BAS employs more than 500 staff at our Antarctic research stations, on our ships, in our aircraft and at our Cambridge headquarters. We are committed to developing the next generation of scientists and host more than 100 PhD students.
Career opportunities
Our staff include biologists, chemists, engineers, IT specialists, data analysts, modellers, pilots, field guides, electricians, chefs, facilities managers, station leaders and more. Our staff have different skills and do diverse jobs, but share the same passion for excellence, teamwork and problem solving.
BAS operates in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments to understand humanity’s greatest threats and most complex problems. Our vision is to be a world-leading centre for polar science and operations. Making our vision a reality depends on the excellence and diversity of our staff.
Our staff are key to our success. Everyone at BAS – from support and technical staff to scientists and research vessel crews – has a key part to play in the science we do and in creating an inclusive workplace which welcomes diversity.
If you are looking for a rewarding career, working with amazing people in amazing places, BAS could be for you. The extraordinary nature of polar research, operations and support provides extraordinary opportunities.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Science thrives on diversity. Equality, diversity and inclusion are essential for the creative, collaborative and dynamic research that we need to understand our world and tackle the challenges we face.
At BAS, we are committed to creating a workplace that is fair and inclusive, and which welcomes diversity. We value all our staff, and recognise the contribution and potential of every individual at BAS.
BAS aims to be an attractive employer for jobs in multi-disciplinary research, operational support and administration. We review workforce data to ensure that we are attracting diverse employees. We are supporting change through positive action.
Ethnic representation in science
BAS is committed to taking positive action to address under-representation in our workforce. We review our recruitment policies and practices, and set ambitious targets for interviewing applicants from minority backgrounds. We will use specialist recruitment agencies to reach beyond our traditional talent pools.
BAS is working to promote polar science opportunities to under-represented groups, including women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities. The Polar Horizons programme is giving students and early career scientists direct experience of the breadth of opportunities in polar science, and establishing new links between polar scientists and under-represented groups.
BAS is working on new ways to make a broader spectrum of talent aware of career opportunities in polar science, and attract more diverse applicants for jobs and studentships. To find out more about career opportunities in polar science, take a look at our new outreach programme, Polar Horizons.
Career success
BAS believes in investing in the skills and competence of our staff. By joining BAS, you will benefit from regular training, continuous professional development and performance review. By helping our staff be the best, BAS can deliver its best science.
For BAS to succeed in becoming more diverse and inclusive, we need to enable more diverse talents to build successful careers at BAS, as research leaders, engineers, station staff and pilots.
We also believe that equality, diversity and inclusion must be ‘for everyone, by everyone’. BAS’s ambition is to be a world-leading centre for polar science and operations. Making this vision a reality depends on everyone in BAS working to make us more diverse and inclusive.