PhD Opportunity - Waterbird Migration Ecology and Conservation

Migratory shorebirds refueling on the Lianyungang tidal flat at the Yellow Sea © Jimmy Choi

We are delighted to announce that a PhD opportunity is available in the lab, in collaboration with Dr Jimmy Choi at Duke Kunshan University in China. The research costs are fully funded, but please note that the student must successfully apply for a domestic Australian PhD scholarship to enable the project to go ahead (more details below).

Bird migration is one of the most spectacular phenomena on earth. Annually, hundreds and thousands of migratory birds travel across oceans and continents, some covering as far as 30,000 km between their breeding and non-breeding -grounds. Yet, long-distance migratory birds are among the hardest hit by global change processes. This holds particularly true for the 28 million migratory waterbirds along one of the largest of the globe’s six major migratory corridors, the East Asian–Australasian Flyway (EAAF).

Earlier research has shown that habitat loss and deterioration, hunting, bycatch, and pollutant contamination could play a role in the rapid waterbird population decline along the EAAF. Target actions such as protected-area establishment, habitat restoration, and pollutant control are important to halt the declining trends.

The recent advances in tracking technology have made tracking devices lighter (less than 1 gram), cheaper, and more effective than ever before. Some of these devices can record a location fix every 30 seconds with an error of ± 5 meters, revealing the high spatial and temporal resolution of migratory pathways and movement patterns of some highly threatened and under-studied species. This does not only allow researchers to answer fascinating ecological and evolutionary questions but also practical questions that are crucial to the conservation of migratory waterbirds.

In this project, you will use the latest tracking and mark-resighting data to inform better conservation decision-making. By constructing and validating individual base migration models, you will determine the migratory connectivity and identify the threats and gaps among species of interest. It is also possible to include a field- component in northeast China during Austral winter, depending on the logistics feasibility and the successful applicant's interests.

The University of Queensland is a research-intensive university and our School comprises more than 200 academic and postdoctoral research staff, and ~200 higher-degree research students. You will benefit from the School’s formidable research expertise in ecology, agroecology, and conservation biology, and will also be part of the Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science – world-renowned for their contributions to conservation. Indeed, according to the latest Center for World University Rankings by Subject, the School is a global leader in biodiversity conservation (ranked #1), as well as in ecology (ranked #6), and environmental science (ranked #6). Just as importantly, life is good here and the Moreton Bay – an international important wetland for migratory waterbirds, is about 30 mins drive from campus.

We have the funding to cover all research costs. However, the applicant will need to apply for and successfully obtain a PhD scholarship through the University of Queensland Graduate School in the scholarship round closing 8th September 2024, for commencement during early 2025. Successful scholarship recipients will receive a living stipend of $33,641 AUD per annum tax free (2024 rate), indexed annually, with tuition fees also covered. Details and eligibility requirements can be found here. Note that applicants need to be eligible for the domestic scholarship round – see https://support.my.uq.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/890/~/am-i-an-international-or-domestic-applicant.

If you meet eligibility requirements, and are interested in the project, you will need to first apply to us (see details below), for us to support your application for a PhD scholarship.

We are looking for a dedicated ecologist who is motivated to understand migratory connectivity. We are particularly interested in candidates with knowledge and experience in spatial analysis and migration ecology. Evidence of managing, processing and analyzing large-, spatially explicit datasets, and strong written and verbal communication skills will be important.

We value a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for these positions without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, origin, genetics, disability, or age.

Applicants should submit 1) a cover letter detailing their experience and research interests, with particular reference to the requirements of the position; 2) a brief research plan; 3) a CV; 4) University academic transcripts, and the names of at least two referees to Prof Richard Fuller (r.fuller@uq.edu.au) and Dr Chi Yeung Choi (chiyeung.choi@dukekunshan.edu.cn). Please submit your application to us as soon as possible (applications will be considered immediately) and no later than Wednesday, 24th July 2024.

Also, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.