Environmental Biology MPhil – (M.Phil.)

The MPhil is a one-year research degree where students get the opportunity to study a specific research project. The MPhil degree can act as a stand-alone degree for applicants who would like to gain experience in a specific area, or can be linked to a PhD programme. Rather than register on a direct entry 3 or 4 year PhD, some postgraduates may first register on a one-year MPhil programme. Subsequently students may then wish to transfer on to a full PhD programme with a further 2 or 3 years of study.
Animals, microorganisms and plants live in environments to which they have become adapted through millions of years of evolution. They often have to respond to changes which may be biotic or abiotic in nature, and, increasingly, to anthropogenic perturbations which have resulted in Global Environmental Change. In understanding how organisms respond and interact with one another in their natural and man-made habitats, a wide spectrum of approaches is employed ranging from molecular biology to population biology and community ecology. State-of-the-art facilities for 'controlled environment' are used to regulate climate variables and to study interactions between species. These include greenhouses, controlled environment rooms, whole animal facilities and insectaries. Research projects involve both laboratory and field studies including temperate and exotic habitats. Examples of areas of investigation include:
Seasonal & Hormonal Regulation of Animal Behaviour
Reproductive Strategies of Plants
Animal & Microbes and their Evolution
Pollution & Environmental Change
Plants, Pathogens & Weed Control
Soil Ecology & Mineralization
Evolutionary Genetics
Nutrient Dynamics & Aquatic Pollution
Biological Conservation & Biofilms