Postdocs
None at the moment.
PhD studentship: Modelling foraging interactions at the heart of marine food chains to link climate change to wild salmon
This project combines mathematical modelling and long-term ecological data to close a crucial gap in our understanding of how the impacts of climate change at the base of marine food chains (plankton) translate into impacts on wild salmon and other fish, seabirds, and mammals at the top of those food chains.
Wild Atlantic salmon have played a culturally iconic and economically important role in Scotland and beyond for thousands of years. They are also ecological integrators, moving between freshwater and wide-ranging ocean habitats during their life cycles. In recent decades many salmon populations around the Atlantic Ocean have declined dramatically, in large part because of reduced survival during their time in the ocean. Like many ocean fish, wild salmon depend on very long food chains. Even a young salmon in its first summer at sea eats mainly smaller “forage fish” (small silvery fish like herring, sandeel, capelin, and so on), which prey upon millimetre-scale crustacean zooplankton, which in turn graze on single-celled phytoplankton. Climate-change impacts on salmon can arise from ecological effects at any point along this chain. However, almost all large-scale modelling efforts linking salmon to climate skip over the salmon’s actual prey (forage fish) and usually even the prey of their prey (zooplankton). In the North Atlantic, observations using the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) provides a partial solution at the level of zooplankton: Tyldesley et al. (2024) developed a “Zooplankton Energy in the Diet of Forage Fish” index (ZE) which partly explains marine-survival patterns in salmon populations around the UK and Ireland—but the forage fish that link the zooplankton to the salmon are still missing from this picture. That is the gap which this studentship will address.
The student will build upon recent mathematical models by Olin et al. (submitted) and Ljungstrom et al. (2020) to create a model of “forage fish growth potential” (FFGP) — a systematic, generalisable (“trait-based”) method for estimating how a forage fish with a given body size and behaviour pattern would respond to a particular assemblage of zooplankton. The existing ZE index simply adds up calories; the FFGP index is intended to capture further considerations like “one large tasty crustacean may be worth much more than its weight in small ones, particularly in coastal waters where visibility is poor”. The student will use the new model to map FFGP by decade across the North Atlantic (1960s–present), and ground-truth it using regional forage-fish time series provided by our international project partners.
The final step will be to re-evaluate the relationship between declining marine survival in wild salmon and shifting migration patterns. More UK salmon have been a second year at sea in recent years, ranging as far as West Greenland; is this because they are “pushed” by poor feeding conditions in their home waters, or because they are “pulled” by relatively better feeding opportunities across the Atlantic? The question is fundamental to how our team brings ocean conditions into the Missing Salmon Alliance’s Atlantic Salmon Decision Support Tool, a online tool for fisheries and river managers developed by our team. The student will thus have a chance to be part of the translation of basic ecological research into practical guidance for management and conservation.
The position will be based at University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland and primarily supervised by Dr Neil Banas (Strathclyde U), Dr Colin Bull (Atlantic Salmon Trust / Stirling U), Dr Emma Tyldesley (Strathclyde U), and Dr Douglas Speirs (Strathclyde U), with the support of an advisory network of salmon researchers from Canada, the US, and Norway. The Marine Science group at Strathclyde, part of a larger Mathematics of Life Sciences group, consists of an community of approximately 20 researchers and PhD students from a variety of backgrounds. The student will be encouraged to attend local and overseas conferences and become part of international networks. The project is partly funded by the Fishmongers Company Charitable Fisheries Trust and aligned with larger research initiatives by the conservation charities Missing Salmon Alliance and Atlantic Salmon Trust.
The start date is 1 Oct 2025. The position comes with 3 years of full support, including a stipend of £20,000-22,000 per year, funds to fully cover fees at the UK-student level, and a bursary for travel and other research expenses. (We welcome applications from international applicants, but please note that fees for international students exceed the funding available by approximately £20,000 per year.) Part-time study is an option, with a minimum of 50% of full-time effort required.
A strong quantitative background (maths, programming) is required, and some knowledge of ecology or marine science is preferred but not required. The position is suitable for a student with a background in physics, computer science, or an allied field who wants to move into ecological applications, as well as students from a biology background with some modelling experience.
To apply, please start by sending 1) a letter explaining your background and interest, 2) a full CV, and 3) the names and contact info for three references to Dr Neil Banas, neil.banas@strath.ac.uk by 15 Mar 2025. We will conduct interviews by Zoom in April, and invite successful candidates to apply formally through the Strathclyde U web portal afterwards.