About the project
This project aims to understand the interaction between macronutrients and immunity. The candidate will develop research to understand how the quality and quantity of pollen protein and lipid nutrients influence the adaptive immune response of honeybees. This project will involve applying behavioural, microbiological, and molecular techniques.
Bees regulate their macronutrient intake around optimum values. Diets outside of these ranges of tolerance carry physiological consequences including reduced fat body content and early mortality. Pollen of different plant species varies broadly in both total protein and lipid composition and in the quality of these nutrients. Nutrition strongly influences an animal’s immune function and activating the immune system is energetically costly. Levels of protein and lipid in diet may influence insect response to immune challenge in numerous ways. One aspect of this project will be to understand how prior nutritional state predicts the adaptive immune response of bees by measuring the expression of antimicrobial peptides in response to immune assault. The successful candidate will gain experience in behavioural and molecular research techniques with the opportunity to develop skills in HPLC analysis.
This is a fully funded studentship that will give a self-motivated and talented student the opportunity to join a new lab in the Plants and Food Security Group in the School of Biological Sciences. They will be supported by a school with world-class research facilities and an environment focussed on cutting-edge research. This project is part-funded by The Gerald Kerkut Charitable Trust. The student will be expected to partake in their annual symposium and will have the opportunity to attend training activities and other support provided by the charity.
