About the Project
Although birds are among the most intensively studied of living vertebrates, there is a paucity of information relating to their bone development, before and after hatching. This is surprising given there are hundreds of species of precocial birds, including chickens, the most numerous farmed animal.
The aim of this PhD project is to examine the pre- and post-hatching bone development of several key taxa of evolutionary basal living birds (e.g. chickens, ducks, ostrich) to generate a comparative age-constrained data set. Specifically, this work will harness unique imaging modalities, including light microscopy and state-of-the-art bone imaging such as laser scanning microscopy, computed tomography or scanning electron microscopy, to provide new information on bird bone physiology and function. Comprehensive comparative data of this kind has never been collected before.
These new data will then be used, as the PhD research develops, to:
(1) document the evolution of bone development across the avian evolutionary tree and to
(2) characterise the age of a wider taxon sample, including the extensive fossil record of birds from the Cretaceous (100-65 million years ago).
Critically, this study will provide new data on the metabolism, composition and function across avian evolution with implications for modern domestic fowl and mammalian development.
The PhD student will be embedded into an interdisciplinary project at the University of Southampton, which combines the fields of palaeontology (Natural and Environmental Sciences), biomechanics & bioimaging (Engineering and the Environment) as well as musculoskeletal bone research (Medicine). Together with acclaimed research supervisory team in these fields, the PhD candidate will for the first time document the evolution of bone development across the avian evolutionary tree.
The ideal candidate will have interest in palaeontology and bioengineering, and s/he will have experience in biomedical imaging. In general, the candidate should have a strong background in engineering sciences.
If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Gareth Dyke, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, [Email Address Removed], Philipp Schneider, Bioengineering Science Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, [Email Address Removed]; or Richard O. C. Oreffo, Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, [Email Address Removed].
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