PhD Studentship: Distributional Shifts and conservation of Avian Migrants

Join a world-leading, cross-continental research team

The University of Exeter and the University of Queensland are seeking exceptional students to join a world-leading, cross-continental research team tackling major challenges facing the world’s population in global sustainability and wellbeing as part of the QUEX Institute. The joint PhD programme provides a fantastic opportunity for the most talented doctoral students to work closely with world-class research groups and benefit from the combined expertise and facilities offered at the two institutions, with a lead supervisor within each university. This prestigious programme provides full tuition fees, stipend, travel funds and research training support grants to the successful applicants.  The studentship provides funding for up to 42 months (3.5 years).

Eight generous, fully-funded studentships are available for the best applicants, four offered by the University of Exeter and four by the University of Queensland. This select group will spend at least one year at each University and will graduate with a joint degree from the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland.

Find out more about the PhD studentships click here

Successful applicants will have a strong academic background and track record to undertake research projects based in one of the three themes of:  Healthy Living, Global Environmental Futures and Digital Worlds and Disruptive Technologies.

The closing date for applications is mid-day Friday June 28th 2024 (BST), with interview to be w/c 29th July 2024 (tbc). The start date is expected to be Monday January 6th 2025.

Please note that of the eight Exeter led projects advertised, we expect that up to four studentships will be awarded to Exeter based students.

THEME - Global Environmental Futures

Project Description

Avian migration is one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena, with billions of individuals moving between breeding and non-breeding grounds each year representing a huge transfer of biomass. However, our planet is undergoing huge landscape and climate changes and in common with many other species, numerous migratory bird populations are in decline. Understanding and addressing these declines presents something of a challenge in migratory species as the sources of population change could occur at any point in their wanderings across the globe and they often face different types of threats during different parts of their annual cycles. Until now gaining detailed insights into these processes has required intensive monitoring of populations or tracking of individuals throughout the year, meaning that insights are often restricted to single species or small subsets of taxa. This was a key knowledge shortfall identified by the Convention on Migratory Species in their inaugural State of the Worlds Migratory Species report issued earlier this year.

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