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Dr A Wilson, Dr A Thornton
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Location:
University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall
Project Description:
Context: Cognitive processes are vital for carrying out the day-to-day behaviours needed for survival and reproduction. Comparative psychologists have made great progress in determining the cognitive mechanisms underpinning behaviour, showing that many species are capable of performing more sophisticated cognitive tasks than previously thought. However, it is also becoming clear that cognitive performance varies can vary a lot among individuals within populations of the same species. This variation is hugely significant as it is a prerequisite for both natural selection and genetic variation - the two ingredients for ongoing adaptive evolution.
Specific background: Currently our understanding of how cognition evolves in animals is limited. How does cognitive ability impact fitness and how do genes mediate these effects? One widely suggested idea is that differences in cognitive processes are linked to repeatable differences in individual “personality” traits (e.g. boldness, aggressiveness) that are known to be under natural selection in many animals. However though intuitive, the existence of such relationships remains largely speculative and directions of causality are unclear. Fitness could potentially trade-offs between distinct “domains” of cognitive performance. For instance, an individual’s ability to learn novel useful information might conceivably be negatively correlated with its ability to remember it. In humans, correlations tend to be positive across domains, consistent with a single underlying “general intelligence” factor (g) though whether this is true for other species is unclear. If so, then selection for higher intelligence could lead to rapid evolution, but only if genes contributes importantly to variation in g. In humans, a large body of (sometimes controversial) research suggests this is likely, but comparable studies of other taxa are scarce.
Aims: This project will address these gaps in our knowledge, taking an experimental approach to determine the genetic causes and consequences of among-individual variation in cognition in guppies, Poecilia reticulata. It will do this by combining lab-based behavioural studies with quantitative genetic modelling to frame and test evolutionary hypotheses about the causes and consequences of (genetic) variation in cognition. Specific objectives will depend on the direction and interests of the successful applicant but might include
1 – Demonstrating among-individual variation in cognitive performance and determining whether this reflects general intelligence (g).
2- Determining whether variation in g can explains animal personality.
3- Characterising the genetic architecture of g.
4- Determining how g shapes the genetic relationships among fitness-related traits.
This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP). The SWBio DTP is a BBSRC-funded PhD training programme in the biosciences, delivered by a consortium comprising the Universities of Bristol (lead), Bath, Cardiff and Exeter and Rothamsted Research. The SWBio DTP projects are designed to provide outstanding interdisciplinary training in a range of topics in Agriculture & Food Security and World-Class Bioscience, underpinned by training in mathematics and complexity science. Each project will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team of academic staff and will follow a structured training 4 year PhD model.
The studentship will cover a stipend (currently £14,057pa), research costs and tuition fees at the UK/EU rate for students who meet the residency requirements outlined by the BBSRC. Students from EU countries who do not meet the residency requirements may still be eligible for a fees-only award. Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are not eligible for funding. Duration of award: 4 years.
You will need a 2:1 (or a 2:2 plus Masters) and a minimum grade B in A-level Maths.
For further information and details of how to apply:
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=1974
University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall
Project Description:
Context: Cognitive processes are vital for carrying out the day-to-day behaviours needed for survival and reproduction. Comparative psychologists have made great progress in determining the cognitive mechanisms underpinning behaviour, showing that many species are capable of performing more sophisticated cognitive tasks than previously thought. However, it is also becoming clear that cognitive performance varies can vary a lot among individuals within populations of the same species. This variation is hugely significant as it is a prerequisite for both natural selection and genetic variation - the two ingredients for ongoing adaptive evolution.
Specific background: Currently our understanding of how cognition evolves in animals is limited. How does cognitive ability impact fitness and how do genes mediate these effects? One widely suggested idea is that differences in cognitive processes are linked to repeatable differences in individual “personality” traits (e.g. boldness, aggressiveness) that are known to be under natural selection in many animals. However though intuitive, the existence of such relationships remains largely speculative and directions of causality are unclear. Fitness could potentially trade-offs between distinct “domains” of cognitive performance. For instance, an individual’s ability to learn novel useful information might conceivably be negatively correlated with its ability to remember it. In humans, correlations tend to be positive across domains, consistent with a single underlying “general intelligence” factor (g) though whether this is true for other species is unclear. If so, then selection for higher intelligence could lead to rapid evolution, but only if genes contributes importantly to variation in g. In humans, a large body of (sometimes controversial) research suggests this is likely, but comparable studies of other taxa are scarce.
Aims: This project will address these gaps in our knowledge, taking an experimental approach to determine the genetic causes and consequences of among-individual variation in cognition in guppies, Poecilia reticulata. It will do this by combining lab-based behavioural studies with quantitative genetic modelling to frame and test evolutionary hypotheses about the causes and consequences of (genetic) variation in cognition. Specific objectives will depend on the direction and interests of the successful applicant but might include
1 – Demonstrating among-individual variation in cognitive performance and determining whether this reflects general intelligence (g).
2- Determining whether variation in g can explains animal personality.
3- Characterising the genetic architecture of g.
4- Determining how g shapes the genetic relationships among fitness-related traits.
This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP). The SWBio DTP is a BBSRC-funded PhD training programme in the biosciences, delivered by a consortium comprising the Universities of Bristol (lead), Bath, Cardiff and Exeter and Rothamsted Research. The SWBio DTP projects are designed to provide outstanding interdisciplinary training in a range of topics in Agriculture & Food Security and World-Class Bioscience, underpinned by training in mathematics and complexity science. Each project will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team of academic staff and will follow a structured training 4 year PhD model.
The studentship will cover a stipend (currently £14,057pa), research costs and tuition fees at the UK/EU rate for students who meet the residency requirements outlined by the BBSRC. Students from EU countries who do not meet the residency requirements may still be eligible for a fees-only award. Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are not eligible for funding. Duration of award: 4 years.
You will need a 2:1 (or a 2:2 plus Masters) and a minimum grade B in A-level Maths.
For further information and details of how to apply:
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=1974
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