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Explaining differences in the rates at which species shift their distributions in response to climate change is fundamental to ecology and conservation. This project will analyse existing UK datasets to examine variation in rates of range expansion across a wide range of different vertebrate and invertebrate species and assess whether determinants of variation are similar across taxa. The project will examine whether climate suitability, habitat availability, and the attributes of species affect variation in range expansion of species within taxonomic groups, and whether these determinants of expansion are consistent among taxa. The studentship will be part of a larger NERC-funded project studying variable rates of responses by species to climate change, and involving collaboration between the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Wallingford, UK, the Department of Biology, University of York (Chris Thomas and Jane Hill) and Rothamsted Research (Jason Chapman).
The student will be based at CEH and registered at the University of York. They will analyse biological records from >500 species from ~15 vertebrate and invertebrate taxa. The student should be interested in the ecological impacts of climate change, with good numerate skills and keen to work as part of a larger research team. They will receive training in the manipulation and statistical analysis of large datasets.
For further details or queries please contact Tom Oliver toliver@ceh.ac.uk or Jane Hill (jane.hill@york.ac.uk)
Please note that interviews are likely to take place during the week commencing the 8th of April.
Funding Notes:
The studentship is for 3.5 years, with a starting date of 1st June 2013. Full NERC funding is available for UK residents with a maintenance grant paid at standard Research Council rates. To apply for this project please email a CV and covering letter as separate documents with details of two referees to Dr Tom Oliver toliver@ceh.ac.uk. CEH are committed to a high quality graduate training programme to ensure that the successful candidate has access to opportunities to develop their career skills and experience.
References:
Please refer to the CEH website at www.ceh.ac.uk for details of our scientific research and to the NERC website at http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/available/postgrad/eligibility.asp for details of funding eligibility.