About the Project
Funding
This 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by EastBio BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership. This opportunity is open to UK and International students and provides funding to cover tuition fees at the UK rate, plus a stipend to support living costs.
The proportion of international students appointed through the EastBio DTP is capped at 30% by UKRI. Please check your eligibility for the UKRI funding via the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions (especially Annex B International Eligibility Criteria for UKRI-funded studentships).
The Project
This studentship will consider the social behaviour of farmed sheep and whether changes in behaviour can serve as early indicators of disease or poor welfare. Disease is consistently ranked as one of the most important welfare issues for sheep and thus this project will tackle an important constraint on good welfare for sheep. Sheep are highly social, and our previous work has shown that their social relationships (with other ewes and with their own lambs), as measured by proximity sensors, change when naturally occurring disease is present (e.g. lameness). This PhD study will extend our initial observations by using some of our existing data to develop models of social networks and understand the biology of social behaviour in more detail, as well as designing and running field trials to address hypotheses around the importance of social behaviour for good welfare and in disease detection. The student will have access to existing data and novel sensors for assessing social behaviour in sheep, as well as experimental populations of both hill and lowland sheep flocks to develop experimental studies. Use of technology to provide novel insights into animal welfare is a growing area and this project will allow a student to develop skills in an important area of welfare science. So far, many of the uses of technology in on farm and welfare use have been restricted to indoor management systems so this project will provide a rare opportunity to apply these methods in extensively managed species. The PhD is a cross-school one, so although the student will be based in Edinburgh as part of the Animal Behaviour and Welfare research group in the School of Veterinary Medicine and BioSciences at SRUC, a world leading group of scientists studying behaviour and welfare in a range of species, the student will also work closely with experts in sheep systems and the use of technology and sensors in extensive farm management in the School of Natural and Social Science at our Hill and Mountain Research Centre in the Scottish Highlands. They will receive training in behavioural research methods, experimental design, social network analysis, data analysis of both animal behaviour and sensor output data. This PhD studentship offers an exciting opportunity for a student to develop research in a cutting-edge area of welfare science and technologies, with future career opportunities in sensor development and behavioural science.
This project is based at both SRUC Edinburgh and Kirkton and is a cross-school project in the School of Natural and Social Sciences and the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences.
Eligibility
For entry to PhD study, applicants are expected to have at least one of the following:
• an undergraduate degree, usually with first or upper second (2:1) class honours or equivalent in a relevant subject, or
• a relevant master’s qualification or equivalent evidence of prior professional practice.
International applicants and candidates from non-English speaking countries will need to meet the minimum language requirements for admission onto the programme of study. These can be found in the Entry Requirements section of the PhD in Agriculture, Rural and Environmental Studies webpage.
Eligibility criteria is available on the EastBio how to apply webpage.
How to Apply
To apply for an EastBio PhD studentship, please follow the guidance on the EastBio how to apply webpage. EastBio can provide you with support for your application and details are available on the webpage.
Informal enquiries about the project and your application should be addressed to the project supervisor, Dr Claire Morgan-Davies – Claire.Morgan-Davies@sruc.ac.uk
After you have approached the project supervisor and discussed your application with them, you should:
1) Complete the online EastBio Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey; the survey will automatically generate a unique number that you should copy and paste on the relevant section of your EastBio Application Form.
2) Download and fill in the EastBio Application Form. You can only apply for one EastBio PhD project.
3) Download and send the EastBio Reference Form to your two academic/professional referees, and ask them to submit the references directly to Doctoral.College@sruc.ac.uk by 15 December 2025.
4) Submit your complete application, along with academic transcripts and certificates to Doctoral.College@sruc.ac.uk by 15 December 2025.
If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Doctoral.College@sruc.ac.uk.
Funding Notes
This fully funded, 4-year PhD project is part of a competition and is funded by the BBSRC EastBio Doctoral Training Partnership and is open to students worldwide. Funding will cover tuition fees, plus a stipend to support living costs and an annual research grant of £5,000 for the first three years of the PhD research (this is reduced to £1,000 in the fourth year of the PhD).