2 PostDoc University of Liverpool, modelling coastal change, coastal salinity
Nicoletta Leonardi
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to share two Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) positions (42 months and 14 months, starting October 2026) currently open at the University of Liverpool, in the Department of Geography and Planning, as part of two different Horizon Europe-funded projects.
Both projects require experience in numerical modelling, preferably using Delft3D. Machine learning skills are also desirable for the CORRAL position.
1) SALINOVA – Postdoctoral Research Associate
Grade 7, Spine Point 31: £39,906 per annum
Fixed-term: 14 months, starting October 2026
This position will contribute to the Horizon Europe-funded project SaliNova: Advancing Europe’s Capacity to Monitor, Predict and Manage Soil Salinization for Adaptation and Mitigation with Novel Data and Tools.
2) CORRAL – Postdoctoral Research Associate
Grade 7, Spine Point 31: £39,906 per annum
Fixed-term: 42 months, starting October 2026
This position will contribute to the Horizon Europe-funded project CORRAL, which will support Local and Regional Authorities (LRAs) in navigating the socio-technological and ecological transitions needed for coastal communities to adapt to a changing climate.
How to apply
Please visit the University of Liverpool recruitment
portal:
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/working/jobvacancies/
Search for Department of Geography and Planning. The SaliNova position is already advertised, while the CORRAL position should be available within the next few days.
The positions will remain open for approximately two weeks.
For further information, please contact me at nicl...@liverpool.ac.uk.
Please note that I may not be able to respond promptly due to a high volume of emails. Any delay in replying should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in your profile. If you are interested in the position, I encourage you to submit an application even if I am unable to respond to your enquiry directly.
Please find below an extended summary of the projects. Further information is also available through the recruitment portal.
Please feel free to share this information with anyone who may be interested.
Kind Regards,
Nicoletta
SALINOVA SUMMARY
Overall project summary: SaliNova will enhance Europe’s capabilities to understand, map, monitor and predict soil salinity across scales, while accelerating the uptake of sustainable land management practices to mitigate and adapt to salinization, contributing decisively to the EU Soil Strategy 2030.
Key responsibilities and duties:
Assess the impact of saltwater intrusion on soil salinity and soil health in coastal regions to gauge vulnerability within climate change and rising sea levels.
• As a PDRA, you will employ high-resolution coastal modelling to quantify the effect of sea-level rise, storm surges, and saltwater intrusion on soil salinity and ecosystem health with two dedicated Deliverables to saltwater intrusion
• The main tasks include the setup and running of hydrodynamic and salinity modelling (e.g. using Delft3D) at either multiple regional scales or one model at the European scale.
• You will use Integrated datasets from coastal monitoring, remote sensing, and hydrological simulations to provide precise assessments of vulnerability hotspots, soil degradation, and agricultural impacts.
• Your outputs will directly inform evidence-based coastal management strategies and policy recommendations, enabling targeted adaptation to protect soils and livelihoods.
Deliverables
D1 Assessment of coastal soil salinization from saltwater intrusion - v1
D2 Assessment of coastal soil salinization from saltwater intrusion - v2
CORRAL SUMMARY
This post is to work on the Horizon funded project CORRAL.
Overall project summary: CORRAL will support Local and Regional Authorities (LRAs) in navigating the socio-technological and ecological transitions needed for coastal communities to adapt to a changing climate. At its core, the project develops and applies the Coastal Regenerative Resilience (CR2) framework, an innovative yet practical methodology for designing and implementing adaptation solutions that are coherent, inclusive, and time-bound. Eight ambitious LRAs across diverse European geographies, including all three EUCRA coastal hotspot areas, will embark on this innovation journey. Working within stakeholder alliances based on trust, they will co-design regenerative resilience visions, chart adaptation pathways, and implement transformative adaptation solutions on the ground. These solutions will address multiple, and in some cases compound and cascading, climate risks while remaining maladaptation-proof. Supported by expert partners, LRAs will harness interdisciplinary scientific methods to advance a new digital coast paradigm, naturebased solutions, and social innovation.
Key responsibilities and duties:
As a Postdoctoral Researcher you will work on the following:
Eco-geomorphological hydrodynamics modelling framework for coastal nature-based solutions (NBS)
Using established modelling platforms such as Delft3D Flexible Mesh (FM), including fully coupled hydrodynamic, morphodynamic, and bio-geomorphic modules, you will conduct numerical simulations for selected stretches of the Barcelona coastline. This will include coastal features such as seagrass meadows, salt marshes, and dunes, and their dynamic interactions with waves, currents, and sediment transport processes.
Artificial Neural Networks for coastal Digital Twins
You will apply Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to develop efficient digital twin representations of shoreline systems. By training ANN models on diverse datasets—including remote sensing products, field observations, and outputs from numerical models such as Delft3D—you will develop a framework capable of generating rapid forecasts of erosion, accretion, and morphological changes under different climatic and management scenarios.
Deliverables
• Solutions Development and Customisation Report: A report detailing how tools and approaches are adapted to meet the objectives of the demonstrator sites.
• Solutions Catalogue for Deployment, Replication and Sustainability: An online digital catalogue designed for multiple user groups, providing guidance on how to adopt and replicate the tools and methodologies.