Are you interested in doing your Master’s project in pollination ecology, climate change, and computer vision?
Join exciting research and friendly team as part of the BeeSYNC project!
Project summary:
The timing of life history events, for example spring leaf out or migration, is critical for understanding ecological responses to climate change. The timing of aging in organisms is fundamental to their performance and survival, yet we know little about how insects, like bees, grow old under natural conditions and whether aging is affected by the environment. This project explores the past and future trends of bumblebee age phenology, focusing on climate variables as a driver of change over time. We ask:
- Does organism age predict the timing of peak ecosystem function and services?
- Is climate change altering the age structure of service providing organisms?
- Do temporal changes in age-function relationships imperil agricultural production?
To answer these questions we combine field experiments, AI-based museum specimen analysis, and climate modeling.
In this position you will…
- Help answer question 1
- Learn about bumblebee ecology
- Use mark-recapture methods
- Take care of bumblebee colonies
- Catch and photograph lots of bumblebees
- Potentially be stung by bumblebees
- Have the option to write a peer-reviewed publication
Your skills:
This position will involve field work around LU’s Ekologihuset. Previous experience doing field ecology is a plus, but not a pre-requisite. Organization, attention to detail, and keen eyes will serve you well. There is the option to also work on the development of a computer vision workflow for image analysis.
Start date & credit hours:
April 2024. 45 or 60 credits
Contact:
Charlie Nicholson (charlie.nicholson@biol.lu.se)