Overview

This is an exciting role in a VC-backed start-up and a great opportunity to bring your expertise and knowledge to shape and start to grow the business.

The field of biodiversity measurement and monitoring is currently painstakingly manual and relies heavily on human experts on the ground to assess the state of the nature. We are pioneering methods of collecting biodiversity data on the ground, at scale, using imaging, acoustics, and machine learning.

We completed data collection of our first pilot in April 2022, we will be conducting our second pilot in May, and we have a rapidly increasing list of sites we have been invited to monitor and would love to visit. We are looking for mathematicians to join our team to pioneer new methods and help analyse the increasing amounts of data we collect.

About the role

This role can be full-time or part-time. Either is possible and we can be flexible.

You will be evaluating pilot sites, such as areas for rewilding, agroforestry sites, and degraded land and the state of biodiversity in that area (species, abundance, richness), and evaluating how different technology-enabled data collection methods can be used to provide cost-effective, statistically-robust measures of biodiversity change over time.

You will love this job if you are someone who is passionate about finding real, novel solutions to the nature and climate crises and who is at ease problem solving at the cutting edge of current thinking, in spaces where disciplines intersect.

Skills/experience you need

  • PhD with a focus on mathematical ecology/ecological monitoring/ecological modelling
  • Extensive experience in handling, analysing and modelling ecological data, including spatial data
  • Experience using publicly available ecological/ecosystem datasets (e.g., IBAT)
  • In-depth understanding of available ecological indices and their applicability in different contexts
  • Coding skills (eg. R, Python) (enough to be able to code scripts to automate modelling processes)
  • Demonstrable knowledge of biodiversity monitoring and data collection methods, including up to date knowledge of different sampling protocols
  • Ability to communicate complex concepts and solutions
  • Strong, creative problem solving skills – we are looking for an innovator
  • Minimum 2/3 years of work experience in a relevant field

What you get

An attractive compensation and benefits package.

A culture based on fairness, trust, collaboration, individual wellbeing and recognition.

Colleagues who care about nature and are about the real world impact of their work.

About us

Pivotal is a VC-backed start up focussed on biodiversity, based in Cambridge, UK but operating as a remote-first company. We are helping to build an economy that puts nature and business in balance – by incentivising the regeneration of biodiversity at scale. Restoring nature is important and our work will be carried out with integrity, excellence, intellectual honesty, and accountability.

Please visit www.pivotal.earth to find out more.

If you would like more information prior to applying please email cameron@pivotal.earth.