APPLY BY 30/06/2024
Funding opportunity:
The selected student will be entered for intramural funding via the 2024-25 LJMU VC PhD Studentship competition. If successful, the student will receive three years funding covering tuition fees, UKRI-standard student stipend and research support. If successful in the funding competition, the student will start in February 2025.
The competition is open to UK home students and international students, and applications from candidates from under-represented ethnic minority backgrounds are encouraged. Please see https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/research/phd-studentship-application for full details of the funding competition and for eligibility.
The project:
The environment experienced during development can critically influence physiology, metabolism, and behaviour later in life. This project aims to test how experiences in early life affect behaviour and cognitive processing in zebrafish throughout their lifespan.
For example, accumulating evidence suggests that high developmental temperatures can have detrimental effects on the immune system and neural development, while short-term exposure to high temperatures may acutely impair learning capacity. In addition, social cues and predator exposure may affect development, stress responses, and behaviour. However, the implications of such stressors for adult behaviour and cognition are not well understood.
Using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as laboratory model we seek to investigate the consequences of different early-life stress for subsequent adult behaviour and physiology.
The successful candidate will be working in our custom aquatic research facilities at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and be integrated into our flourishing “Behavioural Ecology and Physiology Research Group” in the School of Biological & Environmental Sciences.
Full training in all required techniques, advanced statistical approaches and relevant research methodologies will be provided by the supervisory team (Dr. Susanne Zajitschek, Dr. Will Swaney and Dr. Adam Reddon) and through our Doctoral Academy.
Application process:
Applicants should email a CV including contact details of two referees, and a cover letter detailing their suitability for the project, their experience and motivation, to Dr. Susanne Zajitschek: s.r.zajitschek@ljmu.ac.uk by end of the month.
Shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview in early July.
Requirements:
Prospective students should have a keen interest in and desire to develop their knowledge of animal behaviour, zoology, and neurobiology, with good bachelor's and master's degrees in relevant disciplines. A good working knowledge of statistical analysis using R, strong organisational skills, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively with a team and prior experience working with fish would be advantageous.
Location:
In the best city according to students - Liverpool is leading the Best Cities 2023 League Table https://www.studentcrowd.com/page/best-uk-student-cities
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Susanne Zajitschek (FHEA Fellow) |