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Published: 08 Nov 2024 6,045 views
The University of St Andrews and Macquarie University are pleased to offer a scholarship funded by both institutions, to support an exceptional student undertaking doctoral research in the following project:
Landscape genomics of native and invasive bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) under pathogen impacts
Students will enrol at both institutions from the outset. In terms of their location for study. The available entry point for students beginning at St Andrews is 27 September 2025. If beginning at Macquarie, the entry point is 1 October.
As a doctoral student at the University of St?Andrews you will be part of a growing, vibrant, and intellectually stimulating postgraduate community. St?Andrews is one of the leading research-intensive universities in the world and offers a postgraduate experience of remarkable richness.
According to the latest UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, more than 88% of research carried out by the University of St Andrews is world-leading or internationally excellent. St Andrews offers research students an intensive research environment, which is a vital step in their journey to a career in research and academia. Pursuing a specialism is a fulfilling path to undertake, and our research degrees are fully supervised and integrated into the research interests of our academic staff. At St Andrews research students will be contributing to the ground-breaking research we produce and making a significant contribution to the development of the respective academic field.
St Leonard’s Postgraduate College is at the heart of the postgraduate community of St?Andrews. The College supports all postgraduates and aims to provide opportunities for postgraduates to come together, socially and intellectually, and make new connections.
In addition to the research training that doctoral students complete in their home School, doctoral students at St?Andrews have access to a range of research skills development and training opportunities, which are designed to help them make the most of their postgraduate experience. These opportunities range from skills sessions that increase research capabilities to employability workshops and online resources. These support and development opportunities are available to all research students through the University’s GRADskills programme, a free, comprehensive training programme to support their academic, professional, and personal development.
St Leonard’s College and the University’s?Careers Centre?support all postgraduate students?in identifying and achieving their career ambitions. The Careers Centre has dedicated staff and has developed extensive resources and offerings?specifically for postgraduate students. Our research graduates go on to further studies and academic positions around the world or a range of professions outside of academia.
Macquarie University is recognised globally as a leading university, consistently ranking among the world’s best due to a strong tradition of innovation and exploration. With an enviable reputation for research excellence and a driving desire to produce solutions with real-world impact, Macquarie’s discoveries are paving the way to a brighter future. As a doctoral student at Macquarie, you will be able to draw on the expertise of the University’s knowledgeable and passionate research community.
The definition of a research problem, the exploration of the problem, and the dissemination of findings to the academic and general community, are central to the process of research candidacy at Macquarie. Candidates are supported throughout these stages by various central, faculty and departmental activities and assisted with the administration and management of their candidacy and research through the services provided by the Graduate Research Academy.
The doctoral program at Macquarie is a pathway to a career as a researcher in both academia and industry. In addition to managing their candidature and understanding their requirements as a researcher, doctoral students will complete a university-wide and a faculty-specific commencement program. They also have the opportunity to take advantage of a range of face-to-face courses and online training resources to leverage their degree to reach future career goals.
In nature, potential evolutionary trade-offs exist between a species’ capacity to adapt to its pathogens versus its capacity to adapt to local environmental conditions. As pathogens attack, hosts can experience evolutionary changes that may be at the cost of environmental adaptation to novel or changing environments. Such interactions may be consequential in the context of a species' invasion success into new regions, as they may determine how invasions play out at landscape scales. The bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, though an economically important pollinator globally, is also an invasive insect in several countries. Bombus terrestris is native to the United Kingdom (UK), which is the source of the invasion in New Zealand (NZ), while NZ is the source of an invasion in the Australian island state of Tasmania. However, bumblebees remain absent from the Australian mainland. Notably, the economically devastating virus-transmitting Varroa mite of honeybees facilitates elevated transmission of highly pathogenic viruses, which can be transmitted to bumblebees via contact with honeybees during foraging. The Varroa mite is present in the UK and New Zealand, and although the east coast of the Australian mainland was recently invaded by Varroa in 2022, Tasmania remains Varroa-free.
This project is innovative in its linkages between population genetic connectivity and adaptive genetic variation with viral impacts. Distinctively, the project design enables examination of how pathogen selection pressures (i.e. from bee viruses and those related to Varroa) may trade off with environmental local adaptation in both native and invasive bumblebees. This project will use high resolution whole genome sequencing of bumblebees combined with climatic, landscape variables and data on local viral diversity, spanning the UK, New Zealand and Tasmania. Speci?cally, this PhD project will examine the following general questions:
These questions will be addressed using cutting edge analytical approaches to detect selection across the genome at landscape scales. The results will shed light on the evolutionary processes that determine successful insect invasions. The study will also help to predict the spread of bumblebees to the Australian mainland or other global regions, and speci?cally, how viruses affect this process. By identifying selection trade-offs with viral infection and local adaptation in native and introduced B. terrestris, this study is also increases understanding about how diseases interact with hosts during biological invasions. This project will provide knowledge relevant for managing pollinators under disease threats and climate variability, and therefore the sustainability of food production and biodiversity function.
The project will be managed jointly between the School of Biology at St Andrews and the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie. The student will be supervised by Prof. Oscar Gaggiotti (St Andrews) and by Dr Rachael Dudaniec (Macquarie).
St Andrews is a unique and captivating place, and the University is a key part of its charm. Seven centuries of history link the students with the town, leading to the ancient and yet modern institution apparent today. For those interested in visiting or moving to St Andrews, we recommend taking a look at the town information, which describes the facilities and opportunities open to the local community. You can also find information about the University’s governance, history, and strategy for the future in the sections below.... continue reading
| Application Deadline | 09 Dec 2024 |
| Value | £19,237 |
| Country to study | United Kingdom |
| School to study | University of St. Andrews |
| Type | PhD |
| Course to study | View courses |
| Sponsor | University of St Andrews |
| Gender | Men and Women |
The funding comprises a scholarship equivalent of a full-fees award and stipend for a period of up to 3.5 years. It is expected that the student will spend half of the scholarship term at the University of St Andrews and half at Macquarie University:
Unless otherwise specified, the scholarships do not cover:
Available to postgraduate students studying: School of Biology (St Andrews) and School of Natural Sciences (Macquarie)
Available to: Prospective students
Admission and scholarship criteria of both universities must be met.
Applicants must not already
Application assessment: Academic merit.
Successful scholarship applicants must meet all relevant entry requirements for admission including any immigration requirements that may be in place. Please see the advice on applying for research degree programmes at St Andrews and the PhD application guidelines at Macquarie.
Duration of award
Up to 3.5 years. The student will be expected to spend approximately half of the award term at the University of St Andrews and half at Macquarie University. The successful candidate will be expected to have completed the doctorate degree by the end of the award term. The award term excludes the continuation period and any extension periods.
Submit an application/expression of interest by email to both Prof. Oscar Gaggiotti ([email protected]) and Dr. Rachael Dudaniec ([email protected]).
Applications/expressions of interest should include the following documents:
Applications for a scholarship will be assessed jointly by the co-supervisors. Following a successful application for the scholarship, candidates may be invited by the co-supervisors to submit an application to each university for admission into the program and award of the scholarship.
Please indicate in your application that you wish to be considered for this Global doctoral scholarship (Dudaniec-Gaggiotti). Applications should be submitted to the co-supervisors via email to: Oscar Gaggiotti ([email protected]) and Rachael Dudaniec ([email protected]).
Please contact us should you have any questions regarding the scholarship: [email protected] or [email protected]
Successful scholarship applicants will be invited to apply for admission to both universities from mid-January 2025, and then formal outcomes of the position will be made, subject to provision of full application details and materials for entry to the programme on 27 September 2025 (for St Andrews starts) or 1 October 2025 (for Macquarie starts).
For more details visit: University of St Andrews website.
