Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Compound Specific AMS Radiocarbon Dating

About the role

The School of Archaeology is looking to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Assistant to join our small and friendly team in the The School of Archaeology, ORAU Research Laboratory for Archaeology, Dyson Perrins Building, based in the centre of Oxford. The lab provides about 2,000 radiocarbon dates each year for our own research and for collaborators across archaeological, environmental and forensic sciences. This post is a fixed-term contract for six months. It is a full-time position.

Reporting to the Director of ORAU, you will mainly work in analysis of single amino acids and/or lipids and their radiocarbon dating at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU). The post holder will be responsible for implementing the compound specific radiocarbon dating component of NERC’s National Environmental Isotope Facility (NEIF) programme (

www.isotopesuk.org

), which provides state-of-the-art isotopic services to the UK’s research community. The post holder will provide guidance to less experienced members of the research group, including postdocs, research assistants, technicians, and PhD and project students.

About you

The post holder should hold a relevant PhD/DPhil in analytical science, chemistry or biochemistry, together with relevant proven experience in the day-to-day use of HPLC and/or GC, with method development and application experience, and an interest in applying these skills to develop improved radiocarbon dating techniques. You will have the ability to manage your own academic research and contribute ideas for new research projects. You will also have excellent communication skills, representing the research group at external meetings/seminars, either with other members of the group or alone. 

Whilst the role is a grade 7 position, we would be willing to consider candidates with potential but less experience who are seeking a development opportunity, for which an appointment would be at grade 6 (starting salary £32,332) with the responsibilities adjusted accordingly. This would be discussed with applicants at interview/appointment where appropriate.  

Application process

Applications must be made online. You will be required to upload a CV and Supporting Statement as part of your application. The Supporting Statement should clearly describe how you meet each of the selection criteria listed in the job description. The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Monday 18 September 2023. Interviews are expected to be held on 3 October 2023.