One week left to apply for a PhD on “Vessel Collisions with Large Whales: Behavioural responses and areas of risk”, supervised by myself, Professor Alex Ford, and Ms Lucy Babey!

This PhD aims to quantify vessel collision risks for fin whales in the Bay of Biscay. Organisation Cetacea (ORCA), a cetacean conservation charity, has been utilising platforms-of-opportunity to collect cetacean sightings around the world since 2001. On-board observers collect data relating to effort, ship location / speed / heading, and whale sightings. The current project will both utilise ORCA’s long-term dataset and conduct fieldwork to collect additional data. Behavioural analyses will assess fine-scale behaviour of whales during vessel encounters, whilst density surface models will be used to identify high-risk areas.

A full project description and application form is available on FindAPhD: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/vessel-collisions-with-large-whales-behavioural-responses-and-areas-of-risk/?p105039

This competition-funded PhD is open to UK / European students only. A BSc (minimum second-class) or a Masters degree in a relevant subject is required, along with English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 (with no component score below 6.0). The ideal candidate would also have previous field experience (e.g. vessel-based surveys, marine mammal observations, behavioural observations), proficiency in R and GIS software, and a strong background in statistical techniques.

The deadline for applications is 17th February 2019.