Biological Sciences (Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour) PhD / MPhil

Research themes

Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease

We seek to understand the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of disease in wildlife populations. Our study systems are diverse, from microbes and their phage, through interactions in insects, wild rodent communities in the UK and abroad, to the microbes in the cystic fibrosis lung.

To better understand the ecological and evolutionary behaviour of these systems, we employ field, genetic, genomic and mathematical approaches.

Evolution: Phenotype to Genome

Evolution has traditionally been studied at the level of the phenotype. With the emergence of new genomic technologies, we have an increasing ability to also examine how evolution is reflected in the genome, and to use techniques of molecular ecology to give insights into evolutionary processes.

Current research is trying to understand the molecular basis of adaptation in the peppered moth, and in host-parasite interactions, and what these details tell us about the process of evolution. We are also employing molecular ecology tools to understand how geography and history have combined to structure current species.

Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution

We investigate mammalian behaviour, commonly working from molecules through to behaviour. We are particularly interested in:

• Chemical communication
• Reproductive strategies (with particular focus on mechanisms and evolutionary consequences of pre and post-copulatory sexual selection)
• Reproductive cooperation and conflict
• The drivers of social structure and dispersion
• Interactions between behaviour and disease.

We have an applied interest in the epidemiology of infections in domestic animals and in using ideas from evolution and behaviour to improve animal welfare.

Ecology: Phenotype to Ecosystem

We are interested in how individuals, species and communities respond to change, and how to mitigate risk.

We have particular interest in conservation biology, especially with regard to:

• The metapopulation dynamics of threatened odonates
• Thermal ecology, particularly effects of warming on organism size and ecological rates
• Using protists as model organisms to study population dynamics, ecophysiology, distributional patterns, food web structure and the flow of energy and biomass through aquatic food webs
• Phenotypic plasticity, especially maternal effects and developmental thresholds and their effects on population dynamics.

Facilities

• The Henry Wellcome Laboratory of Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution
• The Centre for Genomic Research
• The Computational Biology Facility
• The Centre for Cell Imaging
• The Centre for Proteome Research

The fees below reflect one year of study during the 2024/25 academic year

The fees stated in the table above exclude potential research support fees also known as ‘bench fees’. You will be notified of any fee which may apply in your offer letter.

* Please note that if you are undertaking a PhD within the Faculty of Science and Engineering the fee you pay, Band A or Band B, will reflect the nature of your research project. Some research projects incur a higher fee than others e.g. if you are required to undertake laboratory work. You will be informed of the fee for your programme in your offer letter.

^ Self-funded, full-time international students studying a PhD programme classified as Band A will receive a £2,000 reduction in their fees for the first year only.