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Hydromorphological evaluation and macrophyte-based water quality monitoring of rivers in Northern Ireland
 

 
The Water Management Unit (WMU), Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) operates a laboratory facility at Antrim Road, Lisburn. The laboratory generates large and diverse datasets each year, which serve a variety of purposes in meeting statutory obligations in relation to the monitoring and assessment of the aquatic environment.
 
Quercus provides two aquatic ecology Research Assistants to WMU to assist with a programme of research in the area of freshwater community ecology, specifically in the development of monitoring and classification techniques based on ecological data. This involves the input, analysis, interpretation and presentation of large and complex biological, physical and chemical datasets.
 
The work involves the development of new techniques in h ydrological evaulation and ecological assessment methods.

These posts involve an element of fieldwork and a strong element of statistical application to existing datasets as well as a need to review the scientific literature to identify broad approaches to specific problems.
 
The current contract, awarded to Quercus under tender, is for two Research Assistants for one year (with the option to extend annually for two further one year periods) and builds on a previously successful three year contract.