Research scholarships

About the scholarship

The project is a collaboration between the groups of Professor Susan Healy at St Andrews University and Professor Simon Griffith at Macquarie University. The key question in this project is whether birds can respond to changes in their environment.  Ambient temperature is increasing, often accompanied by extreme weather events.  A nest is a bird’s route to bringing its offspring safely into the world and the bird parent works hard to maintain its nest’s temperature to the narrow thermal window for optimal development.

Zebra finches are an ideal model system for examining a wide variety of questions about nest building, because in the wild they live in an extreme environment and in the laboratory the environment can be manipulated and readily build nests.  The logistical benefits of using this species have enabled significant advances in our understanding of the role of cognition in building.  They learn which materials are appropriate, from their mistakes, and they copy others.

The student will ask to what extent the zebra finch is or is not able to respond to increasing environmental temperatures and environmental extremes. They will:

• collect data at Griffith’s unique field site (where he has studied a wild population of zebra finches for 21 years), in free-flight breeding aviaries (Macquarie campus)
• perform experimental manipulations Healy’s St Andrews laboratory (where Healy has conducted research on the zebra finch for more than 10 years).

Key questions include:

1. How does the architecture of nests vary in the wild, across different settings and environmental conditions? How does that variation affect success in extreme conditions?
2. How does an individual’s upbringing and experience affect their own nest and material choices at maturity?
3. How do individuals modify their nests as conditions become more extreme with respect to heat and wind?

In a warming and more extreme world, this research will help us to understand the capacity of birds to build their way out of trouble.

The joint PhD between St Andrews and Macquarie will provide the student with the opportunity to conduct fieldwork (in Australia) and experimental laboratory work whilst based in two departments that have a long history of work in animal behaviour.

Availability

This scholarship is available to eligible candidates to undertake a direct entry full time 3.5-year PhD program commencing in the 2025-2026 academic year (St Andrews), 2025 academic year (Macquarie).

Students will enrol at both institutions from the outset. In terms of their location for study, the entry point for students:

• beginning at St Andrews is 27 September
• beginning at Macquarie is 1 October.

Eligibility

Admission and scholarship criteria of both universities must be met:

• For St Andrews, see how to apply and entry requirements.
• For Macquarie, see PhD entry and English language requirements, and graduate research scholarship eligibility criteria.

Additional criteria

Applicants must not already:

• hold a doctoral degree; or
• be matriculated for a doctoral degree at the University of St Andrews, Macquarie University, or another institution.

Applicants will:

• need a driving license
• ideally have previous fieldwork experience.

Components

The student will be expected to spend approximately half of the award term at the University of St Andrews and half at Macquarie University. The successful candidate will be expected to have completed the doctorate degree by the end of the award term. The award term excludes the continuation period and any extension periods.

Funding arrangements are made on the basis that:

• for the period spent at the University of St Andrews, the scholarships will comprise of a full tuition fee award and a stipend paid at the current UK Research Council rate (£19,237 each year at 2024-2025 rates. Note: rates will rise annually in line with UKRI stipend rises).
• Macquarie will fund a living allowance scholarship per position at an annual rate of AUD38,500 (2025 rate, tax exempt), paid pro-rata while the student is in Australia.  A tuition fee scholarship will be granted for the period of joint enrolment up to 42 months.

Macquarie will also provide an airfare allowance for flights between the UK and Australia up to a maximum of $4000 AUD to be arranged by the Graduate Research Academy.

Unless otherwise specified, the scholarships do not cover:

• any continuation, extension, or resubmission period/fees
• a research training grant or another equivalent award for research expenses
• support for travel, immigration, health insurance and related charges between the partner institutions.

How to apply

Students are to submit their EOIs to:

• Professor Simon Griffith (Macquarie supervisor) at simon.griffith@mq.edu.au
• Professor Susan Healy (St Andrews supervisor) at sdh11@st-andrews.ac.uk
• and cc gr.globalprograms@mq.edu.au.

Include the following documents:

• CV including information about publications
• transcripts of most relevant/recent degrees
• information about thesis components (thesis mark, word count, weight/length in comparison to the degree overall)
• statement of suitability as a candidate for the project (max 500 words).

The participating schools at St Andrews and the Graduate Research Academy at Macquarie in coordination with the academic supervisors will be expected to complete the selection process.

The Global Office at St Andrews will work with the Graduate Research Academy at Macquarie to arrange official notification of scholarship awards, invite scholarship awardees to formally apply for admission to both universities by start of April 2025, and conclude contractual arrangements which must be in place prior to the start of the degree.

Students who are nominated for the award will be asked to formally apply for candidature through the Macquarie application portal:

Contact us

Further enquiries about the global PhD scholarships may be addressed to: