Quantifying the Deletious Effects of Seabird Windfarm Interactions by Understanding Individual Decisions

The successful PhD student will be co-supervised and work alongside our external partner Marine Directorate Scotland.

This studentship is open to students worldwide *please see funding notes below

Renewable Energy is one of the fastest growing sectors addressing the most important challenges of our age.  Offshore renewables, energy distribution, and the environmental impacts of constructing and decommissioning the infrastructure are some one of the most pressing research themes faced by the UK and beyond.  The Net Zero Maritime Energy Solutions Centre (N0MES) for Doctoral Training is creating the future specialist workforce needed by our industrial partners through PhD projects finding solutions to real-life industrial needs. N0MES offers 4-year PhD studentships for exceptional researchers. With the support of the University of Liverpool (UoL), Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and over 30 maritime energy sector partners, N0MES postgraduate researchers will pursue new, engineering-centred, interdisciplinary research.

N0MES CDT Theme C: Environmental Impact

The rapid increase in marine renewable energy infrastructure, particularly wind farms, poses severe challenges to marine organisms. Seabirds range widely over large areas and so can regularly encounter these installations, exposing them to major risks from (a) collision and (b) displacement from important habitats. As evidence builds of these impacts on a range of seabird species, questions about the role of evolutionary processes in understanding the nature and consequences of these interactions are mounting. These processes act at the individual level and so a major knowledge gap is how different individuals may be impacted by wind farm installations.

Individuals may differ in how faithful they are to foraging sites, and this will impact whether they remain in these areas post installation. Individuals can also vary in their propensity to take risks, and this may also affect their decisions. Finally, individuals may have different capacities to change their behaviour and these together will dictate how individuals are affected by new wind farms. Ultimately if subsets of the population are less affected by installations there is greater evolutionary capacity to buffer new developments. This project will work with relevant stakeholders to address three main research packages:

1. Literature review of individual difference in site fidelity, plasticity and habituation in the context of new man-made structures

2. Analysis of tracking data testing whether individuals vary and change in the extent to which they overlap with wind farms

3. Using individual based models, examine the consequences of individual differences on population-level outcomes in response to wind farms.

4. Evaluate the implications of individual differences for assessment and consenting processes.

Our project will take a data-driven approach to understand how considering the role of the individual can help us better understand how consequences of windfarm installation, guiding future policy around the approval process.

Application Information

We want all our staff and students to feel that Liverpool is an inclusive and welcoming environment that actively celebrates and encourages diversity. We are committed to working with students to make all reasonable project adaptations including supporting those with caring responsibilities, disabilities or other personal circumstances. For example, if you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Students Allowance on top of your studentship to help cover the costs of any additional support that a person studying for a doctorate might need as a result. We believe everyone deserves an excellent education and encourage students from all backgrounds and personal circumstances to apply.

Applicant Eligibility

Candidates will have, or be due to obtain, a master’s degree or equivalent from a reputable university in a relevant subject OR a First in a relevant bachelor’s degree. 

Important Application Process

Please submit your application to the University of Liverpool here: https://app.askadmissions.co.uk/AYApplicantLogin/fl_ApplicantLogin.asp?id=liv

Follow the guidance notes here: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/postgraduate-research/how-to-apply/

Candidates wishing to discuss the research project should contact the primary supervisor - see supervisor section at top of page.

Those wishing to discuss the application process should contact CDT Manager, Matt Fulton, at the University of Liverpool [[Email Address Removed]].