Using the population structure of seabirds to predict demography

Globally, seabirds are threatened by human disturbance, fishing, climate change and pollution, culminating in a two -third reduction of monitored populations worldwide. However, monitored populations are rarely remote and likely bias our understanding of seabird populations. What about unmonitored populations? How about detecting population stress prior to observed decline?

We hypothesise a structural component to changes in population size, reflected in the density and microhabitat use of a colony. We also believe that we can use microhabitat and colony structure to determine in a snapshot whether populations are declining, stable or increasing.

We need a PhD student to investigate how colony structure and colony counts can be used to predict past, present and future influences on seabirds in remote, polar environments and remoter parts of the UK and Europe. The studentship would suit someone interested in remote monitoring, marine conservation and applied policy moving forward.

Director of Studies: Dr Andrew Lack

Supervisors: Dr Tom Hart, Dr Peter Long

Fieldwork is not required, but we strongly encourage it, dependent on the successful applicant passing fieldwork training requirements and medical screening. There is a strong reliance on coding skills, but this means different things to different people, so we encourage interested candidates to contact us with a CV.

Aims:

• Determine how colony structure links to population change
• Investigate microhabitat influence on reproductive success

Skills required:

• Competency in coding (R/Python) and statistics, with a high degree of problem solving (essential, but we will provide training in this)
• Good people skills (essential for fieldwork, we can’t train you in this)
• Drone flying (essential, but we will train you if needed)
• GIS (basic)
• Ecology background (desirable).

There is an additional requirement to undertake up to 6 hours undergraduate teaching/week during semesters and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration.