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            <link>/sbs/blog/my-week-at-the-gatsby-plant-science-summer-school-2026/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[My Week at the Gatsby Plant Science Summer School 2026]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to represent the 51cg School of Biological Sciences at the Gatsby Plant Science Summer School 2026. Alongside fellow Aberdeen students James Spiteri and Jessica Coldwell, I spent an inspiring week at The Hawkhills in York, learning from world-leading researchers brought together by the Gatsby Plant Science Education Programme, based at the Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge.
The week showcased the remarkable breadth of modern plant science and its importance in addressing some of the world&rsquo;s greatest challenges. Through a combination of lectures, practical sessions and discussions, we explored topics including plant&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[Ecophysiology - Dr Victoria Sleight awarded grant to uncover how new traits evolve]]></title>
            <pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Dr Victoria Sleight is part of an international research team that has secured a research grant from the Human Frontier Science Programme (HFSP), one of the world&rsquo;s most competitive and sought‑after funding schemes for fundamental science.
The $1.2 million award will support a three‑year project bringing together researchers in the UK, United States and Japan to explore the genetic origins of evolutionary novelty using the diversity of molluscs.
The project aims to uncover how new biological features arise over evolutionary time. Rather than relying solely on the emergence of entirely new genes, the research focuses on gene family expansion -&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[Joe's experience at Posters in Parliament]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[This year, I was fortunate enough to be the undergraduate student that the 51cg sent to Posters in Parliament. I attended to present the results of my honours thesis, &ldquo;Post-release distribution of pheasants in Scotland: distance-decay or uniform occupancy?&rdquo;, which explored long-term patterns of pheasant site use following annual releases and tested the assumptions underpinning current measures designed to protect biodiversity from the impacts of pheasant releasing. I presented my research in the form of a poster titled &ldquo;I Will Walk 500 Metres, and a Pheasant Will Walk 500 More&rdquo;.
Upon arriving at the event, I quickly got&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[Early Career Recruitment Bursary - Ecology, Evolution, and Ecophysiology]]></title>
            <pubDate>Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[
The Ecology, Evolution, and Ecophysiology Research Clusters within the School of Biological Sciences, 51cg (Scotland) are pleased to offer an Early Career Recruitment Bursary. We are specifically looking to attract talented early career researchers (ECRs) to enable travel for development of competitive fellowship applications. The 51cg, founded in 1495, is among the top 1% of oldest Universities worldwide, boasting excellence in environmental research and a location rich in cultural heritage and natural beauty.
What we are offering: We are offering bursaries to facilitate travel of ECRs to Aberdeen for a period of 1-3 weeks, to facilitate&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/sbs/blog/ecophysiology-native-oysters-tiny-creatures-big-impact-beneath-the-waves/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Ecophysiology - Native oysters: tiny creatures, big impact beneath the waves]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Marine shellfish like oysters carry out a vital role in marine ecosystems however the UK's native oyster species has suffered a drastic decline in recent years.
Scientists from the 51cg and NativeAqua, a native oyster farm, have been awarded &pound;14,300 to investigate how to improve the resilience of the native oyster, in a bid to boost the numbers of the species.
Researchers will use novel data-driven genetic approaches to inform a new breeding programme. By analysing the genetic fingerprint of each species in a breeding programme they can then optimise which oysters to breed together for the strongest&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[Charles Sutherland Scholarship Fund - genetic diversity of bumblebee]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Biologists and conservationists have long been interested in the study of island populations which may face genetic bottlenecks due to predicted smaller population sizes and barriers to gene flow. This can be especially detrimental for organisms, such as bumblebees, which have haplodiploid sex determination whereby males develop from unfertilised (haploid) eggs while females develop from fertilised (diploid) eggs. Reductions in population size can increase inbreeding, leading to the production of sterile diploid males and further contributing to local extinction events.
The white-tailed bumblebee complex (Bombus lucorum agg) is an ideal case study for investigations of gene flow. While the complex&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[Charles Sutherland Scholarship Fund - NoWPaS Workshop]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The NoWPaS (European &ndash; formerly Nordic &ndash; Workshop of Masters, PhD, and Post-Doctoral Fellows working on anadromous salmonids) aims to build and maintain an international network of early career researchers studying salmonid species such as Atlantic salmon, Arctic charr, and Brown trout. By sharing recent research findings, the workshop supports the conservation of these iconic species and provides valuable insights to fisheries managers to inform their decision-making. While the NoWPaS Workshop is traditionally held in Europe, this year marked a special occasion&mdash;our 25th workshop&mdash;which we celebrated by hosting it internationally in Canada. This shift aimed to foster broader global connections&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[Charles Sutherland Scholarship Fund - YoMos Workshop]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[In May 2025, I was fortunate to receive funding from the Charles Sutherland Scholarship Fund, which enabled me to co-organise and participate in this year&rsquo;s Young Modellers in Ecology (YoMos) workshop in Germany.
My involvement with YoMos began at the 2024 workshop, where I experienced firsthand the value of creating inclusive spaces for early-career researchers to exchange knowledge, develop practical skills, and build meaningful professional connections. That experience highlighted the importance of community and collaboration in advancing ecological modelling. Motivated by this, I was eager to take on a more active role in 2025 by joining the organising team to&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[Rachael's internship with Grevy's Zebra Trust & Marwell Wildlife]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[For my internship, I have been working with&nbsp;Grevy&rsquo;s Zebra Trust&nbsp;and&nbsp;Marwell Wildlife&nbsp;on their collaring project. They deployed 20 collars on Grevy&rsquo;s Zebra in September 2023 in two different areas of northern Kenya to understand their movements. This project was initiated in response to the proposed LAPSSET corridor that will involve the development of ports, pipelines, roads and railways spanning the entire country, and crucially, through Grevy&rsquo;s zebra ranges.

Philip Riordan (Marwell Zoo), Rachael Clark and David Kimiti (Grevy&rsquo;s Zebra Trust)
The Grevy&rsquo;s zebra is the largest wild equid in the world and is the most endangered species of zebra. They are&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[Emma's experience at Posters in Parliament]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Posters in Parliament is an annual event under the British Conference of Undergraduate Research, held at the UK Houses of Parliament in London. I was incredibly grateful to be asked to attend this year&rsquo;s event, presenting my honours thesis: &ldquo;The Short-Term Impact of River Restoration on Birds&rdquo; which I completed as part of my BSc Conservation Biology degree.
The event attracted attendees from across the country to showcase their research to politicians, policy makers and academics. &nbsp;It was a privilege to present my research which evaluated the&nbsp;Cattie Burn Restoration Project;&nbsp;a modern and ambitious method of conservation which pursued ecosystem recovery&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/sbs/blog/representing-the-university-of-aberdeen-at-the-technician-commitment-signatory-event/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Representing the 51cg at the Technician Commitment Signatory Event]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Martin Cowie is the Technical Resources Manager in the School of Biological Sciences.
On the 18th of November, I was delighted to be able to represent the 51cg at the 2024 Technician Commitment Signatory Event held at the Royal College of Pathologists in Whitechapel, London. The event brought together technical managers and representatives from many of the 120+ signatory institutions and partners.
The Technician Commitment is working to champion technicians, recognising their contribution to higher education and research and driving cultural change.
&nbsp;There are four key challenges in the Technician Commitment:

Visibility
Recognition
Career Development
Sustainability

The Technician&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/sbs/blog/exploring-high-mountain-ecosystems-in-sestola-italy-a-week-of-soil-science-and-climate-insights/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Exploring high mountain ecosystems in Sestola, Italy: A week of soil science and climate insights]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[This past September I attended a week-long international summer school in Sestola, Italy. The programme: &lsquo;Assessment of high mountain ecosystems by soil survey, remote sensing and GIS-based maps&rsquo; focussed on key skills, including soil profile description, sampling techniques, pedodiversity and biodiversity assessment, soil ecosystem functions, and the construction of GIS-based maps for land evaluation and management. Held in the historic Sestola Castle, the week was balanced between lectures and hands-on workshops.
A particular highlight was a field excursion up Mount Cimone &ndash; at 2,165m above sea level it is the highest mountain in the Northern Apennines. At the summit we&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/sbs/blog/ecophysiology-sfirc-secures-17-million-boom-in-research-funding/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Ecophysiology - SFIRC secures £1.7 million boom in research funding]]></title>
            <pubDate>Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre (SFIRC) has secured over &pound;1.7 million in research funding in 2024 to fund six research projects spanning an impressive range of topics in fish health and aquaculture. Check out the project summaries below:
Project 1. The Role of Photoperiod in Immune Development and Health in Salmon Aquaculture
BBSRC supports this 24‑month study, led by Sam Martin and Jason Holland in Aberdeen, in partnership with Bangor University, and industrial collaborators Mowi and Scottish Sea Farms. With &pound;367k secured, researchers will test how constant‑light regimes disrupt salmon circadian rhythms and immunity. Combining functional genomics with high‑throughput gene expression profiling,&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>/sbs/blog/a-phd-in-sustainable-arsenic-mitigation-for-wheat/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[A PhD in sustainable arsenic mitigation for wheat]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Muhammad is currently a PhD candidate having been selected for the Commonwealth Split-Site PhD Scholarship 2023-2024. His passion, sparked as the child of a farmer, has taken him across the globe and landed him an academic career researching the climate impact on crops.
I, Muhammad Saeed, am currently pursuing a Commonwealth Split-Site PhD Scholarship with Dr Gareth Norton from the Plant and Environment Interaction Group at the 51cg.
I am constantly troubled by questions in my mind; how can we tackle the environmental challenges that people are not ready to even accept? How can I contribute to finding&#8230;]]></description>
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            <title><![CDATA[Ecophysiology - Publication highlights from the energetics research group]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The Energetics Research Group has made a range of exciting discoveries this year. Highlighted below are two projects that span both applied and fundamental ecophysiology themes.
The behavioural and physiological response of dairy cows to regrouping practises
Catherine Hambly and her team worked with the dairy industry to tackle how common husbandry practises can drive both behavioural and physiological changes in cows. Regrouping is a husbandry practice where the individual members of groups housed together, or in a specific location, are changed typically with the goal of improving milk production. Here, the team explored if regrouping had an impact on&#8230;]]></description>
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