Postgraduate opportunities

To assess how far reintroduced Pine Hoverflies will disperse from their release sites in the Cairngorms, through both experimental field study at the RSPB's Abernethy nature reserve and data analysis for sites across Strathspey. Plus identifying potential areas for them to colonise through habitat mapping. 

The Pine Hoverfly is one of the UK's most threatened species. It’s restricted to the Caledonian pinewoods in the Scottish Highlands, with the remnant population confined to one indigenous site. Conservation efforts to expand its population, made by a long-standing partnership of organisations, are concentrating on supplementation of its breeding habitat using cut stumps and troughs filled with wood chip to mimic pine heart-rot, plus captive breeding and translocation.  
 
A previous PhD study investigated the rates of development of larvae and different types of substrate used within the stumps/troughs (Rotheray EL et al. 2015. Ecological Entomology, DOI: 10.1111/een.12269).  

Since 2021, Pine Hoverfly larvae and adults have been released into four sites, including two sites at the RSPB’s Abernethy reserve, and the number of larvae have been monitored annually. The ultimate aim is to establish self-sustaining populations that are not dependent on these interventions and exist within natural rot-holes in mature pines. To get to this point we wish to optimise the surrogate breeding habitat we are providing and this study should help us do this.  

The aims are to: 

1. analyse the existing long-term data set of occupied stumps and troughs, including ones colonised naturally by the reintroduced hoverflies, to assess likely dispersal distances;

2. map suitable habitat within the potential dispersal range to establish the level of connectivity between populations (eg recording presence of forage plants, mature pine trees and any natural heart rot observed);

3. test dispersal distances by setting up a trial of cut stumps at varying distances from release sites and seeing which ones are used by breeding females.  

This would involve larval surveys in September and October – if this timing doesn't work the survey data can be made available.  
 
The dispersal experiment could be carried out at the RSPB's Abernethy nature reserve and use similar methods to that for the Aspen Hoverfly, Hammerschmidtia ferruginea – see Rotheray E L et al. (2014) Journal of Insect Conservation DOI 10.1007/s10841-014-9627-7.

The Yellowhammer was once widespread on farmland throughout Ireland but now has a limited breeding range and is Red-listed. The objective of this study is to determine breeding densities and habitat associations of Yellowhammers in the Causeway Coast area of Northern Ireland. 

The Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella, is a small, granivorous farmland bird that was formerly widespread and abundant on farmland throughout Ireland. Range contraction has followed the changing patterns of farming practice in Ireland and is linked to available winter and summer food sources.

In Northern Ireland the core population is in County Down, and conservation efforts focus on this area. However, some suitable habitat and some Yellowhammers persist in the north Antrim coastal area, and it would be useful to have an up-to-date assessment of this.  

A better understanding of the status of the north Antrim Yellowhammer population and its habitat associations will help to inform farmers and conservation advisors keen to protect and improve the habitat available to these birds. 

Yellowhammer abundance and distribution will be measured alongside habitat availability. The results of status and habitat associations will be related to other similar surveys.

A breeding season survey of Yellowhammers will take place according to access permissions and following standard methodology. The survey will require habitat mapping, and two survey visits to map the locations of Yellowhammers. 

We want to better understand the distribution and behaviour of predators at Inishcreenry to inform our management of the reserve.

We have recently acquired the Inishcreenry reserve in Fermanagh, a 60-hectare wetland site which supports breeding waders.  

We have resource to install predator fencing, and may also have the ability to carry out vertebrate control in order to boost the number of breeding waders. However, we first want to better understand which predators are present on the reserve, in what densities, and how they are distributed and using the reserve, in order to ensure that we put the available resources to the best possible use. 

1. Gathering of data on predator distribution and abundance via scat transects, camera traps and observation. 
2. Surveying breeding waders using O'Brien and Smith methodology.  
3. Plotting of data using GIS.  
4. Statistical analysis of data to determine trends. 

This project combines fieldwork and analyses to study the response of birds to wood pasture creation. First, our team (including the student) will perform counts in sheep-grazed pasture, grazed wood pasture, ungrazed wood pasture and mature broadleaf woodlands. Then, we will calculate metrics such as abundance, diversity, and richness, for these habitats. 

Starting in 2019, much of the grassland within Cumbria Connect has transitioned into woody habitat mosaics. We monitor the response of multiple indicators to this change: soil, vegetation, carabids, moths, and birds.  

We also monitor birds in grasslands that haven’t changed and in mature broadleaf woodlands that already have an established bird community.  

This allows us to investigate the potential biodiversity benefits of wood pasture creation in Cumbria. And, to observe when these benefits may start to become apparent.  

We want to calculate bird species metrics, such as abundance, diversity, and richness, for the four different habitats that we sample (see above). For this, we have set up 30 point-counts per habitat type (ie 120 point-counts in total). 

We perform five minutes of distance sampling at these points such that we can model detection probability, and we survey them in April and again in May to capture any temporal variability.  

The student is expected to help with these counts and therefore needs to be fairly proficient at identifying bird species from audio and visual cues. The student is also expected to analyse the data collected in 2026 and compare them to data collected in 2023–2025. Finally, a report detailing and discussing the results needs to be delivered. 

The Garron Plateau is an upland blanket bog region in Northern Ireland. Very little is known about the species occurrence and breeding success of birds in this area.  

Using passive bio-acoustic monitoring technology, we seek to gain more insight into the whereabouts and breeding behaviours of birds like Curlews, Hen Harriers and Merlins. 

The Garron Plateau is the largest area of blanket bog in Northern Ireland. The peatland supports an array of associated floral and faunal communities, including a number of rare and notable plant and animal species, and a diverse upland breeding bird population.  

Despite having multiple designations, including SAC, ASSI and SPA, the Garron Plateau is relatively unmonitored in terms of bird life, as it is a vast, upland area.  

Acoustic monitoring will provide a better sense of what species are breeding on the Plateau and where they are located. Acoustic data can also illustrate breeding behaviour, such as territorial calls and calls used to specifically communicate with chicks.  

From this information, we can infer fledgling success. This data may also reveal rare species and predation events.  Results can be correlated with habitat characteristics, relevant to each species of interest. 

1. Deploying song metres in early spring and collecting devices following the breeding season. 
2. Analysing results using Kaleidoscope software (or similar) to infer species occurrence and breeding activity/fledgling success/predation events.  
3. Habitat quality can also be assessed at each acoustic sample area. This will involve completing Rapid Condition Assessments (RCAs) to determine suitability for various species. Habitat condition can be correlated to species occurrence and breeding behaviour. 

The Garron Plateau is an upland blanket bog region in Northern Ireland. Very little is known about the insects using this area. Using insect sampling techniques, we seek to gain more insight into the occurrence and abundance of upland insects, particularly those key to the food chains of priority species like Curlews, Hen Harriers and Merlins. 

The Garron Plateau is the largest area of blanket bog in Northern Ireland. The peatland supports an array of associated floral and faunal communities, including a number of rare and notable plant and animal species, and a diverse upland breeding bird population.  

Despite having multiple designations, including SAC, ASSI and SPA, Garron Plateau is relatively unmonitored in terms of insect life, as it is a vast, upland area.  

Invertebrate sampling at various locations across the Plateau will provide a sense of the quality of habitat for various species of birds. This may be correlated to plant diversity and/or water quality. 

Using invertebrate sampling techniques at strategic locations (the same sites as for acoustic monitoring described in the previous project) to infer the abundance and variety of insects using the upland blanket bog habitat.  

Insect populations should be sampled at the beginning and end of the breeding season. Invertebrate data may be supplemented with habitat data to discover if there is a relationship between invertebrate abundance and plant diversity/water quality. 

Livestock, particularly sheep, may influence wader nest survival. We are looking for two students to work closely as a team to collect field data on wader nest survival under different livestock densities and in the presence/absence of livestock exclusion fencing, in the area covered by the Clyde Valley Wader Initiative in Scotland. 

Low breeding success is the primary driver behind the rapid population declines of breeding waders such as Lapwings, Redshanks, Curlews and Oystercatchers throughout the UK and Europe. Recent studies have shown that livestock, particularly sheep, may be contributing to this low breeding success on farmland, but the extent of this effect and how it varies under different livestock densities and grazing practices is unknown. 

The Clyde Valley has been the site of important wader conservation work since 2008, where the Clyde Valley Wader Initiative has developed strong links between farmers, gamekeepers, conservationists and land managers to protect and improve breeding habitats for waders.  

This landscape offers a perfect place to investigate wader nest survival under different livestock densities, and to test the effectiveness of temporary livestock exclusion fencing to protect key wader nesting areas. 

We are looking for two students who can work together to find and monitor Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew and Oystercatcher nests with trail cameras and temperature dataloggers across a range of farmland habitats.  

Fieldwork will also involve counting and mapping livestock numbers and locations to assess stocking densities, recording the timing of grazing in each field where waders are nesting, and assessing vegetation and sward structure characteristics inside and outside electric livestock exclusion fencing.  

There could also be an element of predator monitoring (timed watches for avian predators, scat transects, trail cameras to determine mammalian predator species and activity).

The Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest research working group is also advertising ideas for MSc projects relating to temperate rainforest in Scotland.

You can find them listed here.

The RSPB is a part of the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, a voluntary partnership of organisations with a shared interest in helping Scotland’s rainforest to thrive once again. Saving Scotland’s Rainforest is a programme led by the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest to protect and restore this globally important habitat. 

The RSPB took over Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire in 2000, to demonstrate profitable nature-friendly farming. A 2015 study assessed the impact of our management on food production, birds and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Ten years later, we plan to update this analysis in light of recent changes in land management at the farm.

The RSPB took over Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire in 2000 to demonstrate, research, and promote profitable nature-friendly farming. Since then, we have created small areas of wildlife habitat and diversified the crop rotation. In the last 10 years, we have implemented and tested more regenerative practices to reduce our reliance on pesticides and artificial inputs (though the farm is not managed to organic standards). 

A 2015 study found that although food production had fallen by 9.6% (food energy) since 2000, breeding birds had increased by 177% and GHG emissions had reduced by 9.4%. Hope Farm therefore demonstrates that the tension between nature-friendly farming and food can be modest.  

Scenarios can be used to compare the costs and benefits of alternative approaches – for example, what if we had made no changes, adopted a less targeted approach to nature-friendly farming, or a land-sparing approach involving the conversion of entire fields to unfarmed habitat? Understanding the pros and cons of these different approaches to farm management is critical at a time when society is demanding an increasing range of objectives from farmed land. 

A decade on, an update of our 2015 analysis is needed to understand, for example, the consequences of more recent changes in farm management, any levelling-off in the response of breeding birds, and the effect of changing weather patterns. 

1. Collate data from Hope Farm (on cropping patterns, yields, bird surveys, GHG emissions) and beyond (eg regional bird trends and yields). 

2. Report trends in measured outcomes at Hope Farm and compare to the wider region. 

3. Design a business-as-usual counterfactual to understand the impact of RSPB management on measured outcomes. 

4. Design and test alternative farm management scenarios. 

5. If possible, collate and report equivalent data from other nature-friendly farms. 

Invasive Rhododendron is one of the top threats affecting Scotland's rainforest and removing it is a key conservation action. This GIS-focused project will use data on Rhododendron removal from the Saving Morvern's Rainforest project to explore the factors influencing removal and aim to improve predictions of the time and resources required for ongoing and future removal projects. 

Rhododendron is one of the main threats affecting Scotland's rainforest. It is non-native, very invasive, fast growing and quickly spreads, making conditions unsuitable for the lichens, mosses and plant communities for which Scotland's rainforest is so important.  
 
Removing Rhododendron is one of the key actions involved in restoring and conserving Scotland's rainforest, and the RSPB aims to eradicate it from the Morvern peninsula as part of the Saving Morvern's Rainforest project.  
 
Locating all the Rhododendron in remote and inaccessible Scottish landscapes is very difficult, and it's even harder to remove Rhododendron once located. Rhododendron survey data is used to predict the cost and time required for removal, but once the removal work is underway these estimates quickly become outdated as the Rhododendron is constantly growing and expanding. Some sites are also easier and some sites harder to deal with than expected. 

We need to better understand what factors are important in influencing the actual cost and time required on the ground to help better plan future Rhododendron clearance throughout the Scottish rainforest zone. 

This project will make use of spatial Rhododendron survey data collected before and during Rhododendron control on Morvern, in addition to other freely available GIS datasets, to: 

1. Ask what influences the time and resources required for Rhododendron removal. 
2. Predict the time and resource requirements for future clearance activities.  

This would be ideal for a desk-based GIS-focused project, with freedom for the student to identify and acquire suitable spatial and temporal GIS datasets to represent the factors involved in influencing Rhododendron removal.  

These could include landscape accessibility (roads, tracks, parking), indices of remoteness, slope and aspect, habitat types, weather conditions (monthly days of high winds, storm frequency), Rhododendron growth rate predictions etc.  

Although primarily desk-based, it would also be useful for the student to visit Rhododendron clearance work on Morvern at the start of the project to help understand the factors influencing Rhododendron removal. 

Song Thrushes have undergone large declines on UK farmland but the causes are largely unknown. This project will utilise a rich demographic dataset (nest records, ring resightings, breeding surveys) collected from stable and declining populations to understand the drivers of decline.

The UK population of Song Thrushes declined by approximately 60% between 1975 and 1995. Analyses of national demographic data have suggested the decline may have been driven by mortality at the post-fledging and adult stages (Robinson et al. 2014, Methods in Ecology and Evolution).  

There is uncertainty as to the importance of the number of nesting attempts and the environmental drivers of decline.   

During the period 1995–2000 the RSPB undertook a detailed comparative demographic field study of Song Thrushes in two contrasting populations. One on mixed farmland in Sussex was stable and the other on arable farmland in Essex was rapidly declining. In both study areas standardised methods were employed to measure nesting success, the number of nesting attempts and post fledging survival (from ring resightings).  

There are also many casual resightings of colour-ringed thrushes that may allow the estimation of adult and first-year survival. Various covariate data are available that might explain spatial and temporal demographic variation including chick biometrics and diet, local habitat composition and quality, predator abundance and local weather.

This rich dataset has never been fully analysed and has the potential to provide detailed demographic insights into the effects of land use intensity on a widespread declining species. The main research questions are:  

1. What are the main demographic drivers of population change? 
2. Which environmental factors best explain demographic variation? 

The data may be suitable for the application of Bayesian Integrated Population Models (IPMs) as proposed by Kery and Schaub (Bayesian Population Analysis using WinBUGS, 2012). 

Preliminary analyses suggest thrushes in the declining population made fewer nesting attempts (an aspect of demography not measured by national schemes) and consequently had lower productivity than the stable population. We expect the data are strong enough to support a publication in a peer-reviewed international journal. 

Invasive seeding of non-native conifers from plantations threatens open habitats and restoration sites. This study will use LiDAR data to map and model conifer spread around plantations, identifying high-risk areas and informing strategies to protect priority habitats and biodiversity. 

Natural regeneration of non-native conifers beyond plantation boundaries represents an emerging and under-recognised threat to open habitats, including priority ecosystems such as heathland, blanket bog, and montane grassland.  

Seed dispersal from mature plantations allows species such as Sitka Spruce and Lodgepole Pine to establish in surrounding landscapes, where they alter hydrology, outcompete native vegetation, and undermine costly habitat restoration investments.  

Despite widespread anecdotal evidence of spread, there is currently no systematic assessment of the spatial extent or risk factors driving plantation escape across the UK.  

This project will use nationally available LiDAR data to fill that evidence gap. By mapping conifer presence in randomly selected 1-km² cells around plantations and analysing how occurrence varies with distance, elevation, exposure, and plantation type, we will quantify invasion risk and identify vulnerable habitat types.  

The findings will directly inform conservation policy and forest design planning, guiding where control efforts, buffer zones, or restoration defences are most needed.  

The study will provide an evidence base to protect open landscapes from encroachment, supporting biodiversity targets, peatland carbon integrity, and the restoration aims of the Nature Recovery Network. 

This project will assess the risk posed by invasive seeding of non-native conifers from plantations into surrounding open habitats. Using existing LiDAR datasets across Wales and England, we will map conifer presence in a stratified random sample of 1-km² cells at varying distances and orientations from plantation edges.  

By modelling the density and spread patterns of natural regeneration, we will identify key risk factors, evaluate the extent of conifer invasion pressure, and develop criteria to prioritise high-risk areas for management and restoration protection. 

The St Helena Plover or 'Wirebird' is endemic to the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic. There are only around 600 Wirebirds in the world and this project will aim to inform their conservation by using 14 years of nesting data to understand their nesting habitat requirements and long-term trends in nesting dynamics.

The St Helena Plover (locally known as the Wirebird) is endemic to St Helena in the South Atlantic and the global population numbers around 600 birds. One of the main threats to this species is thought to be changes in land management practices and the encroachment of invasive plant species into breeding habitats.  

To inform what conservation action is needed to address this threat we need to understand: 

1. How nesting densities and distributions have changed over time.  
2. What habitat characteristics provide more favourable nesting habitat.  

The St Helena National Trust, supported by the RSPB, has been monitoring Wirebird nesting since 2011. This has produced a data set spanning 11 years and containing records of over 1,300 nests, which this project will use to address these research needs. 

This project will use the long-term Wirebird nest monitoring data set to: 

1. Assess how nesting densities and distribution have changed over time.  
2. Investigate what habitat characteristics determine nest site choice and nesting success. 

We envisage this will involve a mixture of GIS and statistical analysis to map the distribution of nests across years, match these to remotely sensed data on habitat characteristics (such as habitat type, altitude and slope) and then analyse trends in the resulting extracted data.  

The student would work with the St Helena National Trust (the RSPB's partner on St Helena) to help develop their project and ensure it produced outputs that informed the Trust's conservation activities.  

Investigate the thermal niches of endangered endemic species across UK Overseas Territories. Using downscaled climate models, the study will assess projected changes in temperature, precipitation, and sea level, to predict potential habitat shifts and vulnerability of priority species under future climate scenarios. 

The UK Overseas Territories are home to around 90% of the UK’s biodiversity, including a huge range of rare and unique species, with some found nowhere else in the world. However most of the UKOTs are extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts, yet our understanding of how future climate change will impact endemic threatened species is limited.

This MSc project will assess the potential impacts of climate change on endangered endemic species within the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs), focusing on projected shifts in habitat suitability under future climate scenarios.  

Using high-resolution downscaled climate models and sea level rise predictions, the study will evaluate how changes in temperature, precipitation, and sea level, may alter the thermal and ecological niches of selected species.  

The project will focus on one or two priority species, such as representatives from St Helena and the Caribbean, where sufficient ecological and climatic data are available.  

By integrating species distribution data, local weather station records, and habitat maps, the student will model potential changes in suitable habitat and explore the likelihood of elevational or spatial range shifts in response to warming and drying trends.  

This desk-based research will employ GIS and climate modelling tools to identify key areas of vulnerability and resilience. The results will contribute to understanding how climate change may threaten biodiversity in the UKOTs and inform conservation planning for priority species.  

The project is suitable for a student interested in climate modelling, biogeography, and conservation, ideally under supervision from a researcher experienced in climate data analysis. 

The population status of Crested Tits in Scotland is poorly known. This project will make use of recent survey data to produce updated estimates of population size and change since the 1990s. 

The Crested Tit is a charismatic songbird of conifer and mixed woodlands. Although widespread across much of Europe, Crested Tits in the UK are restricted to the pinewoods of northern Scotland.  

The best estimate of population size dates from a survey in the mid-1990s and is consequently out of date. The species’ limited range means that it is too scarce to be monitored by the annual Breeding Bird Survey.  

Increases in distribution recorded by the 2007–11 Bird Atlas may in part be due to improved observer effort. More recent data on Crested Tit numbers were collected during the last two national Capercaillie surveys. However, these surveys used a stratification for Capercaillie and sampled only part of the Crested Tit’s distribution.  

Using these survey data, the project will calculate updated estimates of Crested Tit density and abundance within the area of overlap and explore the potential for deriving range-wide estimates of population size. 

 Using datasets of Crested Tit counts recorded on line transect surveys during the winters of 2015/16 and 2021/22, together with multicovariate distance sampling analyses, the student will calculate estimates of density accounting for incomplete detection. Analyses will explore environmental and habitat covariates of detectability and density.  

GIS layers will be used to calculate the area and composition of woodlands within the Crested Tit’s distribution and that sampled during the 2015/16 and 2021/22 surveys. Estimates of abundance will be adjusted to account for incomplete counts of group sizes.