Supervisors

Professor Dave Hodgson, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Penryn Campus, University of Exeter

Dr Sarah Crowley, Centre for Geography and Environmental Science, Penryn Campus, University of Exeter

Industrial Supervisor:
Dr Jenni McDonald, Feline Welfare Research Team, Cats Protection

Location:  Ecology and Conservation, Penryn Campus, Cornwall

The University of Exeter’s Department of Ecology and Conservation is inviting applications for a PhD studentship fully-funded by Cats Protection to commence on 23 September 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.  For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £19,237 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study.  The student would be based in Ecology and Conservation in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy at the Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

Project Description:

We know very little about unowned domestic cats in the UK. Unlike owned cats, which are primarily managed by private individuals, unowned cats often receive limited to no intentional human support. Considerations surrounding unowned cat populations are well-documented and span multiple fields of research including animal welfare, conservation and public health. Despite the well-recognised interest in unowned cat populations, there remains a lack of understanding of their abundance and demographics across the UK.

Population research to date on this relative understudied subgroup has led to the development of a key statistical tool that paired public sightings of suspected unowned cats with confirmatory data to enable robust estimates of unowned cat populations (termed an integrated abundance model(McDonald & Hodgson 2021) This piece of work identified key influencers of the abundance of unowned cats in urban areas, enabling the first evidence-based calculation of the number of urban unowned cats across the UK. The model estimated approximately 250,000 unowned cats living in towns and cities across the UK, with unowned cat populations interlinked with the density and socioeconomic status of human populations (McDonald & Skillings 2021).
Subsequently, a dynamic cat population modelling project was launched at Cats Protection, which aimed to develop a flexible tool for modelling cat populations over time. The model set out to consider and understand domestic cats in the UK, by providing a framework that recognises different  cat types (owned, shelter, stray and unowned) and their connections (McDonald, et al. 2023). This work highlighted that connectivity between cat subpopulations can have a big influence on population dynamics. However, as part of this process we identified a lack of UK-based data on unowned cat demographics.
This PhD project is interdisciplinary, employing a range of research methods including critical literature searches and reviews, qualitative research and population modelling and analysis to help:

• Understand terminology around unowned cats and implications for their behavioural and demographic characteristics.
• Create standardised working definitions to take forward into further demographic research.
• Obtain evidence-based figures for the abundance and distribution of unowned free-roaming cat populations across the UK, with a particular focus on understudied rural areas, including identification of predictors of unowned cat presence considering environmental, societal and demographic characteristics.
• Understand current evidence around unowned cat survival and reproduction, and any influence of resources, conditions and density dependence.
• Develop domestic cat population demographic modelling.

We especially welcome applications that connect to any of ours and our project partners core research interests, which include population demography, population modelling, ecology and animal welfare. Close links with Cats Protection, the UK’s largest feline welfare charity, will support the student and help to produce research with real-world impact.

This award provides annual funding to cover Home tuition fees and a tax-free stipend.  For students who pay Home tuition fees the award will cover the tuition fees in full, plus at least £19,237 per year tax-free stipend. 
The studentship will be awarded on the basis of merit for 3.5 years of full-time study to commence on 23 September 2024. The collaboration involves a project partner who is providing funding and other material support to the project: special terms that apply to the project will be discussed with Candidates at Interview and fully set out in the offer letter.
International applicants need to be aware that you will have to cover the cost of your student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.
References
McDonald, J. L., & Hodgson, D. (2021). Counting Cats: The integration of expert and citizen science data for unbiased inference of population abundance. Ecology and Evolution, 11(9): 4325-4338.
McDonald, J., Finka, L., Foreman-Worsley, R., Skillings, E., & Hodgson, D. (2023). Cat: Empirical modelling of Felis catus population dynamics in the UK. Plos one, 18(7), e0287841.
McDonald, J. L., & Skillings, E. (2021). Human influences shape the first spatially explicit national estimate of urban unowned cat abundance. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 20216.

Entry requirements

Applicants for this studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of biological, environmental or computational science or technology. 

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the required level as per our guidance at https://www.exeter.ac.uk/pg-research/apply/english/

How to apply

Apply now

How to apply
In the application process you will be asked to upload several documents. 
• CV
• Letter of application (outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake the project).
• Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained (this should be an interim transcript if you are still studying)
• Two references from referees familiar with your academic work. If your referees prefer, they can email the reference direct to PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk quoting the studentship reference number.
• If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your proficiency in English.

The closing date for applications is midnight on 10th July 2024. 

Interviews will be held virtually or on the University of Exeter Penryn Campus in the week commencing 22nd July 2024.

If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk or phone 0300 555 60 60 (UK callers) +44 (0) 1392 723044 (EU/International callers)  Project-specific queries should be directed to the main supervisor at d.j.hodgson@exeter.ac.uk.

Summary