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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Postdoctoral Positions in Bee Nutrition: UK government's Insect Pollinators' Initiative

Overview

Four Postdoctoral positions in bee nutrition

As part of the UK government's Insect Pollinators' Initiative, the following three postdoctoral positions are available to join an international team studying the nutritional ecology of honeybees and bumblebees. Each position will last three years, commencing in March 2011. In addition to the research, the postdoctoral researchers will also be expected to engage in community outreach events and attend scientific meetings planned as part of the Insect Pollinators' Initiative. Candidates must possess a PhD at the time of appointment and be fluent in written and spoken English.

Review of applications will begin on January 5th, 2011

(1) Bee nutrition: protein and carbohydrate regulation

University of Pretoria, South Africa.


The researcher will use the geometric framework approach to investigate protein and carbohydrate regulation in adult and larval honeybees and bumblebees, seeking to define how protein to carbohydrate intake targets vary with developmental needs and nutritional challenges. The appointment will be at the University of Pretoria, but the person appointed will be expected to spend the northern hemisphere summers at Newcastle University in order to carry out the bumblebee component of the research.

The annual salary will be in the form of a non-taxable bursary of R200 000. The ideal candidate will have experience with the design and analysis of physiological experiments. Experience with bee husbandry is desirable.

Contact: Prof. Sue Nicolson, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa, +27 12 420 3233, email:
swnicolson@zoology.up.ac.za


(2) Nutritional effects on learning and memory in bees

Newcastle University, UK and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The researcher will investigate how nutritional state influences the foraging decisions and learning abilities of bees. The initial appointment for 18 months will be at Newcastle University where the researcher will study how nutritional state influences olfactory learning and memory in individual bees. The following 18 months will be based at the Triwaks Bee Laboratory in Rehovot, Israel where the experiments will be extended to investigate the influence of nutritional state on colony level foraging activities. (A person appointed to this post will be expected to relocate to Israel for the remainder of the period funded by the research.) The annual salary will be in the range of £25,000-29,800 depending on experience and qualifications. The ideal candidate will have experience with the design and analysis of behavioural experiments. Experience with bee husbandry is desirable.

Contact: Dr Geraldine Wright, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, email: jeri.wright@ncl.ac.uk

(3) Nutritional quality of floral pollen and nectar

Newcastle University, UK.

The researcher will investigate the nutritional quality of pollen and nectar. The main aim of the research project will involve the collection of pollen and nectar from a variety of horticultural, agricultural, and native plant species within the UK for biochemical analysis. The appointed researcher will use LC and LC-MS methods to quantify carbohydrates, amino acids, and other compounds found in floral nectar and pollen, and will work closely with a the PI and a website developer to produce a publicly- available online database of nectar and pollen quality. The post will be centred at Newcastle University, but part of the research will require travel to the Jodrell
Laboratory at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London. The annual salary will be in the range of £25,000-29,800 depending on experience and qualifications. The ideal candidate will have experience with the quantification of chemicals from plant tissues using LC-MS methods and will possess a valid UK/EU driving license.

Contact: Dr Geraldine Wright, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, email: jeri.wright@ncl.ac.uk

(4) Bee pharmacology

Newcastle University, UK

The researcher will investigate how exposure to industrial chemicals such as miticides and pesticides influences neural function and development in honeybees and bumblebees. This project is part of a larger project aimed at identifying how sublethal exposure to pesticides influences neural function in bees. The candidate will be expected to use behavioural, pharmacological, and electrophysiological methods to investigate how industrial chemicals influence bee learning and memory. The appointed researcher will be expected to engage in community outreach events and attend scientific meetings planned as part of the Insect Pollinators' Initiative. The annual salary will be in the range of £25,000-29,800 depending on experience and qualifications. Candidates must possess a PhD at the time of appointment and be fluent in written and spoken English. The ideal candidate will have experience with the design and analysis of behavioural experiments. Experience with bee husbandry and/or electrophysiology is desirable.

Review of applications will begin on January 5th, 2011

Contact: Dr Geraldine Wright, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, email: jeri.wright@ncl.ac.uk


Please kindly mention Scholarization.blogspot.com when applying for this scholarship


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Scholarship Team: Ph.D Scholar Krisstofferson Joniel Scholarship Adviser, PhD Scholar Chea Vitom Scholarship Adviser and Senior Lecturer, PhD Scholar Rebecca T. Dalisay Scholarship Adviser, Ph.D Student Jiao Wang Scholarship Coordinator, MSc Student Dennise Maricel Scholarship Coordinator