Closing date: 15th May 2016.
Project Description: The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) is seeking to attract PhD candidates of outstanding ability and commitment to join its vibrant and growing programme of internationally excellent research. Successful applicants will benefit from our intellectually stimulating and inclusive research environment and from enhanced career development support and professional skills training.
This studentship provides an exciting opportunity to study fish assemblages on the world's largest coral reef restoration project. Recently, Mars Sustainable Solutions has been successfully rehabilitating an area of reef in Sulawesi, Indonesia. While restoration is growing as a conservation tool, the focus has been on coral establishment and there are less data on fishes, despite their importance as protein to local people. Furthermore, restoration provides a novel opportunity to study how fish populations may change after a disturbance (e.g. cyclone) as coral cover increases. The aim of this studentship is to compare different stages of the restoration process and understand how increasing habitat complexity and coral cover is a driver of fish recolonization. Recolonization will include changes in species richness and diversity, but also more complex rebuilding of predator-prey and competitive interactions. Additionally, the restoration project involves the release of locally reared fish back onto the reef, and the studentship will examine the effectiveness of this strategy (e.g. how the fish disperse). The studentship would involve Indonesian field work and UK-based analysis of resulting video footage and other data sets.
Funding Notes: The studentship offers an annual stipend of £14,296 per annum for three years and payment of tuition fees (current value £4052). Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed and successful candidates will be put forward to a final selection panel which will decide on the award of studentships (i.e. funding will be considered as part of a competitive round and there is no guarantee that it will be awarded to this project). Candidates will not be required to attend the final panel. Successful applicants will be expected to contribute up to 6 hours/week to UWS' academic related activities.
Studentships are open to Home/EU candidates with a first degree in a relevant discipline. Non-EU students can apply, but will not receive the stipend and will be required to pay fees.
Candidates must be available to commence their studies on 1st October 2016.
Applications can be made via the findaphd.com website (project no. PHDSS003). Enquiries regarding the application process should be made to the Graduate School on + 44 (0)141 848 3635/3037 or email:PGR@uws.ac.uk
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Dr Alastair Harborne
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences - Marine Sciences Program
Florida International University,
MSB 352, Biscayne Bay Campus, 3000 NE 151 Street,
North Miami, Florida 33181, USA
Tel: +1-305-919-4232
email: alastair.harborne@fiu.edu
Skype name: al_harborne
Twitter: @alharborne
Website: https://marine.fiu.edu/faculty/alastair-harborne/
Ecology Editor, Coral Reefs: http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/ecology/journal/338
ResearcherID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/F-6155-2013
