04 Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Sussex, East Sussex, United Kingdom

As a research fellow, you will be working on an ESRC-funded research project analysing the growth in carbon plantations, afforestation and farmland investments in Carmarthenshire, Wales. 

The research will explore the impact of carbon and reforestation policies on farming landscapes and the forms of forestry emerging through private sector involvement. The findings will be used to develop policy advice and provide the basis for long-term strategies on carbon offsetting, land restoration and food systems in the UK and beyond.

While you will be joining a small team led by Dr Will Lock, you will also have the freedom to conduct your own ethnographic fieldwork, interviewing farmers and community members surrounding Brechfa Forest in Carmarthenshire. You will be supported through fieldwork and will have a period of preparation and analysis before and after the research.

Applications are invited for a 24 month full-time postdoctoral position (with the possibility for extension) in Experimental Quantum Technology at the University of Sussex. Applicants should have obtained a PhD in experimental quantum information, laser- or atomic physics and be able to demonstrate working experience in this field. The appointment is within the framework of the EPSRC Quantum Technology Hub: Quantum Computing via Integrated and Interconnected Implementations. The successful candidate will work in a team of experienced researchers led by Dr Matthias Keller.

The aim of the project is to combine two of the most successful techniques in quantum information processing, trapped ions and photons, and use them to create a distributed quantum network. The main challenge is the implementation of an efficient ion-photon interface based on strongly-coupled cavity-QED. 

We have developed a multi-zone ion trap that incorporates zones for loading, quantum information processing, and a cavity-based ion-photon interface. The first part of the project is to test and characterise the ion trap system and implement a highly efficient ion-photon interface. This involves the setting up and testing of the system as well as simulating and implementing novel schemes for ion-photon entanglement. 

Based on successful testing of the multi-zone trap, a second system will be established to implement a basic quantum network.

The purpose of this PDRA role is to conduct and coordinate research, qualitative data analysis, policy engagement and dissemination for a nine-month project focused on ‘Evaluating the effectiveness of the Employer Pays Principle (EPP) in preventing modern slavery in healthcare supply chains’. The post-holder will support an interdisciplinary academic team and an ethical trade consultancy firm in this work.

This is an exciting opportunity to work as a Research Fellow on a Leverhulme Trust funded project entitled ‘Imagining Race, Crime and Justice in Sailortown, 1870-1939’ (RPG-2025-044). This project focuses on the history of race, crime and justice in London, Liverpool and Glasgow. The co-investigator is Dr Esmorie Miller at Lancaster University. You will work directly with principal investigator Professor Lizzie Seal to carry out research from digitised newspapers and genealogical websites. You will design, create and maintain a database of cases. You will also write material for, and update, a project website.