Leverhulme Centre for
Anthropocene Biodiversity
PDRA Recruitment

Department: Environment and Geography | Line Manager: Chris Lyon | Mentors: Lindsey Gillson (Biology) & Juan Pablo Cordero Garayar (Environment & Geography)

Find out more and apply by 28 April 2026

The United Kingdom is facing complex challenges and opportunities for biodiversity in the face of changing agricultural policy, and climate change. The benefits and trade-offs of different ways to address these challenges are difficult to understand for land managers, policy makers, and the public. To aid understanding of this complexity, you will adapt and develop an existing land use and food system modelling and decision-support tool to incorporate biodiversity and land use. This data-driven tool provides diverse users with a manipulatable graphical interface to explore the impact of different drivers of change (e.g. climate, policy, pollution) on various metrics of land use and biodiversity under different scenarios for the UK. 

Key skills:

• • Proficiency in Python for scientific computing, including basic scientific libraries (e.g. NumPy, pandas).

  • Experience with biodiversity-related indicators (e.g. species richness, abundance-based indicators, habitat metrics).

  • Experience working with large environmental datasets, data techniques and quantitative models. 

  • Familiarity with GIS is advantageous. 

Department: Biology | Line Manager: Jack Hatfield

Find out more and apply by 28 April 2026

You will contribute to research investigating the extent to which ecological communities are becoming more similar to each other linking the species and assemblage levels. You'll have the knowledge and analytical skills to contribute to the production of a new framework for global beta-diversity change. This specific project focuses on how global change drivers (for example land-use change and pollution) influence beta-diversity change via their net effects on individual species contributions. This includes the collation of datasets on global change drivers and species assemblage data with both spatial and temporal replication. 

Key skills:

• Knowledge of ecology and global change, including a range of relevant research methodologies relating to the statistical modelling of complex data and expertise in an area which complements LCAB's research programmes.

• High competence in the analysis of large ecological and global change datasets.

Department: Biology | Line Manager: Lindsey Gillson | Mentors: Rob Marchant (Environment & Geography), Chris Lyon (Environment & Geography), Guy Schofield (Archaeology) & Marian Ursu (School of Arts and Creative Technologies)

Find out more and apply by 28 April 2026

AI and XR tools that navigate complexity can help chart pathways to resilient ecosystems and desired futures while historical and archaeological information can assist in imagining landscapes changing in response to environmental, societal and technological drivers.  This project aims to explore how to combine these approaches so they can be used to inform and navigate future challenges. 

You will identify existing technologies which may be used to develop  interactive simulations of evolving landscapes.  These will be applied to available data sets from North Yorkshire to create immersive experiences that enable us to test our approach. You will also develop authoring tools appropriate for integration with popular creation software and engage with stakeholders who will be involved in the design process. 

Key skills:

• Skills in using game engine technology, real-time landscape and environment design. 

• Experience of 3D modelling tools will be highly advantageous. 

Department: English and Related Literature | Line Manager: Pete Sands | Mentor: Helen Smith (English)

Find out more and apply by 28 April 2026

You will contribute to research into echotechnology and the futures of biodiversity. You will investigate twentieth century histories of ecotechnology alongside its representation in literary fiction, film, and other cultural texts. Theorising ecotechnology at its intersection with discourses of race, gender, indigeneity, sexuality, and species, the project examines how cultural imaginaries of ecotechnology reconfigure its existing frameworks (e.g. green capitalism) and reframe how we imagine the futures of biodiversity in the Anthropocene. 

Key skills:

• • Knowledge in the cultural and historical contexts of ecotechnology, and in the broader field of environmental humanities. 

  • Competency in methodologies relevant to research into the cultures and/or histories of ecotechnology.

Department: Environment & Geography | Line Manager: Felicia Liu | Mentors: Kate Arnold (Environment & Geography), Judith Krauss (Politics) & Catherine Love-Smith (School of Arts and Creative Technologies)

Find out more and apply by 26 April 2026

You will explore whether framing biodiversity as ‘heritage’ shapes how people understand, value, and act on biodiversity changes in Yorkshire, what ideal ecological futures they envision, and what steps must be taken to pass on that ideal future to the next generation. You'll seek understandings of socio-environmental feedback loops to identify levers for more equitable environmental action. 

You'll have advanced skills in qualitative data collection and analysis, experience (or a strong interest) in ethically robust community-centric research and creative research methodology and knowledge dissemination strategies.  You will engage with non-academic stakeholders as part of data collection and knowledge dissemination, and produce high-quality academic publications. 

Key skills:

• Knowledge of biodiversity changes, natural heritage, and public perception of biodiversity changes. 

• High competence in the analysis of qualitative data, e.g. policy and media sources, semi-structured interviews, and participatory workshops. 

• Experience in, or be open to adopting creative research methodologies.

Department: Environment & Geography | Line Manager: Julia Touza | Mentors: Jacco Thijssen (Maths) & Colin Beale (Biology)

Find out more and apply by 28 April 2026

You will evaluate the performance of existing financial biodiversity-linked instruments, from the perspectives of investment, conservation and social outcomes; and investigate the potential for innovative, high-integrity biodiversity finance instruments, including climate bonds with biodiversity components that can deliver measurable nature contributions to people. You'll work alongside stakeholders at financial institutions and indigenous and local communities (IPLC); including work closely with Campos Gerais National Park in Brazil for the delivery of biodiversity finance for IPLC. 

Key skills:

• • Advanced skills and knowledge of quantitative methods applied to conservation finance, environmental economics, mathematical finance, or related environmental disciplines are essential. 

  • Knowledge of current nature finance mechanisms and a range of relevant research methodologies 

Department: Biology | Line Manager: Jack Hatfield | Mentors: Lindsey Gillson (Biology), Jane Hill (Biology) & Hanna Pettersson (Environment & Geography)

Find out more and apply by 28 April 2026

Traditional measures of biodiversity focus on abundance and occurrences of species but new approaches are needed that focus on processes, functions, and services vital to people’s livelihoods and wellbeing. You'll have advanced skills in biodiversity monitoring and an interest in developing novel ecosystem approaches. You will develop a framework of metrics to catalyse the uptake of ecosystem approaches that evaluate the dynamic adaptive management of socio-ecological systems. Working with a linked PDRA in interweaving Indigenous and Local Knowledge with ecological monitoring, you will develop new, holistic biodiversity metrics.

The project aims to 1) Identify metrics that measure the ecological and socio-cultural processes shaping land and sea scapes and develop methods to integrate indigenous and local knowledge into data generation, goal and target setting for ecosystem change and resilience, and 2) Explore the ability of these metrics to monitor and evaluate the status and change (e.g. recovery) of healthy, socially desired, and resilient ecosystems. 

Key skills:

• Knowledge of biodiversity measurement and monitoring, including relevant research methodologies 

• High competence in the analysis of species and ecosystem data 

Department: Biology | Line Manager: Colin Beale | Mentors: Lindsay Stringer (Environment & Geography), Hanna Pettersson (Environment & Geography) & Jack Hatfield (Biology)

Find out more and apply by 28 April 2026

You'll create a holistic biodiversity metric for local communities and business. With advanced social and ecological research skills, specifically within the context of biodiversity metrics/natural capital, you will navigate complex stakeholder interactions, designing and delivering semi-structured interviews and collaborative co-design. You will have case study experience and ideas to weave standard ecological field techniques with participatory social science. You will work with a linked PDRA focusing on the development of new holistic metrics for ecosystem resilience. 

You will:

• Identify barriers preventing businesses from incorporating qualitative data into biodiversity reporting.

• Review social and ecological impact assessment practice and co-design a conceptual hybrid metric system aligning the needs of corporate standard-setters with rights and knowledge systems of IPLCs

• Test the interwoven holistic metric through case studies in East Africa

• Evaluate how this metric enhances responsiveness and verifiability in corporate nature disclosures. 

Key skills:

• • Knowledge of biodiversity metrics and work with Indigenous and Local Communities including relevant research methodologies and expertise.

  • High competence in the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data 

Department: Education | Line Manager: Lynda Dunlop | Mentors: Judith Krauss (Politics) & Pen Holland (Biology)

Find out more and apply by 26 April 2026

You'll have advanced skills in discourse analysis, social research methods and game design in the context of biodiversity.  You will: 

• identify narratives associated with biodiversity (variability among living organisms from all sources, including diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems) in the Anthropocene in existing games. 

• understand how games frame and facilitate engagement with the Anthropocene, biodiversity, relationships and interdependence, and the economic, social and political landscape that shapes nature engagements and entanglements.  

• translate findings into a novel entertainment game which engages players in ideas about the ‘good’ Anthropocene through imaginative play, with attention to social, environmental and multispecies justice, community and relationships.

Key skills:

• • Knowledge of game analysis, play and design in the context of biodiversity including a range of relevant research methodologies and expertise in an area which complements LCAB’s research goals. 

  • Competence in the evaluation of environmental (biodiversity) games and narratives (as appropriate to discipline).

Department: SEI-Y | Line Manager: Jon Green | Mentors: Jack Hatfield (Biology), Kate Arnold (Environment & Geography) & Jon Pitchford (Maths)

Find out more and apply by 28 April 2026

You'll explore how production and trade dynamics in international food systems affect biodiversity.  This project aims to understand the impacts of rapid and longer term spatial agricultural shifts, due to international trade networks, on biodiversity, considering losses and gains and how this can be used to allow more direct comparison of national biodiversity indicators with international impacts. You will have advanced skills and knowledge of statistical analysis, research computing and Geographic Information Systems in relation to the analysis of biodiversity and food production systems.

Key skills:

• • Knowledge of land-use change, biodiversity and/or global trade including a range of relevant research methodologies and expertise in an area which complements LCAB’s research goals. 

  • High competence in the analysis of spatial and geographic data (as appropriate to discipline).