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Communications

The current COVID crisis has made us all think about communication and the importance of the format, platform and message. As Head of School I have been acutely aware that there is a need for clarity in updating the school on the response to COVID. There is also a…

1. When you gather your data together it never looks like much

 I feel like I can work super hard, spend long hours in the lab running experiments and then when the time comes for me to gather that data together to show my supervisor it looks like…*drumroll*…‘nothing’! Several weeks…

Moths get a bad reputation as the dull brown insects that devour our winter jumpers. In fact, they are an extremely diverse and colourful group.There are approximately 2500 species of moths in the UK (only 5 of these will feed on our clothing!. They play key roles in our ecosystems,…

This year has been a challenging one for all of us.  Working from home during the COVID pandemic has thrown a lot of what we value about academic culture into disarray. The camaraderie, structure and mutual support that gets us through the tough days and weeks of research are difficult…

Whenever I tell people that I am a PhD student working on disease ecology and genetics, they picture me in a white lab coat squinting thoughtfully at a PCR I ran earlier. While this is partly true, every year for 6 weeks you will find me somewhere completely different. Here’s…

Why two human plague cases and a squirrel were all people could talk about for 2 weeks in July

I’m a PhD student in the Zoology dept, studying the movement of fleas and rats that carry the plague in Madagascar, one of the worst affected countries in the world, reporting…

My name is Kathryn and I am a final year PhD student investigating the impact of electric and hydrogen transport on the environment, taking into consideration electricity generation mix and infrastructure changes. To further my PhD research, I applied, and was awarded the School of Biological Sciences Postgraduate Research Award…

To celebrate Shark Awareness Day on the 14^th July 2020, I wanted to take the opportunity to spread the love for British sharks!

Not many people know that you could find over 40 species of sharks in British waters. The UK is home to a vast diversity of species, including…

After a brilliant first seminar in March, the National Decommissioning Centre (NDC) held the second seminar in its PhD Seminar Series on 9th June. This time it was my turn, along with two of my fellow PhD students, to explain my project, share ideas and build my network of contacts.  As we are all still working from home, the seminar was held via MS Teams and…

Have you ever heard of Rosewood?

Rosewood refers to some of the most valuable timber species on Earth, most species belonging to the genus Dalbergia which is in the bean family (Fabaceae). The high value of the beautiful brown and reddish veneer of the timber (used for luxury wood…