Fully-funded PhD scholarship available – apply by 21st March 2025
We are currently looking for candidates for a fully-funded PhD scholarship split between the research group of Dr Nathalie Stroeymeyt in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, UK, and the research group of Dr Chris Reid, Macquarie University, Australia to study biological networks in ant nests and slime mould.
The project
From biological to engineered networks: investigating adaptive strategies for optimal network design in slime mould and ant nests
Background: Human societies are becoming increasingly reliant on engineered infrastructure networks that channel the flow of individuals, resources, energy and information across a broad range of scales. Optimising the design of such networks is a non-trivial challenge for multiple reasons1. First, transport and communication networks behave as complex systems whose emergent properties are difficult to predict. Second, infrastructure networks typically need to satisfy multiple, often competing requirements using limited resources. For example, they must facilitate the flow of beneficial agents whilst limiting the spread of harmful agents (e.g., disease and misinformation), achieve robustness and resilience against perturbation whilst minimising maintenance and construction costs, and incorporate enough flexibility to adjust their function to external fluctuations and acute stresses. As biological systems have been shaped by millions of years of evolution to solve the same fundamental challenges and trade-offs, there is increasing awareness that they can provide valuable insights, both as a source of bio-inspiration for effective network design, and as an experimental testbed for testing theoretical predictions about the effects of network topology 2-5.
Overview of the project: In this project, shared equally between the University of Bristol (UK) and the Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia), you will study two types of natural biological networks: the networks of chambers and galleries built by ant colonies in their above-ground mounds6, and the networks of tubules built by the slime mould Physarum polycephalum to connect food sources within complex environments7. You will combine manipulative laboratory experiments with agent-based modelling to test how ant colonies and slime moulds responsively adjust their network-building strategies to achieve an optimal balance between the costs, efficiency and robustness of their networks in different environmental conditions, such as limited vs. unlimited resources, small vs. large group size; presence vs. absence of harmful substances (e.g. pathogens, toxic chemicals). You will also investigate how network topology influences the ability of ant colonies to successfully reorganise the flow of resources and individuals through the entire nest, and the ability of slime moulds to successfully explore the environment following minor or major perturbations of their networks, targeting either peripheral pathways or key traffic hubs. This project will provide new insights on how evolved biological systems solve key challenges in transport network design when faced with various environmental pressures, and test key theoretical predictions about topology-dependent resilience in transport networks.
1 Yodo N & Wang P. Journal of Mechanical Design 138, 031404 (2016);
2 Gomez Beldarrain G et al. in DRS2022: Bilbao (Design Research Society);
3 Middleton EJT & Latty T. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 13 (2016);
4 Perna A & Latty T. Journal of The Royal Society Interface 11, 20140334 (2014);
5 Awad A et al. Artificial Intelligence Review 56, 1-26 (2023);
6 Khuong A et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113, 1303-1308 (2016);
7 Reid CR et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, 17490-4 (2012)
Application deadline: Friday, March 21st, 2025
More information and how to apply: click here
Desired profile
We are looking for candidates with a background in animal behaviour and/or computational biology, and an eagerness to learn and apply a variety of approaches (behavioural tracking, writing own code to analyse data, lab work, 3D printing, agent-based modelling). Candidates should be creative and motivated, have good oral and written communication skills, and be at ease working both independently and as part of a team.
How to apply
If you are interested in applying, please get in contact with Dr Nathalie Stroeymeyt (nathalie.stroeymeyt@bristol.ac.uk) and consult the official add on FindAPhD (see link above). Formal applications should be submitted online following the instructions outlined on each add.