CR2026_46

Title: Monitoring Pollinating Insects: Building Ecological Evidence for UK Biodiversity Policy

Lead Supervisor: Francesca Mancini, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Email: framan@ceh.ac.uk

Co-supervisors: Nick J. B. Isaac, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; Claire Carvell, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; Simon Potts, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading;

UKRI funding only covers Home fees which increase annually. International students may still apply to this project, but will be required to meet the difference between the International and Home student fees themselves. 

Project Overview

The biodiversity crisis is a key topic in the media and in the development of national and international policies, particularly with reports of insect declines. Pollinating insects are vital to both wild ecosystems and agricultural landscapes, supporting crop production, food security, and the biodiversity of flowering plants, as well as holding significant cultural value. However, there is growing concern regarding the population status of insect pollinators, and in turn the pollination services they provide¹. There is an urgent need for robust ecological evidence to guide conservation strategies and inform national policy.

The UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) was the first scheme in the world to begin generating systematic data on the abundance of bees, hoverflies and other flower-visiting insects at a national scale. Since 2017, PoMS has been generating high-quality data through:

• Structured species-level surveys conducted across a national network of sites
• Flower-Insect Timed Counts, a large-scale citizen science initiative

With nearly ten years of PoMSdata available, this PhD project offers a unique opportunity to harness these datasets to produce ecological evidence that supports the UK’s National Pollinator Strategies and broader biodiversity policy.

You’ll apply advanced statistical modelling—including Bayesian hierarchical occupancy models ² and integrated distribution models ³ —to:

• Track changes in pollinator abundance and diversity
• Explore drivers of change across different scales, and assess the impact of conservation efforts
• Combine structured surveys with citizen science data to build integrated, policy-relevant indicators

Your work will directly inform national biodiversity strategies and contribute to the production of official UK statistics on pollinators.

Where You’ll Be Based

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is a centre of scientific excellence with a prominent role in training the next generation of environmental researchers. UKCEH offers a unique training environment for postgraduate researchers including access to world-class scientists, an active postgraduate community, and a variety of specialised training courses. You will be supported by the Early Careers Advisor, local welfare officers, postgraduate liaison officers and local postgraduate representatives, offering mentoring for your career development.

The University of Reading provides world-class research education programs and is an established world leader in pollinator and pollination research. During your PhD you will have access to cutting-edge technology and learn the latest research techniques. We also provide dedicated training in important transferable skills that will support your career aspirations.

Placement Opportunity

As part of the project, you will undertake a placement with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), a public body that advises the UK Government and devolved administrations on nature conservation issues at UK and European level. You will co-design the placement with JNCC, designing a project around the use of citizen science monitoring to produce biodiversity indicators and communicate ecological evidence to policymakers and the public.

Training opportunities:

You will develop a strong, highly transferable skillset in modelling biodiversity data using novel data analysis and computational techniques. These skills in modern data science and statistics are in very high demand both in academia and industry. You will have access to world-leading networks of pollinator researchers through several European projects (e.g. Safeguard, VALOR) led by Reading University and on which UKCEH is a partner.

The placement within JNCC will provide you with hands-on experience of how evidence on biodiversity change is developed and used, and the key policy drivers for producing this evidence across the UK.

Student profile:

This project would be suitable for students with a degree in biology, ecology or closely related environmental science that has included the use of applied statistical modelling. It may also be suitable for a student with a degree in applied statistics and an interest in natural history, biodiversity or citizen science.Computational and statistical skills, e.g. knowledge of R, are essential. UKRI funding only covers Home fees which increase annually. International students may still apply to this project, but will be required to meet the difference between the International and Home student fees themselves. 

Co-Sponsorship details:

This project includes a placement opportunity at the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).

References:

1. Potts, S. G. et al. Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being. Nature 540, 220–229 (2016).
2. Powney, G. D. et al. Widespread losses of pollinating insects in Britain. Nat Commun 10, 1–6 (2019).
3. Isaac, N. J. B. et al. Data Integration for Large-Scale Models of Species Distributions. Trends Ecol Evol 35, 56–67 (2020).