Fish Biology
The Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI) offers up to two competitively awarded MPhil/PhD studentships annually. FSBI Studentship awards are based on PhDs funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (www.nerc.ac.uk) and cover the costs of the stipend (NERC rates plus £1000, London weighting of £2000) and of the annual registration fees (at EU citizen rates), with a small annual contribution (£1,250) towards project expenses. Research projects are proposed by the candidate and may be in any field of study relevant to fish biology and the aims of the Fisheries Society, as stated in the Journal of Fish Biology. This includes projects in which fish are the study species as well as those that examine the influence of non-fish taxa on fish biology, e.g. the effects of infectious agents on fish health, of fish-eating birds on fish populations, of invasive crayfish on fish behaviour. However, the focus of the research must be fish biology, and the FSBI reserves the right to decide on the suitability of proposed research topics for its awards.
Applicants should hold a Bachelor's degree, with first or upper second class Honours, in a subject relevant to fish biology, normally in the biological sciences. An alternative combination of qualifications and experience that clearly demonstrates equivalent knowledge and ability may be considered at the discretion of the FSBI Studentship Committee.
Applicants should develop the proposal in consultation with the proposed supervisor(s), one of which must hold an academic position at any institution of higher education in the British Isles (including the Republic of Ireland). However, the application form and project proposal MUST be written and completed by the APPLICANT, not by the proposed supervisor(s). Applicants may hold any nationality, but FSBI Studentships are fixed at rates applicable to UK/EU citizens, and any registration fees above the base rate (currently about £3,750 per annum) must be justified in the application. The FSBI Studentship Committee will consider applications from non-UK/EU applicants, but the FSBI will cover the fees at the UK/EU rate only, so the application must include proof in the application that the financial means are available to cover the additional registration fees charged to non-UK/EU citizens.
The closing date for applications is 15th January 2010. Selected applicants will be interviewed in mid-February.
For further details and a downloadable application form, please refer to the FSBI's studentship webpage http://www.fsbi.org.uk/studentships.htm. Please note that applications are limited to one per applicant.
Informal queries about the application submission process may be addressed to Rosemary Taylor (grants@fsbi.org.uk), with subject-related queries directed to the Committee Chair, Dr. Rob Britton (rbritton@bournemouth.ac.uk).
