Here is some information for people thinking about visiting / working at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, which is a UK research institute spread across four sites in England, Wales and Scotland.

UKCEH specialises in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems research.

The information here is about the Wallingford site (see UK map right)

Official UKCEH information has now been put on https://www.ceh.ac.uk/visiting-researchers-ukceh, but these points may also be useful:

• UKCEH's Wallingford site is just outside the town of Wallingford, which is a nice market town in South England west of London. Wallingford is quite small (population 12,000), but it's large enough to have shops, a bit of night life, a cinema, etc..
• About half the people who work at UKCEH Wallingford live in Wallingford itself because it is within walking distance (most of the remainder commute in from either Reading or Oxford, which are cities 25 km away to the south and north). The X39 and X40 buses regularly go between Oxford and Reading (UKCEH stop is "Crowmarsh Church", however n.b. it takes an hour to go Oxford -> Crowmarsh because it makes lots of stops).
• For accommodation on a short visit, it's probably most convenient to stay in Wallingford, Crowmarsh Gifford, Preston Crowmarsh or Benson because those towns/villages are within easy walking distance of the UKCEH site (the Maclean Building).  Check out this webpage from Wallingford Town Council, or go to SpareRoom or B&Bs or AirBNB. A usual price is £100-150/night (2024). Staying further away and using the buses is also an option (see above).

• Studentships https://www.ceh.ac.uk/studentships and careers https://www.ceh.ac.uk/careers at UKCEH.
• You can compare Cost of Living using Numbeo.
• Wallingford is quite a historical place, by the way: check out the Bastion, the Castle Meadows (a ruined castle with a keep and 3 rings of defenses). If you've never heard of The Anarchy (the struggle for the throne between Empress Matilda and Stephen in England 1135-1154), you should check it out!

 

• If travelling from outside the UK, please check travel and coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and quarantine rules for entering the UK on https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control  .

Finally, do sign up to receive our newsletter on https://www.ceh.ac.uk/about-us/contact-us .

• Steps that I will need to follow for organising a visitor to UKCEH are on https://cehacuk.sharepoint.com/sites/hub-people/SitePages/Setting%20up%20a%20non-employee.aspx . Links for the UKCEH induction checklist and employee handbook are on: https://cehacuk.sharepoint.com/sites/hub-people/SitePages/Induction%20for%20New%20Starters.aspx  . The current induction process is described at https://cehacuk.sharepoint.com/sites/hub-news/SitePages/New%20induction%20process.aspx .
• UKCEH has a spectrum of policies relevant to working at UKCEH (see https://www.ceh.ac.uk/about-us/policies). Hybrid working and flexitime are encouraged (see https://www.ceh.ac.uk/employee-benefits#health : you must work certain “core hours” but other hours you can arrange with your line manager/supervisor).
• For Covid-related advice (inc. mask-wearing on site), see https://cehacuk.sharepoint.com/sites/hub-news/SitePages/Living-with-COVID-19-our-approach-April2022.aspx .
• Helpdesks: https://cehacuk.sharepoint.com/sites/hub/SitePages/Helpdesks.aspx .
• Welfare Service for UKCEH employees: https://cehacuk.sharepoint.com/sites/hub-wellbeing/SitePages/Welfare-support.aspx​ .