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The Lancaster Environment Centre
Understanding and Managing Honey Bee Health in the UK: Beekeeping Knowledge and Engagement with Science and Policy
ESRC-NERC Interdisciplinary (+3) PhD Studentship
(October 2010 - September 2013)
Applications are invited for an interdisciplinary ESRC-NERC funded 3 year fully funded PhD studentship.
The Research
Across the world, unusually high levels of colony losses have affected the honey bee Apis mellifera, a syndrome known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Although there is no evidence for CCD in the UK at present, honey bee numbers do appear to be on te decline . In light of this, there is a clear need to not only establish the cause of this down-turn in the UK honey bee population, but also to establish new mechanisms involving the participation of key stakeholders for effective surveillance and management of this and any future threats to honey bees.
The proposed research project aims to design, implement and test an inter-disciplinary methodology combining approaches from Environmental Science (ES) and Science and Technology Studies (STS), to examine the complexities of understanding and managing honey bee health in the UK. The methodology will be applied with a view to building a rounded understanding of current honey bee health and will contribute to the design of new, sustainable and viable management solutions.
Specific Objectives
1. To understand the existing knowledge base and husbandry practices of a selection of non-commercial and commercial beekeepers.
2. To understand current forms of engagement of the non-commercial beekeeping community with national statutory science and policy.
3. To determine how variation in husbandry practices correlate with variation in honey bee hive vigour.
4. To establish how provisioning honey bees with supplementary food impacts on their health and beekeepers perceptions of the intervention.
The Award
Full studentships (fees and maintenance grant (£13,429 (2010/11) (Tax Free) per year) are available to UK and EU candidates who have been ordinarily resident in the UK throughout the 3-year period immediately preceding the date of an award. EU candidates who have not been ordinarily resident in the UK for the last 3 years are eligible for "tuition fees-only" awards (no maintenance grant). Unfortunately this studentship is not available to non-UK/EU applicants. The award also pays UK fieldwork costs.
Applications
Academic Requirements
Applicants will ideally be able to demonstrate a background in both the natural sciences (entomology, environmental science) and social sciences (e.g. anthropology, sociology, cultural geography, science and technology studies). But applicants from either the natural or social sciences will be considered and if successful, provided with access to training in both social scientific and natural scientific research methods.
The commitment of Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) to the integration of natural scientific and social scientific approaches to researching contemporary environmental issues is reflected in its training programme which will provide training in transferable research skills (including writing and presentation skills) and specific skills (including ethnographic, statistical data analysis, experimental design and laboratory good practice).
Applicants should have a First Class or Upper Second Class degree, and should ideally have or be undertaking a Masters degree in a relevant discipline which includes training in research methods or relevant work experience (or be in the process of completing such training).
How to Apply
Please send a CV and a covering letter outlining any relevant experience and your interests in this topic, along with two references (download the reference form from: http://www.lec.lancs.ac.uk/docs/pg_ref_form.pdf) to Andy Harrod, Lancaster Environment Centre, Postgraduate Admissions: [log in to unmask] and to Rebecca Ellis ([log in to unmask]).
Please do not apply via the online application system.
For full eligibility criteria and full details of financial entitlements see ESRC's 'guidance notes for applicants 2010 at: http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/Guidance%20Notes%20for%20Applicants%202010%20version%206_tcm6-7186.pdf
Closing Date for Applications is: Wednesday June 30th at 5pm
Interviews will be held on: Wednesday July 7th
If you are unable to attend on this date for any reason please indicate this on your application.
For an informal discussion, please call Rebecca Ellis (01524 510240/ [log in to unmask]) or Ken Wilson ([log in to unmask]).
Dr Rebecca Ellis
Lecturer
Geography Division
Lancaster Environment Centre
Farrer Avenue
Lancaster LA1 4YQ
http://www.geography.lancs.ac.uk
Email: [log in to unmask]
Tel: 00 44 (0) 1524 510240
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http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/projects/sis/
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