Dr Steve Portugal, The University of Oxford

I have a guest blog on the BBC website about eggs – link below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/natureuk/entries/1f81dc3f-7366-455f-9fd4-1849bbb50596 

Paper accepted in Trends in Ecology and Evolution (TREE), based on a great idea of lead author Dr Dora Biro (Oxford), about Collective Behaviour. More to follow.

I have a fully funded PhD available, with full details available here.

Funding is available for one project, but two project areas are suggested and can be applied to. These areas are:

1. Collective flocking in birds (looking at behaviour, physiology and energetics). Co-supervised by Dr Dora Biro (Oxford) and Dr Emily Shepard (Swansea).
2. Physiology, development and behaviour of brood parasites (primarily cuckoos). Co-supervised by Dr Claire Spottiswoode (Cambridge) and Dr Christine Riehl (Princeton).

Any informal enquiries, feel free to drop me an email. FindaPhD adverts can be found on the following links:

Cuckoos

Collective physiology

Chris Packham avisited Royal Holloway this weekend to chat and film all things egg. Great fun, and good for eggs to get some screen time

We’ve had a paper accepted in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (PBZ), focusing on trends in metabolism between birds and mammals. More to follow.

Having thought for a while about how scientific study focuses on those species which are struggling, I decided to write a short Opinion Piece for The Conversation – the article can be read here:

https://theconversation.com/how-a-bias-towards-the-weird-and-wonderful-skews-our-perception-of-animal-biology-53701

Due to recent ERC grant success within the theme, we have a 5 year , full time, Teaching Fellow position available – please see the link for more details:

https://jobs.royalholloway.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=0216-071

Our egg paper is out in Ecology and Evolution – read here! 

Our paper on Secretary Birds is out in Current Biology, with the front cover showing Madeleine going for a double air-kick. Lots of fun press stories, a couple of which can be read here from the BBC and Ed Yong. The paper is here.