A fully-funded PhD position in the School of Biological Sciences

A fully-funded PhD position in the School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, is available under the supervision of Dr Anita Malhotra to start in autumn 2009. Part funded by the European Social Fund and Tropical Forest Products (one of Britain’s biggest bee farmers and importers of Fairtrade honey, based in Ceredigion, Wales).

Application Deadline: 21st September 2009

The studentship will waive fees and include an annual stipend beginning at £13,290, and support for consumables, equipment and travel worth £4000/yr, will contribute to the project.

Applicants must be resident in the Convergence Area (West Wales and the Valleys) http://www.gra-ukgrants.com/GRA_images/Wales%20RSA%2020713.png on application, and be able to work in the Convergence Area upon completion of the scholarship, have a first or upper second-class honours degree in a biological subject, and be available to start by January 2010 (preferably sooner).

The PhD student will assist with a breeding program to select for a locally adapted bee stock that has innate disease resistance, yet retains commercially valuable characteristics.

The work will include genetic characterisation of colonies and virgin queens/drones for breeding, gathering and analysing data on colony characteristics to guide selection, testing robust techniques for
assessing colony performance, longitudinal studies of colonies to dissect contributory factors to overwintering mortality and spontaneous queenlessness.

The PhD student will therefore become familiar with beekeeping practice as well as genetic techniques; some previous experience in one or both areas would be an advantage but is not essential. This PhD studentship will be at the heart of a planned collaborative team based at Bangor and Aberystwyth Universities investigating other aspects of honeybee genetics and health using multidisciplinary, leading-edge and innovative techniques.

Informal enquiries should be made to Dr Anita Malhotra, email a.malhotra@bangor.ac.uk

Application forms can be downloaded from www.bangor.ac.uk/kess.

Please quote KESS Ref: BU maxi 010.

Application Deadline: 21st September 2009.