PhD studentship in Brain, Brawn, and Bugs: cognitive and physical factors of insect dexterity

Award Summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and an annual stipend (living expenses) starting at £20,780 (25/26 rate). International candidates will be required to fund the difference between home fees and international fees. 

Overview

Having hands to manipulate objects has enabled humans to develop pivotal innovations, including tools and shelter. Most other animals lack hands, and yet many can still skilfully manipulate objects, such as food and nest materials. Insects, for example, can build structures and handle food despite having tiny brains and simple appendages.  

This interdisciplinary project will examine how insects achieve this dexterity, by studying foraging in praying mantises and bumblebees using behavioural experiments, micro-CT scanning, myogram reading, and advanced motion analysis. Working with scientists at Liverpool, Sussex, and Edinburgh, we will study how dexterous behaviour changes throughout lifetime, providing possible novel models for studying how ageing affects human dexterity. 

This project will equip the student with a unique scientific niche of general scientific skills in behavioural research, as well as highly interdisciplinary computational skills, by learning to collect and analyse data from micro-CT scanning, motion tracking, and electromyography. 

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

15th September 2025 

Award Duration

A three-year PhD

Application Closing Date

30th April 2025 

Sponsor

Newcastle University – Faculty of Medical Sciences  

Supervisors

Dr Shoko Sugasawa, Biosciences Institute 

Dr Vivek Nityananda, Biosciences Institute 

Eligibility Criteria

• You must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent, in a subject relating to animal behaviour, including behavioural ecology and neuroethology. Further qualification such as MRes is advantageous. 
• Motivation to learn how to work with insects (e.g. husbandry, behavioural experiments). 
• Willingness to develop analytical skills (e.g. analysing electrophysiological and scanned image data, statistical analysis of behavioural data). 

How To Apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal.    

In the ‘Course choice’ tab:  

• select ‘Postgraduate Research’ in the ‘Type of Study’ field  
• select ‘Full Time’ in the ‘Mode of Study’ field  
• select ‘2025’ in the ‘Year of Entry’ field  
• enter programme code 8420F in the ‘Course Title’ field  
• leave the ‘Research Area’ field blank  
• press ‘Search’  
• Select ‘PhD Biosciences (FT)’  
• Save selection  

In the ‘Further Details’ section:  

• a ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) – upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form, quoting the studentship reference code BI079, and state the studentship title, and how your interests and experience relate to the project.  
• the studentship code BI079 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  
• when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal – select ‘Write Proposal’, and type in the title of the research project from this advert (No need to upload a research proposal). 

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section: 

• upload your CV 

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application. 

Contact Details

For further details, please contact:  

Dr Shoko Sugasawa 

[email protected]