PhD Studentship: Shining a Light on Short-term Responses of Moths and their Predators to Climate Extremes: Harnessing the Potential of Automated AI Camera and Audio Systems to Understand Nighttime Ecology

Location: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Penryn Campus, Cornwall 

The University of Exeter’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation is inviting applications for a PhD studentship funded by the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy to commence on 23 September 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study. International applicants need to be aware that you will have to cover the cost of your student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD. The following project is one of four being advertised as part of a competitive process for funding, there is one award available. 

Project keywords: biodiversity, climate extremes, insects, AI, ecological modelling, bats

Project Background 

Declines in wildlife are increasingly being reported across the globe, giving stark warnings for the perilous state of biodiversity. The state of insect population trends is attracting increased research interest due the vital role they play in all ecosystems (e.g. as food for birds and mammals, recycling nutrients, pollinating crops) and as indicators of climate change impacts. Recent droughts across Europe have highlighted a research need to understand their short-term (within and between days, weeks and months) responses to climate extremes in the context of longer-term (inter-annual, decadal) trends. 

Emerging camera and acoustic technologies offer huge potential for a step-change in the quality and quantity of biodiversity data to study these short-term population dynamics. Automated sensors, deep learning, bioacoustics and computer vision are starting to deliver continuous, high temporal resolution and more standardised monitoring of insects, bats and birds. There is a need to test novel technologies alongside traditional ways of sampling biodiversity, and to then integrate data for high profile research questions.

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