Atlantic Technological University (ATU) has announced a call for applications for two scholarships for research into deer diets and deer density in Ireland.
Both research projects are part of the wider DeerImpact project, which is aimed at assessing the impact of deer in Irish forest ecosystems to inform evidence-based deer management and policy.
This project is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, while University College Dublin (UCD) and National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM) are also involved.
These two research projects are on estimating deer densities in Ireland using non-invasive genetics; and dietary interactions among deer species in Ireland using non-invasive genetics.
Both projects will be based out of ATU Galway (formally Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology). The closing date for submissions of applications for both research projects is 12:00p.m on September 3.
Both projects come with a stipend of €25,000, and both projects have a duration of four years.
In publishing the call for researchers, ATU said: “Deer populations have reached extreme levels throughout Ireland, resulting in serious financial and environmental damage to forests and agriculture.
“Stakeholders are, however, struggling to identify deer density thresholds which set the limits between sustainable and unsustainable populations, and can inform management actions aimed at reducing localised high-density populations and related effects on Irish biodiversity,” the university added.
The goal of the project on deer density is to use non-invasive genotyping of faecal samples to estimate densities in the three established deer species (red, sika and fallow).
The research project on dietary interaction among deer species will investigate how the diets of the three species interact with each other, in order to identify any link between deer density and behaviour to diet and, subsequently, vegetation impact.
For both projects, the successful candidate will hold a minimum of an honours degree, with a minimum award classification of 2:1 or equivalent in a cognate discipline (Zoology, Genetics, Ecology or a related discipline).
The candidates will be expected to work on their own initiative and be willing to acquire the broader skills necessary for the successful completion of a PhD, ATU said.