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PhD Studentship

Unveiling the natural sulphur potential of biological nitrogen fixation in faba bean

Supervisory Team:

This PhD aims to understand the potential nature of sulphur on biological nitrogen fixation in faba beans. Sulphur is an essential mineral nutrient for plant growth and development; important for primary and specialized plant metabolites that are crucial for biotic and abiotic interactions. Sulphur also plays a crucial role in biological nitrogen fixation, a natural process belonging to legumes that symbiosis with bacteria through root nodules to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Root nodules have a high demand for sulphur. In nodulated legumes, biological nitrogen fixation is more sensitive to sulphur deficiency than nitrate uptake. However, the natural sources of gypsum-mine-derived sulphur-containing by-product’s effect on plant growth, development and biological nitrogen fixation is largely unexplored. This 3.5-year project will unveil the functional relationship between sulphur nutrition and biological nitrogen fixation in faba beans using 15N stable isotopes.

Training and Development

The successful candidate will receive comprehensive research training including technical, personal, and professional skills. All researchers at ÎçÒ¹ÉñÆ÷ are part of the Doctoral College and College of Health and Science wider postgraduate community, which provides support with high quality training and career development opportunities.

Funding

This PhD studentship is fully funded and covers University fees for 3.5 years.

Entry requirements for applicants to PhD

A Master’s (honours) degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum mark of 60% in the project element (or equivalent), and the potential to engage in innovative research, and to complete the PhD within 3.5 years.

How to Apply

To find out more about the project, please contact Dr Ravi Valluru (rvalluru@lincoln.ac.uk).

Applications will require a two-page CV and a 2000-word supporting statement, showing how the applicant's expertise and interests are relevant to the project. 

PhD Studentship

Microplastic Contamination as a Threat to Human Health

Supervisory Team: 

This PhD aims to firstly examine the presence, distribution, levels, types, and targeted impacts of microplastics within the human body. A second aim is to relate the findings to a mathematical modelling approach to predict the distribution of microplastics within the body.

It is already established that microplastics are present in many tissues within the body and our earlier work has produced datasets for human lung, blood, and urine. Previous studies have focused on specific tissue types, have used a variety of isolation and characterisation techniques, and this has resulted in a patchwork of datasets. This study will take a holistic approach and use three commonly adopted microplastic characterisation techniques available at the ÎçÒ¹ÉñÆ÷; micro-FTIR, Raman and SEM, to calibrate the findings. The techniques will allow polymer, size and shape characterisation which can inform the subsequent stage of biological effects investigation.

The second element involves mathematical modelling to explore the possibility of predicting microplastic particle fate within the body based on their properties and the size dimensions of the various transport systems within the body.

Training and Development

The successful candidate will receive comprehensive research training including technical, personal and professional skills.

All researchers at ÎçÒ¹ÉñÆ÷ are part of the Doctoral College and College of Health and Science wider postgraduate community, which provides support with high quality training and career development opportunities.

Funding

A tax-free stipend of ca. £18,622 p.a. (in monthly instalments). The fees are £4,712.

Entry requirements for applicants to PhD

A bachelor’s (honours) degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum classification of 2:1 and a minimum mark of 60% in the project element (or equivalent), and the potential to engage in innovative research, and to complete the PhD within 3.5 years.

How to Apply

To find out more about the project, please contact Professor Jeanette Rotchell, jrotchell@lincoln.ac.uk. 

Applications will require a two page CV and a 2000-word supporting statement, showing how the applicant's expertise and interests are relevant to the project. 

PhD Studentship

Validating the use of cognitive bias to assess affective valence in wild bird populations

Supervisors:  and

Project Background

Affective state, and thus animal welfare, is typically measured using proxy behavioural, physiological and/or cognitive indicators assumed to reflect the associated subjective experience. Cognitive indicators of affective state have gained increasing attention in recent years because they appear to have several advantages compared to behavioural and physiological measures. The most established of the cognitive indicators, cognitive bias, is a validated measure of affective valence shown to be effective in assessing both short-term emotions and longer-term moods in a wide variety of (non-human) animal species. In this paradigm, the affective states that animals experience influence their cognition and, by studying their decision-making in different contexts, this opens a window into their otherwise subjective experience. However, this approach has been primarily focused on the welfare assessment of either domesticated companion, laboratory and farm animal species, or captive wild animals, and has not yet been convincingly demonstrated in wild free-living animal populations. This goal is important if the full potential of the approach is to be extended to multiple wild species in varied (natural) contexts without having to either capture and restrain animals or hold them in captivity. This outcome is crucial for addressing urgent contemporary issues such as the impact of anthropogenic and climatic change on wild animal welfare, and to tackle key conservation challenges.

In this PhD, our aim is to validate two novel cognitive approaches to assessing affective valence in wild animals that do not require training, in conjunction with established behavioural and physiological indicators of welfare. Firstly, we will investigate a modified cognitive judgement bias task based on the innate avoidance of naturally occurring aversive prey, using the principle of imperfect Batesian mimicry. Secondly, we will modify and validate a cognitive attention bias task that relies on a spontaneous response to a potential threat. Both tasks will be assessed in populations of wild birds using existing variation in affective valence based on what we call a ‘Landscape of Affect’ – a spatial representation of anthropogenic and physical features of the environment that reflects both negatively and positively valenced situation-related affects. Our anticipated outcome is the development of an effective, validated measure of affective valence applicable to wild birds that can be translated across species; an invaluable tool in the assessment of wild animal welfare in response to a wide variety of environmental challenges.

Person Specification and Entry Requirements

This project requires a range of inter-disciplinary skills including an understanding of animal behaviour and welfare within an ecological context. Data collection will be predominately field-based and so the ideal candidate will have experience in behavioural ecology fieldwork alongside an interest in animal welfare. Applicants must hold a minimum of a 2:1 bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, in an appropriate subject.

The successful candidate will be provided with guidance and supervision from experts in the relevant disciplines from the Animal Behaviour, Cognition and Welfare Research Group (Burman) and Evolutionary & Ecology Research Group (Pike). They will also receive training in a range of key techniques, including habitat mapping, welfare assessment, and statistical analysis.

Funding

The successful candidate will receive a yearly stipend for maintenance set at the UKRI rate, which for 2024/2025 will be £19,237. This four-year Studentship (01/10/2024 - 30/09/2028) will also cover tuition fees for home (UK) students. Non-home students would be required to secure funding for the additional international fees, and should clarify this in their cover letter.

How to Apply

Please submit applications (CV and Covering letter) and/or direct any queries related to the PhD project to both Professor Oliver Burman (oburman@lincoln.ac.uk) and Dr Tom Pike (tpike@lincoln.ac.uk).

The deadline for applications is 1 September 2024, with interviews of shortlisted candidates scheduled to take place in the week of 2 September 2024. Informal enquiries are welcome.