The University of Auckland, in conjunction with the Cawthron Institute, in New Zealand is looking for a capable PhD student to tackle challenging research questions around the abilities of mussels to withstand changes in ocean temperatures associated with climate change.
New Zealand is a developed South Pacific country with an extensive and advanced mussel aquaculture industry that is starting to experience production problems associated with climatic changes. Wild coastal mussel populations are also being affected by these changes.
The research undertaken by the PhD student will clarify the relationship between temperature regimes and mussel biology, by answering key questions such as; do thermal tolerances change with mussel size?:
This project will evaluate the relationship between size and thermal tolerance in mussels from a same genetically related family and cohort. This project will involve determination of thermal tolerance and measurement of physiological parameters to understand the link between thermal resilience and size in the context of climate change.
The PhD student will work with leading mussel physiologists and ecologists for their research, and be provided with full scholarship support for the three year period of their PhD programme.
For more information or to provide an expression of interest, contact Professor Andrew Jeffs, at the Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand a.jeffs@auckland.ac.nz
