Environmental Economist

Renowned internationally for its research excellence supporting a sustainable ocean, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) has an exciting opportunity for an Environmental Economist to join the Sea and Society Group. 

Located at the heart of the South West, Plymouth is a city by the sea with so much to offer. With an amazing quality of life, stunning waterfront location, vibrant city centre and fascinating maritime history, there is quite simply nowhere better to live, work and play than Britain’s Ocean City.

Sea and Society (SaS) is the largest marine-focused, social science research group in Europe. We are at the forefront of interdisciplinary research, investigating and demonstrating the consequences of the interactions between humans and natural systems, and informing effective measures to improve the outcomes, impacts and benefits of these interactions. Through our research we support sustainable and responsible ocean stewardship, for the conservation of the environment and to ultimately improve lives.

The purpose of this role is to undertake high quality environmental economics research to fulfil current project objectives and develop new commissioned research projects in PML working at the interdisciplinary boundary between natural and social science. The post will work primarily on the recently funded AgZero+: Towards sustainable, climate-neutral farming project, with a focus on marine and coastal implications. There will be opportunity to contribute to the recently funded National Capabilities - FOCUS: Future states Of the global Coastal ocean: Understanding for Solutions project, focusing on Blue Carbon Finance and impacts of Artificial Light at Night. The SaS group also have a significant portfolio of offshore energy projects which the post would also have opportunity to contribute to.

Key Deliverables

• To undertake novel and robust environmental economics research, ideally on a range of issues but including: payments for ecosystem services, blue carbon, and natural capital
• Produce high quality research publications and other associated outputs
• To ensure outreach, dissemination and impact of PML research
• Support development of interdisciplinary marine environmental economics, and social science more broadly, within PML and externally
• Contribute to, and write successful proposals to bring in new funding and resources
• Contribute to the administrative process, strategic development and the committee structures of SaS and PML
• Maintain a safe work environment, including ensuring compliance with legislation and the undertaking of risk assessments.
• To actively promote and follow PML’s organisational core values by applying these attitudes and behaviours throughout daily tasks and routine
• Undertake any other duties, which may be commensurate within the role and grade as requested by the Head of Science
• Maintain your own continuing professional development

Skills Specification

• You must be able to apply environmental economics preferably including valuation methodologies, payment for ecosystem services, and econometrics. Ideally, with some marine related experience.
• You must be highly numerate for analysis of environmental economic data and have a PhD in Environmental Economics or economics
• Clearly demonstrable capability in the use of statistical software for analysis of data and ideally econometrics. Routine use of office IT
• Ability to produce or co-produce peer reviewed publications, project reports and analytical reports is essential.
• Demonstrate good dissemination skills at meetings, workshops, conference presentations, virtual conferencing
• You will have the ability to develop conceptual thinking regarding environmental economics; to undertake high level of expertise with econometrics; to design and conduct surveys, focus groups and structured and semi-structured interviews.
• Ability to communicate effectively and clearly in a research environment, and with colleagues and project partners who may not have any experience in economics is highly desirable.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work flexibly, professionally and within deadlines 

PML offers a generous 30 days of annual leave plus 2.5 additional discretionary days and 8 public holiday days, in addition we offer a variety of employee benefits which can be viewed here: https://www.pml.ac.uk/Working-with-us/Employee-benefits

PML is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and our policy can be found here: https://www.pml.ac.uk/Working-with-us. We are proud to have achieved the Athena SWAN award as recognition of our achievements in gender equality. as part of this, we offer opportunities to discuss flexible and hybrid working where possible and whilst the selection process will be based on merit, we particularly welcome applications from female candidates, currently underrepresented.

The position advertised is a full-time role requiring 37 hours per week, however, applications for part time working are also welcome (please state this in your application). 

information about living and working in Plymouth can be found here: https://issuu.com/visitplymouth/docs/living_and_working_in_plymouth