Biological Sciences

Topics for Research Degrees

Topics for research degrees can be selected from any of the areas of research within the Institute, of which a small selection is shown below.

• Animal Science and Production (with special emphasis on sheep, beef and dairy cattle)
• Equine Science (with special emphasis on behaviour, nutrition and reproduction)
• Crop, Science and Production (including arable, grassland and forage crops)
• Ecology
• Rural Business Management and Economics
• Rural, Environmental and Agricultural Policy (relevant to developed or developing countries)
• Regional and Rural Economics
• Environmental Economics and Valuation
• Rural Resource and Countryside Management
• Rural Tourism and Recreation
• Organic Agriculture
• Landscape Systems and Policy
• Crop Genetics, Genomics and Breeding
• Bio-renewables and Environmental Change
• Evolution, Co-evolution and Adaptation
• Animal and Microbial Sciences

Major Funders & Links with Industry

• BBSRC
  
• DEFRA
• Welsh Assembly Government
• EU

Postgraduate students are assigned a supervisory team that have overall responsibility for their day-to-day welfare and provide guidance for research activities. In particular, the supervisory team includes a dedicated Assessor who provides additional support and has a role in providing an objective opinion on research progress to the Faculty and the Board of Postgraduate Studies as required by the University-wide integrated Postgraduate Monitoring Scheme. Although successful postgraduate research depends on the effort and application of the individual student, the researcher also needs a wide range of skills and access to specialist techniques and databases. Research is a collaborative exercise and postgraduate students typically interact with other academic staff and postgraduates in other fields. Indeed, students are encouraged to take an interest in the full breadth of research at the Institute, to join scientific societies relevant to their research interests and to participate in national and international meetings.

Formal training is given to all postgraduates in Aberystwyth. In addition, modules are made available within IBERS that are designed to maximise research experience and to develop transferable, professional and interpersonal skills. These modules help students improve competence in written, oral and visual communication skills, as well as help develop a broader understanding of the spectrum of skills required to be truly effective as a researcher, including experimental design and data analysis. These modules are designed to meet the training requirements of the UK Research Councils and other funding bodies.

Where specialist skills are required, or where there is a need for additional formal studies in a particular area, further training may involve attending selected undergraduate or postgraduate courses within the Institute or training courses at other institutions. In addition, the Institute runs an extensive seminar programme in which students are expected to participate.

Formal induction in research methodology includes: information usage and retrieval, personal computers for presentation skills, careers awareness, conduct of meetings, interviewing techniques and oral presentations. This module is taught through lectures, videos, seminars and group exercises.