About The Role

Grade UE07: £41,064 to £ 48,822 per annum, pro rata
College of Science and Engineering / School of GeoSciences
Part time: 17.5 hours per week (0.5 FTE)
Fixed term: for 24 months

The Opportunity

Where discovery never stops. Be part of something bigger.

With roles from hospitality to research, there’s a career for everyone at the University of Edinburgh. We can offer opportunities for you to develop in your career and make a real difference in the communities around us while contributing to the world at large.

The University of Edinburgh is a world-class organisation. We look for the best in the field across all disciplines and provide a working environment where academics can develop their careers and passion for their chosen subject area.

Volcanic debris avalanches can travel tens of kilometres beyond the volcano that produced them, and we still cannot explain why. This Leverhulme Trust-funded post will test whether granular vibrations – “granular heating” – are what weakens these flows and lets them run so far.

Working with Dr Eric Breard in the School of GeoSciences and with international partners, you will analyse samples and field datasets from the Chimborazo debris avalanche in Ecuador, carrying out grain-size and mechanical characterisation of the deposits and interpreting photogrammetric and geological field data.

You will also design and run high-pressure shear-cell experiments on natural and analogue granular materials at Chengdu University of Technology, develop discrete-element simulations of granular heating and fragmentation, and feed the results into a new depth-averaged model of debris-avalanche dynamics. Your work will directly improve the physical models used to forecast the behaviour of large volcanic landslides.

We are looking for someone with a PhD in geophysical mass flows or granular physics, strong scientific programming skills, field experience on debris avalanches or comparable deposits, and experience of both granular-flow experiments and depth-averaged or discrete-element modelling. You will be supported to publish, to present at EGU and AGU, to co-supervise students, and to develop towards research independence.

People have always been at the heart of our work. Our people are at the centre of the University community and everything we do. We value colleagues with drive, determination and a passion for what they do. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful flexibility that works for you.

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle

Leading-edge research
Opportunities for publication
Professional development and subject matter expertise
Working within one of the world’s leading universities

This post is part time (17.5 hours per week, 0.5 FTE). Because the role involves laboratory, field and analytical work, it is based on campus at the King’s Buildings in Edinburgh, and we are happy to discuss flexible working patterns within that.

View the full job description (opens in a new browser tab)

How to apply

Please include the following documents in your application

CV
Cover letter (max. 2 pages) outlining your suitability for the post and your research interests

Please do not attach manuscripts, papers, transcripts, mark sheets or certificates, as these will not be considered as part of your application.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect

A competitive salary.
An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality.

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, and particularly encourage applications from women and from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, as we acknowledge they are currently under-represented in this area of the School of GeoSciences.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. They will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 15 September 2026.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.

Interview dates to be confirmed.