Project Assistant in Biology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Analysing bumblebee colony responses to nutritional stress

Description of the Project

Insect pollinator declines, particularly of social bees, have been associated with agricultural intensification, but the specific drivers responsible for such losses remain unclear. This is of global concern given the crucial pollination service they provide for both wild and crop plant species. In agricultural landscapes, semi-natural habitats are often replaced by crops, which are likely to lead to alterations in food resources for pollinators, such as changes in availability during the colony life cycle.

The purpose of this project is to investigate how social bees respond to and are affected by temporal variation of nutritional availability. The project will use data from bumblebee (Bombus spp) colony and micro-colony experiments. The task of the project assistant is to analyse data from colony experiments using a mixture of statistical methods and mechanistic bumblebee colony dynamic models. The findings will be used to develop eco-evolutionary theory for seasonal adaptations in annual social insects and niche diversification in pollinator communities under global change.

The project will be based at Lund University, but will also involve visits to Imperial College London (Silwood Park) where we have on-going collaborations within the research initiative Grand Challenges in Ecosystems and the Environment (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/ecosystems-and-environment/).

Qualifications

Required:

• Masters degree in Ecology, Environmental Science or similar
• Knowledge and experience of designing and conducting manipulative experiments on bumblebee colonies and micro-colonies, including bee husbandry and an understanding of how monitoring and recording of their behaviour and ecology is undertaken
• In-depth knowledge of bumblebee ecology, physiology and life history
• Good knowledge of demographic, ecological and evolutionary theory
• Excellent command of R and experience with Matlab
• Experience in ecological modeling, data-processing and statistical analysis of demographic data
• Willingness to travel and conduct research abroad
• Fluent written and spoken English

Meriting:

• Experience as lab- and field assistant at basic and advanced courses.
• Experience in interdisciplinary work.
• A record of publishing in scientific journals.

Candidates should have a methodical approach to work, good interpersonal and organizational skills and ability to work under limited supervision, prioritizing their own work in response to deadlines. Applicants should be willing to assist with preparation of scientific publications as well as the presentation of results to the research group and collaborators.