Biosciences postgraduate research courses

The R.V. Mary Anning is a purpose-built 18 m survey vessel, designed as a stable working platform that can work inshore as well as offshore with the speed to reach destinations quickly if needed, her most economical speed is 18 kts which is reasonably fast for a vessel of this size. 

The Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR) is equipped with modern, fully programmable recirculating aquaculture systems. CSAR is designed for applied research on a diverse range of aquatic organisms, from temperate to tropical and marine to freshwater environments. 

Our Biosciences teaching laboratory and an IT suite have been refurbished as part of the University’s ongoing commitment to enhance the learning and teaching environment. The laboratories comprise a full range of AV facilities able to transmit output from a variety of sources including microscopes, PCs, DVD players and visualise/camera units to several plasma screens.

This specialised lab conducts non-invasive hormone analysis and tackles timely questions in general and behavioural endocrinology. Research involves the quantification of various hormones (e.g. reproductive and stress hormones) in water, hair, saliva, and faecal samples, collected from a wide range of species from fish to humans.

The Arthropod Behavioural Lab is used to monitor the behaviour of insects using conventional video-cameras as well as animal-attached sensors such as accelerometers developed in the Tag Construction Laboratory and analysed in the visualisation suite. Projects include the reaction of insect pests to semiochemicals and assessment of behavioural cues that relate to ‘state’.

The Tag Construction Lab is set up for research, development and realisation of animal tags with new capacities to study the causes and consequences of animal movement by using animal-attached technology. Work involves sensors, energy-harvesting systems, and miniaturization of electronics as well as 3-D printing technology and testing of housings so that tags can be constructed to be robust whilst having minimal impact on their wearers.