WILDLABS
Fauna & Flora
Supervisory Team: Dr Michal Kalkowski, Dr Giacomo Squicciarini
Entry Requirements: A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent).
Closing date: 31 August 2024.
Funding: Funding for tuition fees and a living stipend are available on a competitive basis. Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.
Project description:
This research project aims to investigate the physical basis of plants' responses to acoustic stimuli, an area with growing interest in both physics and biological sciences.
The project involves developing vibration/wave propagation models to understand plant dynamics in response to vibroacoustic stimuli across broad frequency ranges. It builds on recent biological research suggesting plants' active response to acoustic stimuli. The candidate will integrate theoretical modelling with measurements to analyse plant behaviour. If successful, you will work on determining fundamental vibration models to identify features responsible for receiving signals with given properties (e.g. frequency bandwidth). These efforts will be supplemented by the analysis of wave propagation in plant material and coupling with the surrounding medium to study energy transfer.
This project hopes to find applications in environmental monitoring, agriculture and biological sciences. This interdisciplinary study requires a candidate with a background in engineering, applied physics, acoustics, or a related field. The role includes model development, vibration/wave measurements, and collaboration with experts in related disciplines. The project offers the opportunity to contribute to a novel area of research, bridging physics and biology.
Read more and how to apply on findaphd.com