PhD Studentship - Ecoacoustic Monitoring of Biodiversity in Human-modified Tropical Forests

Tropical forests are biodiversity hotspots, hosting over half of known species. However, forests are still being lost and remaining forests increasingly fragmented and subjected to anthropogenic disturbances including selective logging, fire and hunting, and the impacts of climate change. These changes, even subtle ones, can lead to cascading impacts on biodiversity. For example, hunting can lead to local extinction of large-bodied frugivorous birds and mammals, leaving structurally intact yet defaunated forests missing key ecological functions like seed dispersal for large-seeded plants.  

Studying biodiversity in tropical forests is hard, and the diversity and cryptic nature of many species means even basic data on species occurrence is lacking, but monitoring is vital to inform conservation. Passive acoustic monitoring methods have emerged as a novel toolkit for monitoring tropical forest biodiversity. This project will use passive acoustic monitoring to assess the biodiversity value of human modified forests in two continents. Networks of passive acoustic monitors have/are being installed across gradients of human modification in Brazil, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and this project will assess whether soundscape responses to human modification of forest are consistent across socio-ecological contexts, with opportunities for the successful candidate to take part in tropical fieldwork.

Project aims and objectives

The overarching question is How soundscapes change across land-use gradients in different socio-ecological contexts. This will inform whether biodiversity responses to landscape (e.g. regional hunting pressure) and local (e.g. forest structure) factors are consistent in human modified forests in three socio-ecological contexts.

The project will answer this overarching question by breaking it down into the following sub-questions:

• How do undisturbed baseline soundscapes vary between regions
• How do soundscapes change across land-use gradients, and is this change context dependent
• How do soundscapes relate to functionally important aspects of biodiversity

Funding

The student will be in receipt of a stipend payment; the Research Council minimum rate (set by UKRI) £20,780 for 2025/26.

Home and Overseas students can apply. Home fees are covered. Eligible overseas students will need to make up the difference in tuition fee funding. 

Specific requirements of the candidate

This is an exciting opportunity to apply computational tools to ecological questions. We are therefore looking for someone with:

• A background in biology, environmental science or similar, with knowledge of (or aptitude to learn) quantitative data analysis and coding (e.g. R).
• Or a background in computer or data science who can demonstrate their ecological or natural history knowledge.
• Candidates should have a relevant honours degree (first or 2:1) and/or MSc. 

The successful candidate will join our vibrant doctoral research community.

How to apply

Interested applicants can contact Martin Sullivan (martin.sullivan@mmu.ac.uk) for an informal discussion. 

To apply you will need to complete the online application form for full-time PhD in Biological Science.

You should also complete a narrative CV (500-1000 words) addressing the project’s aims and objectives, demonstrating how the skills you have map to the area of research, how your experience makes you suitable for this position, and why you see this area as being of importance and interest.  

You will need to upload your statement in the supporting documents section of the University’s Admissions Portal.

Applications closing date: 19 May 2025

Expected start date: October 2025

Please quote the reference: SciEng-MS-2025-Tropical forest ecoacoustics

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