Biology

• In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) biological sciences at Sussex ranked in the top 10 in the UK for research quality. 87 per cent of our biology research is categorised as world-leading or internationally excellent.
• We offer excellent facilities to support a wide range of research areas including worldleading laboratories for the study of social insects, field trials plots, greenhouses and controlled growth environment facilities.
• The research environment is enhanced by associations across campus, including the MRC Genome Damage and Stability Centre and Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
• Research students receive a programme of generic skills enhancing instruction in their first year, and supervision from two academics. Research projects are available in all our areas of particular strength such as evolutionary biology, social insects research, genomics, animal behaviour, neuroscience and onservation. We welcome discussion on potential projects with applicants.

The School of Life Sciences is a vibrant international research community. Research in the School ranges from studies on the most basic chemical building blocks of life to how the brain generates behaviour or how insect societies are organised. We offer MPhil and PhD courses.

Evolution, behaviour and environment at Sussex focuses on how organisms evolve and interact with their environments. We address basic and strategic questions in both field and laboratory settings across a wide range of study taxa, and also use theoretical approaches. Major themes are:

• sexual conflict
• the role of natural selection in molecular evolution
• co-operation, conflict and organisation in social insect colonies
• mechanisms underlying animal behaviours, including navigation, visual perception, escape behaviour and collective decision-making
• ecology and conservation of animals and plants in tropical rainforests, temperate grasslands and pollinators
• policy-relevant global analyses • the measurement of environmental contaminants, such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and their effects on human and animal health.

Our expertise encourages interdisciplinarity and we hold two regular Evolution and Development seminar series. We have also established ties with other research groupings at Sussex, such as those in Informatics, SPRU – Science Policy Research Unit and Neuroscience, and we collaborate with scientists in a wide range of external organisations, including formal links with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Student progress and support 

Throughout your studies, as part of your intellectual development, you take part in laboratory meetings, journal clubs and a weekly seminar series. All students are encouraged to attend, and present their work at, national and international scientific meetings.

The School offers full support to all research students by monitoring their research progress in the form of annual reviews, informal meetings, mid-year reports (Year 1) and active participation in the Postgraduate Research Colloquium. The Colloquium brings research students and faculty together for a wider discussion of the ongoing research projects within the School. All third-year doctoral students give a talk on their research, and all second-year students submit a poster depicting the key aims and objectives, methods and findings of their research project.

We aim to ensure that our PhD students have the best possible research experience. The relationships between supervisors and PhD students are among the most rewarding academic partnerships. We also host regular social events for our students to mingle with their peers and supervisors across various disciplines.

We take student feedback very seriously and PhD student representatives form an integral part of our Student Experience Committee.

Requirements

• Magistr or Specialist Diploma with a minimum average mark of at least 4
• IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each section.
• If you are a non-EEA or Swiss national you must obtain clearance by the UK Government Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for this degree. Please ensure you allow sufficient time for your University application to be processed in time for you to apply for ATAS clearance (and a Tier 4 Student Visa if appropriate).
• Reference
• Transcript
• A personal statement
• The application fee is £13 if you’re applying to just one course