Biology MPhil

As a postgraduate researcher you will join an interdisciplinary group, within the School of Life Sciences, which is well-connected with industry and fellow research institutions worldwide. PhD candidates are encouraged to take an active role in the School's research community in areas currently spanning global change ecology, conservation and animal behaviour and welfare. We have a large multidisciplinary academic team ready to support you in your studies working across our two groups, Applied Ecology Research Group (AERG) and Behavioural Ecology Research Group. By combining this expertise with wider specialisms we’ve been able to create exciting projects addressing today’s key issues. As a result our research has had real impact on the human-dominated and ‘natural’ landscapes, from furthering scientific understanding to shaping environmental policy and practice.

In the Applied Ecology Research Group our primary focus is to assess, understand and mitigate anthropogenic impacts such as plastic pollution, climate change, invasive species, agriculture and urbanisation, on biodiversity and ecosystem services in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. We use a range of modern tools, including ecological network analysis, ecosystem modelling, satellite tracking and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) along with interdisciplinary techniques, such as combining the disciplines of biology and ecology with molecular biology, biogeochemistry and microbiology.

The Behavioural Ecology Research Group are an active community with core areas of interest currently including animal communication, cognition, social behaviour, and animal welfare. We cover a wide range of study organisms, including mammals, birds, insects, crustaceans, fish and cephalopods. Our research involves fieldwork in many countries and we also carry out work in museums, zoos, and laboratories. With our wide-ranging expertise we're well-placed to provide the specialist supervision you need for your project, within an inspiring research community that values and involves its postgraduates. As part of your programme you’ll enjoy formal research training and opportunities to gain experience working with conservation NGOs and others based in Cambridge.

There will be opportunities to present your work and represent us at internal, national and international scientific conferences, and you'll be fully immersed in the groups research activities. We also encourage cross-discipline interaction with other research groups in our University.

Careers

There are opportunities in our field for you to combine studying with working in an area relevant to your future career. This is especially so given that Cambridge is a major centre internationally for conservation non-government organisations and bodies such as The Cambridge Conservation Forum.

You’ll also develop transferrable skills during your postgraduate research training, ranging from report-writing and presentation to statistical analysis and use of GIS packages.

Students will need a Bachelor degree or equivalent with first or upper second class honours, in a related subject area.