This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP).
Project Description:
Chemical insecticides have been used to control insect pests for many decades and remain essential to ensure a supply of affordable food and as part of disease vector control for the foreseeable future.
A key requirement for the development of insecticides is that they are pest specific and not harmful to the main pollinator species which play an essential role in ensuring production of seeds in a remarkable range of flowering plants. Recent research on three managed bee species has demonstrated that specific enzymes can also be critically important in determining the sensitivity of bees to insecticides. Specifically, cytochrome P450 enzymes belonging to the CYP9Q and CYP9BU subfamilies have been shown to provide protection to certain insecticides from three different classes including N-cyanoamidine neonicotinoids. This leads to an important question – is the presence of insecticide-degrading P450s universal to all pollinator species, and if not, what are the implications for insecticide sensitivity in species that lack these enzymes?
Hoverflies are an important family of pollinators known to visit over half of globally important food crops worth a combined US$300 million to the global economy each year. In addition, they provide ecosystem services not found in bees, related to their aphidophagous or saprophagous larval stages. These stages expose these guilds to unique selective pressures on enzymes to detoxify chemicals found in these environments. This studentship aims to develop a detailed molecular and biochemical understanding of how insecticides interact with the aphidophagous marmalade hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus and the saprophagous dronefly Eristalis tenax. Such understanding will allow the molecular basis of differential selectivity within different chemical classes of commercial insecticides to be elucidated and so facilitate the rational design of novel pollinator-safe compounds. Furthermore, such information will help to develop molecular tools to classify, optimise and improve early candidate selection as well as the synthesis of pest selective compounds.
The student will be trained in a variety of state-of-the-art approaches that are highly sought-after by employers in academia and industry including molecular approaches and bioinformatics.
The student will be based in a thriving research environment comprising multiple PhD students and post-doctoral researchers and will also benefit from exposure to industry through the Bayer link/placement.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a fully-funded studentship, you must meet both the academic and residence criteria.
A fully-funded four year SWBio DTP studentship will cover
• a stipend* at the standard Research Council UK rate; currently £15,609 per annum for 2022-23
• research and training costs
• tuition fees (at the standard Research Councils UK rate)
• additional funds to support fieldwork, conferences and a 3-month internship
Please refer to the regulations or Annex 1 of the Research Council Training Grant Guide to confirm that you meet the residence criteria for a fully-funded studentship. Any further queries in relation to residency must be directed to the institution that you are applying to.
* An enhanced stipend is available for students with a recognised veterinary degree qualification (£24,090 per annum for 2022-2023). There may also be enhanced stipends associated with projects that have a CASE partner (CASE projects are highlighted as *CASE in the project lists).
Entry Requirements
Applicants should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science or technology. Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have Masters degree or have significant relevant non-academic experience.
In addition, due to the strong mathematical component of the taught course in the first year and the quantitative emphasis in our projects, a minimum of a grade B in A-level Maths or an equivalent qualification or experience is required.
Equivalent qualifications/experience
Physics A-level (grade B and above)
Undertaking units as part of your degree that have a significant mathematical component*
*Significant mathematical component examples include; maths, statistics, bioinformatics.
Applicants must ensure they highlight their Maths background within their application and to upload any supporting evidence.
Language Requirements
If English is not your first language you will need to have achieved at least 6.5 in IELTS and no less than 6.5 in any section by the start of the project. Alternative tests may be acceptable, please see http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/language-requirements/profile-c/.
How to apply
In order to formally apply for the PhD Project you will need to go to the following web page.
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=4287
The closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 6th December 2021.
Interviews will be held between Monday 24th January – Friday 4th February 2022.
If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email [Email Address Removed] or phone: 0300 555 60 60 (UK callers) or +44 (0) 1392 723044 (EU/International callers). Project-specific queries should be directed to the main supervisor.
Continue with Facebook
