Join Us

Join Our Research Team

We welcome enquiries from researchers with a strong track record commensurate with their career level as well as existing funding (or a robust plan for securing it). Find out more information in the following sections.

Opportunities

No vacancies currently available, but do stay tuned!

Funding and Application Guidance

Postdocs

Various Oxford Colleges have Junior Research Fellowship positions, which can be found in the University Gazette. Fellowship schemes from NERC, ESRC, the Royal Society can provide substantial funding, as can Marie Curie fellowships which allow people to come from locations outside the UK.

PhD Students

We welcome expressions of interest from prospective DPhil (PhD) students who have secured their own funding or have a sound plan for obtaining it, as we do not currently have internal funds to support new students. Enquires must be supported by a strong CV and a research plan.

At this stage, we are able to consider applicants whose research interests align with the following themes:

  • Climate–biodiversity synergies and food/agricultural security – supervised by Dr Jen Lucey (from October 2026)

  • Nature connection and nature-positive behaviour – supervised by Professor Nathalie Seddon (from October 2027)

Projects are typically interdisciplinary and co-supervised, often involving collaboration with partners beyond academia. We particularly encourage proposals that engage with stakeholders to co-develop research questions, methods, and pathways to impact.

Details about the application process are found here. The main route for funded PhD study in this area is through the ILESLA Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). Please note that this scheme is highly competitive, generally requiring top marks in a relevant Master’s degree and evidence of research experience (e.g. authorship on a publication, years working in an NGO, etc). Further information on Oxford funding, including the various graduate scholarship schemes can be found here.

Deadlines for application generally fall in January/February. If you are passionate about contributing to research that aligns with one of the themes above, please get in touch with Lila.Stewart-Roberts@biology.ox.ac.uk well in advance of the deadline, and ensure you include an uptodate CV, funding source and research outline.

Masters Students

Each year we supervise 2-3 Oxford students who have graduated from the undergraduate Biology course, but are not able to supervise external Master’s students. Note that Professor Seddon is unable to take on any Master students for 2026-2027 (owing to her forthcoming sabbatical).