The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary is one of the UK’s elite research centres, according to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). We offer a multi-disciplinary research environment and have approximately 180 PhD students working on projects in the biological and psychological sciences. Our students have access to a variety of research facilities supported by experienced staff, as well as a range of student support services.
Our PhD students become part of Queen Mary’s Doctoral College which provides training and development opportunities, advice on funding, and financial support for research. Our students also have access to a Researcher Development Programme designed to help recognise and develop key skills and attributes needed to effectively manage research, and to prepare and plan for the next stages of their career.
The PhD student will gain experience in advanced molecular techniques (e.g. Fluorescent in situ hybridization, RNAi), analyses of high-throughput data (e.g. bioinformatics of transcriptomic/genomic data), experimental and field techniques, and statistics.
Ant-plant interactions are widespread in nature and have been instrumental to the evolutionary success of both groups of organisms. The most spectacular examples of these relationships are seen in the so-called ‘ant-plants’ where plants have evolved specialised structures to house and often feed the ants. In return, the ants protect plants and, in some cases, farm the plants, by cultivating and nourishing them. Although these relationships have evolved numerous times, both ants and plants show huge variation in their dependence on the symbiosis. Explaining this variation provides an opportunity to understand how mutualistic relationships evolve and transition to interdependence.
In this PhD, the student will investigate the evolution of ant-plant mutualisms using Philidris ants, which include multiple independent origins of plant farming mutualisms that vary in their degree of interdependence. Ants benefit from plant farming through access to food and shelter, but it also comes with challenges including altered dietary nutrient composition and exposure to different stresses.
The PhD will build off pilot data suggesting certain ants have acquired symbiotic microbes that may provide crucial defensive and nutritional resources to overcome the challenges of plant farming lifestyles. The student will answer the question: are symbiotic microbes the breakthrough innovation that has led to the evolution of obligate ant-plant mutualisms?
Using a combination of deep coverage amplicon sequencing, genomics, and field experiments, the student will investigate diverse Philidris lineages to characterise their microbial communities, identify symbiotic microbes, and determine their functional role in ant-plant relationships. Using ancestral character state reconstructions, the student will then test whether symbiont acquisition have led to the evolution of obligate ant-plant mutualisms.
These techniques will then be applied to other ant-plant systems to gain a fundamental understanding of how microbes have influenced the evolution of some of the worlds most fascinating mutualisms.
This studentship is open to students applying for China Scholarship Council funding. Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary. Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses for 4 years and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Applicants must be:- Chinese students with a strong academic background.- Students holding a PR Chinese passport.- Either be resident in China at the time of application or studying overseas.- Students with prior experience of studying overseas (including in the UK) are eligible to apply. Chinese QMUL graduates/Masters’ students are therefore eligible for the scheme.Please refer to the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.
Applicants from outside of the UK are required to provide evidence of their English Language ability. Please see our English Language requirements page for details: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/international-students/englishlanguagerequirements/postgraduateresearch/
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr. Lee Henry at l.henry@qmul.ac.uk
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 31st January 2024 for consideration, including a CV, personal statement and qualifications. You must meet the IELTS/ English Language requirements for your course and submit all required documentation (including evidence of English Language) by 14th March 2024. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements. Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship by in March 2024 with the support of the supervisor.
Only applicants who are successful in their application to CSC can be issued an unconditional offer and enrol on our PhD programme. For further information, please go to: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/scholarships/items/china-scholarship-council-scholarships.html
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