Globally the honeybee is our most important managed pollinator species, but pollination is also carried out by a range of bees, wasps, lepidopterans and flies. The global decline in insect species is of huge concern and this decline and the loss of honeybee colonies has been linked to the sub-lethal effects of chemicals commonly used in agriculture including pesticides. In particular, these chemicals impair reproduction in insects.
This project is highly flexible in approach but will include both lab based analysis and field work. This project builds on our ground-breaking work understanding reproduction in bees and combines state-of-the-art molecular approaches with field-work and pollinator ecology to determine how common pesticides disrupt reproduction in critically important pollinators.
Importantly, this project also has the potential to have a real-world impact by determining if the genes, pathways and processes that are disrupted by pesticide exposure be used globally to track pollinator health at landscape scales.
Funding Note
This studentship is part of the BBSRC White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership in Mechanistic Biology. (https://www.whiterose-mechanisticbiology-dtp.ac.uk/). Appointed candidates will be fully-funded for 4 years. The funding includes:
Tax-free annual UKRI stipend (£15,609 for 2021/22 starts. Awards increase every year, typically with inflation).
UK tuition fees (Around £4,500 per year)
Research Training and Support Grant (RTSG)
Conference and Professional Internships for PhD Students (PIPS) allowances
We aim to support the most outstanding applicants from inside and outside the UK. We are able to offer a limited number of bursaries that will enable full studentships to be awarded to international applicants. These full studentships will only be awarded to exceptional quality candidates, due to the competitive nature of this scheme.
Not all projects will be funded; the DTP will appoint a limited number of candidates via a competitive process.
How to apply
Applicants should complete an online application form and attach the following documentation to support their application.
- a full academic CV
- degree certificate and transcripts of marks
- Evidence that you meet the University's minimum English language requirements (if applicable).
To help us identify that you are applying for this studentship project please ensure you provide the following information on your application form;
- Select PhD in Biological Sciences as your programme of study
- Give the full project title and name the supervisors listed in this advert
- For source of funding please state you are applying for a White Rose BBSRC DTP funded studentship
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