Salary
The starting salary will be from £43,482 up to £46,049 on Grade F, depending on qualifications and experience.
Contractual hours
36.5
Package
Generous holiday allowances, flexible working, pension scheme and relocation package (if applicable).
Job category/type
Research
Date posted
18/08/2025
Job reference
Q07741
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
This new full time post is available from 1 October 2025 on a fixed term basis until 30 September 2028.
The post
The Faculty wishes to recruit an enthusiastic Postdoctoral Research Fellow to participate in the project: "Under-Land: Understanding and Visualising Complex Optimisation Landscapes". This project aims to develop visualisation and analysis methods to aid in the comprehension of optimisation landscapes. The goal is to convey real-world optimisation scenarios, including multiple competing objectives of interest, complex problem representations, and uncertainty, in a compact form, such as a network (graph). The collaborative project is led by Prof. Gabriela Ochoa at the University of Stirling, with a team at the University of Exeter. This Leverhulme Trust funded post is available from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2028.
The successful applicant will work closely with Prof. Jonathan Fieldsend in Exeter, and with Prof. Gabriela Ochoa and an additional Postdoctoral Research Fellow employed at the University of Stirling as part of the wider project. The work will include method development, analysis, and experimental work, alongside software development and release.
About you
The successful applicant will be able to develop research objectives, projects and proposals; identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds and make presentations at conferences and other events.
Applicants will possess a relevant PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study. The successful applicant will be a nationally recognised authority in optimisation and possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies. The successful applicant will also be able to work collaboratively, supervise the work of others and act as team leader as required. Applicants will be able to develop novel methods for optimisation landscape visualisation and analysis, contribute to framework development for their use in landscape-aware search, engineer software tools for use by the wider research community, and collaborate effectively with a range of researchers - including collaboration with colleagues based elsewhere in the UK.
Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.
What we can offer you
* Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research;
* Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
* An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
* Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career
* A multitude of staff benefits including sector leading benefits around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), Paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay), and a Fertility Treatment Policy
* A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon
The University of Exeter
We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.
Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world's most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today. More than 99 percent of our research is of international quality and 47 percent is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).
We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment
We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.
Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community.
With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.
We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.
Further information
For further information please contact Prof. Jonathan Fieldsend,
Interviews are expected to take place on the 18 September 2025.