Nigel Groome Studentship: Behavioural Ecology of Nesting in Penguins

3 Year, full-time funded PhD Studentship

Eligibility: Home UK/EU and International applicants

Bursary p.a.: Bursary equivalent to UKRI national minimum stipend plus fees (current 2024/25 bursary rate is £19,237)

Fees and Bench fees: will be met by the University for the 3 years of the funded Studentship. Visa and associated costs are not funded. International applicants can visit https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/isat/ for further information

Closing date: Friday 17th January 2025 – Midday

Start Date: September / October 2025

Project Title: Nigel Groome Studentship: Behavioural ecology of nesting in penguins

Requirements:

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree from a Higher Education Institution in the UK or acceptable equivalent qualification. EU Applicants must have a valid IELTS Academic test certificate (or equivalent) with an overall minimum score of 6.5 to 7.0 and no score below 6.0 issued in the last 2 years by an approved test centre.

The studentship requires you to undertake the equivalent of up to 6 hrs teaching per week on average, during semester time, and to include preparation and marking (but no more than 20 hrs per week), and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration.

Project Description:

Ecological analyses tend to be carried out either as a time series or as spatial analyses, but rarely both. This focus on either space or time, misses out on how their combined effects can influence the dynamics of the entire system. Using 15 years of time lapse camera, high resolution 3D models of colonies and field investigations, this project aims to investigate if nesting behaviour is a key indicator of reproductive success in penguins. Male penguins construct the nests prior to female arrival. Variation in nest construction is likely influenced by nest material availability and the capacity of males to acquire and protect the material (e.g. rock stealing). This project will look to: 1. understand how variation in nest construction and their spatial arrangement reflects male quality and ultimately mating and offspring success and 2. determine the nesting behaviour response to dynamic and concerning shifts in polar environmental conditions, giving insights into population stability.

We need a proactive PhD student for a challenging and rewarding study that will equip the student with good skills in modern conservation ecology for either academia or industry. This project will suit someone from a behaviour, ecological and/or mathematical/computing background who is prepared to get muddy, enjoys problem-solving and has an aptitude for applying technical and computational skills. If you are interested but unsure, please contact us – we acknowledge that no one candidate has all the skills we need and we will put in place a training plan depending on the existing skill set of the successful candidate. You will join a growing polar ecology/behavioural ecology group at Oxford Brookes University. 

Application process: Please click on the above ‘Apply’ button.

Director of Studies: Dr Matthew Bulbert

Supervisors: Dr Tom Hart, Dr Matthew Bulbert

Project Contact: Dr Matthew Bulbert: mbulbert@brookes.ac.uk

Contact hls-applications@brookes.ac.uk with any queries.

This project is advertised on a competitive basis alongside other current Nigel Groome PhD studentship advertisements for School of Biological and Medical Sciences projects. Part time MPhil/PhD study will be exceptionally considered.

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