Impact of temperature and habitat on the pest potential of UK ecotypes of Drosophila suzukii: a life table and modelling analysis

Are you interested in becoming an Epidemiologist?

We are offering a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of the biology and epidemiology of a globally important crop pest. The project incorporates the challenges of chemical ecology, state-of-the-art population modelling, and development of new strategies to improve pest management.

Why this project will make a difference to society!

Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing drosophila) is a highly invasive and destructive pest that threatens fruit crops worldwide. Originating from southeast Asia, it has spread to most major fruit-producing regions of the world in the last 15 years. It is one of the most damaging pests of soft-skinned fruits, causing complete crop loss if left uncontrolled. For example, in America it is estimated that economic losses due to spotted wing drosophila amount to almost 1 billion USD a year. It is difficult to control with insecticides, and resistance to active ingredients is developing. It has now been found throughout the UK, and the fruit growing industry has flagged an improved understanding of the biology and epidemiology of UK populations as critical for survival of their industry.

What will you be doing?

The successful candidate will use a combination of laboratory (chemical ecology and life history analysis) and computational work to measure the effect of temperature and host plant species on the survival, development, stage differentiation, and reproduction of UK D. suzukii ecotypes. The results will be used to develop a mechanistic model of population dynamics, which in turn will be used to evaluate the impact of climate change and different management strategies on pest pressure. This will provide vital information to adapt short-term control strategies and inform long-term strategic planning for increased resilience of fruit production systems.

What’s in it for you?

You will receive training in state-of-the-art techniques to gain a unique blend of skills in entomology, epidemiological modelling, and integrated pest management that is highly marketable and much sought after in both research and the agricultural industry. This is a unique opportunity to work with and learn from a highly experienced supervisory team with internationally recognised expertise, and to work closely with industry experts. You will therefore benefit from “three cultures” (Institute, University, Industry), gaining from the interdisciplinary and applied research at Hutton with its infrastructural support systems for PhD students, plus the broader academic basis of research at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, and the perspective of agricultural stakeholders, providing considerable added value and networking opportunities.

Candidate requirements:

Applicants should have a taught Masters degree, with a minimum average of 60% in all areas of assessment (e.g. Merit) level or above, and/or a First Class or Second Class, First Division (Upper Second Class) Honours degree assessment (UK or UK equivalent) in a relevant area to the proposed research project (including biology, epidemiology and mathematical modelling). For those whose first language is not English and/or if from a country where English is not the majority spoken language (as recognised by the UKBA), a language proficiency score of at least IELTS 6.5 (in all elements of the test), unless the degree above was taught in English and obtained in a majority English speaking country, e.g. UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, etc, as recognised by the UKBA. The PhD student will be registered at of the University of Greenwich, where they will be based in the Natural Resources institute in Medway, Kent, for approximately one year. The student will spend the remainder of the PhD at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee

Further details can be found here:

https://www.gre.ac.uk/research/study/research-studentships-and-scholarships

https://www.hutton.ac.uk/research/postgraduate