actions. We are committed to family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis as well as the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research. Furthermore, we are active and progressive around sustainability, wellbeing and decolonising agendas.
Applicants from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
We anticipate interviews will be held in November 2026.
What to include in each document of your application

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