Swansea University Research Excellence Scholarship (SURES): Fully Funded PhD Scholarship: Informing the Recovery of the UK’s Rarest Amphibian

Funding suppliers: Swansea College

Topic areas: Bioscience, conservation, inhabitants genetics/genomics, species reintroduction, amphibians

Mission begin date: 1 October 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-September)

Mission description: 

Reintroduction is an important conservation instrument, used to re-establish species following native extinction. Nonetheless, solely round 30% of reintroductions are profitable, so a key precedence is to grasp how one can enhance success. We are going to work with undertaking companions the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Belief and the Institute of Zoology (IOZ) to reinforce the reintroduction of the pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae); the UK’s rarest amphibian. This species was reintroduced to the UK in 2005 following extinction within the Nineties, and populations are breeding, though there are points with small inhabitants sizes and breeding pool abandonment. This PhD will take a complete strategy to understanding reintroduction success, combining ecological, physiological and behavioural information (collected within the discipline with ARC) with well being, illness and genomic information (collected along with IOZ). We are going to (1) examine whether or not genomic variety is steady or decreasing within the reintroduced populations (2) examine hyperlinks between genomic variety, reproductive health and well being (3) discover how pool frogs use totally different habitats throughout the reintroduction websites and (4) set up how pool administration strategies can enhance breeding pool use. The outcomes will straight inform ARC in genomic and habitat administration methods in UK pool frogs and can extra broadly form future reintroduction tasks within the UK and globally.

Eligibility

Candidates will need to have attained, or should be anticipated to achieve, a first-class honours diploma and/or a distinction at grasp’s stage. If you’re eligible to use for the scholarship (i.e. a pupil who’s eligible to pay the UK charge of tuition charges) however don’t maintain a UK diploma, you possibly can test our comparability entry necessities. Please word that you could be want to offer proof of your English Language proficiency.

Because of funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to candidates eligible to pay tuition charges on the UK charge solely, as outlined by UKCISA laws. 

Funding Particulars

This scholarship covers the complete value of UK tuition charges and an annual stipend at UKRI charge (at the moment £18,622 for 2023/24).

Further analysis bills will even be out there.