Postdoctoral Research Associate in Insect Physiology and Ecology

 Salary: £38,205 to £44,263 per annum ,Fixed Term - 3 years

Post Type: Full Time

Closing Date: Sunday 08 October 2023

Job posting: https://jobs.hull.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=UOH-TA-0079

We wish to appoint a Post Doctoral Research Associate for 3 years beginning January 2024  to work on the BBSRC-funded project ‘Resilience of pollinators in a changing world: impact of developmental environment on metabolism and energetic budgets in social and solitary bees.’ The project will investigate whether bees provisioning their young will be resilient to changing landscapes and climates. Like all animals, bees need a balance of key nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrate and fat, in their diets for growth, maintenance and reproduction. However, different environmental conditions, such as temperature, may necessitate different balances. For bees, this is an unassessed and possibly serious threat - both to their health and to the pollination services upon which we depend for our food security. Bees' health depends on access to a mix of nutrition appropriate for the conditions. But the climate is heating up, so this ideal mix may change. Crucially, if these changes affect bees’ flower choices, then the pollination services bees provide today may not be the same at higher temperatures.

The broad objectives of the project are to:

Measure how dietary macronutrients and hotter temperatures affect morphological and physiological traits in two bee species with contrasting life histories (mason bees and bumblebees),

Test whether parent bees maintain optimal diets for larvae reared at specific temperatures, and

Use the data gathered to parameterise energy budget models to understand effects of the thermo-nutritional developmental environment upon bee life histories and the implications for pollination services.  

Of these, the post holder will focus on objectives 1 and 2. This will involve experimental manipulations of bees in the lab and field, and taking detailed physiological data.  

The post holder will be supervised by Dr James Gilbert (Principal Investigator, School of Natural Sciences), and will work closely with other members of the research team, including Prof. Jeremy Niven, an insect physiologist, and Dr Beth Nicholls, an ecologist, both University of Sussex. The post holder will form part of a multidisciplinary team including a dedicated technician at each institution and a postgraduate researcher based at the University of Hull. The post holder will also engage with external stakeholders via the project advisory board.

The post will be based in the Department of Biology in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Hull, where all work on mason bees will be conducted. The University of Hull is in the Times Higher Education's top global 100 for research impact and is one of the highest climbers in the REF 2022, ranking 55th. The School of Natural Sciences has multiple research groups focussed on monitoring and management of environmental change at the molecular, metabolic, individual, landscape, social and commercial levels. There will be extended research visits lasting several weeks, funded by the grant, to the labs of the Co-Investigators at the University of Sussex where all work on bumblebees will be conducted. The University of Sussex is a world leading, research-led university. The School of Life Sciences is ranked in the top 20 biological sciences departments in the UK (REF 2022) and includes >10 highly interactive research groups focussed on insect behaviour, conservation, evolution and ecology.

There will be significant opportunities to work with collaborating partners both in academia and industry. These will include a training visit to collaborators at the University of Toulouse, regular meetings with an advisory panel of industry stakeholders, and the opportunity to be involved in outreach activities in secondary schools and colleges in the Hull and East Yorkshire region.

The candidate should have a PhD in animal behaviour, ecology or an allied biological science. We expect a highly motivated, talented, well-organised and meticulous candidate with strong skills in quantitative analysis, experience in behavioural observations and/or experimental design and excellent team-working ability. The candidate will have a background and demonstrable interest in one or more of behavioural ecology, insect physiology, evolution and/or ecology, alongside demonstrable previous experience in collecting behavioural and/or physiological data in the field. Advanced statistical modelling using R, working with insects and/or on animal physiology, and handling large data sets is advantageous. Holding a driving license is desirable.

More information about Dr Gilbert’s lab can be found here https://wildecolhull.netlify.app/  Before applying, potential candidates are strongly encouraged to make informal contact with Dr Gilbert (he/him) (james.gilbert@hull.ac.uk).   More information about the Co-Investigators can be found here for http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/nivenlab/ Prof Niven, and here https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p339798-beth-nicholls for Dr Nicholls.

Your completed application form should be accompanied by a full CV, a cover letter indicating your suitability, motivations and aspirations, and the contact details of two referees. For full details and how to apply see our vacancies page.