We have PhD position available in the project FROM MOLECULES TO
POPULATIONS: THE GENOMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL LEGACY OF POLLUTION ON
FRESHWATER FISH

The studentship is fully funded and hosted at the University of Glasgow
for 3.5 years, with tuition fees, stipend, and contribution to research
costs.

This is a CASE studentship, which involves links and an internship with a
charity/industry partner. The project is within the NorthWestBio Doctoral
Training programme (see details in website below). The studentship will
start in Oct 2026.

Supervisors:

Dr Michelle Bellingham, University of Glasgow

Prof Kathryn Elmer, University of Glasgow

Dr Andy Sweetman, Lancaster University

Industrial Partner: Willie Yeomans. Clyde River Foundation

Project summary

Contaminants have organismal effects across scales: from nucleotides in
the genome, to physiology and individual fitness and to the demography
of populations. These effects can be proximate, such as DNA methylation
altering gene expression, oxidative damage, morphological development,
and behaviour. When in response to pollution, these epigenomic effects can
have dramatic impacts on animal development, viability, and health. The
effects can also be evolutionary, via molecular adaptation to contaminants
that enables organisms to persist in polluted environments or reflect the
history of population decline due to environmental poisoning. The genomic
effect of complex environmental contamination in natural vertebrate
populations and their impact on future health is currently a major
knowledge gap.

Native brown trout (Salmo trutta) is the most widespread freshwater
fish in the British Isles and a sentinel of environmental quality for
riverbeds, sediments, and water. We have observed morphological changes
in this species in response to pollution. Advances in genomic resources
for this species provides a powerful biological model to understand the
genetic, molecular and physiological responses to pollution.

The diverse River Clyde catchment in central Scotland has a long history
of industry and human habitation. The concomitant enduring industrial
legacy across the Clyde system, provides continua of pristine through
highly polluted sites, and this will be the primary research and
experimental area. The project will be empowered to compare genetic
responses to pollution in the Clyde catchment with molecular responses
of brown trout to pollution documented from other contaminated sites in
the UK.

Informal inquiries to Kathryn Elmer are encouraged but not required
kathryn.elmer@glasgow.ac.uk

The ideal candidate will be one with an enthusiasm for biology (especially
molecular ecology and ecotoxicology, and demonstrates aptitude and
experience with quantitative ecological/evolutionary/physiological
research. Training will also be provided through the DTP and in the
project.

Information on the project, timeline, and how to apply is available here

https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/doctoraltraining/northwestbio/projects/animalbiology/frommoleculestopopulationsthegenomicandphysiologicallegacyofpollutiononfreshwaterfish/

Kathryn Elmer <Kathryn.Elmer@glasgow.ac.uk>

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