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Postgraduate Study

I am currently studying an MPhil in the insect ecology research group under Prof. Edgar Turner. The group's research is broadly focused on developing sustainable agriculture strategies in oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia and understanding how insect fauna, particularly Lepidopterans: Moths and Butterflies, adapt to climate change, rising temperatures and habitat changes. Through large-scale experimental ecological research, various PhD students and post-doctoral fellows in the Insect ecology group have successfully tested and developed restorative strategies to help improve biodiversity within oil palm plantations in tropical Southeast Asia, which is pivotal in shaping the sustainability approach in perineal tropical agriculture.

My project is focused on understanding the pest control services provided by restored riparian margins and experimental buffer systems within an industrial oil palm plantation in Riau Province, Sumatra in Southeast Asia. I am investigating the abundance of predatory insects such as Odonates: Dragonflies, Damselflies, Assassin bugs: Cosmolestes sp., Arachnida: Spiders and Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) and two common pest species of oil palm the Nettle caterpillars (Limacodidae) and Bagworms (Psychidae). My research aims to understand if restoring riparian margins can provide pest management services in the long run.

The MPhil course structure is well-tailored and provides a support base for students through seminars, talks, workshops, training, and well-being sessions thus providing a conducive academic environment to grow. My research skills have tremendously improved, and with support from my supervisor, group members and other members of the department, I have successfully carried out fieldwork studies In oil palm plantations in Indonesia. This experience has helped me to develop core applied ecological skills required to access ecosystem health, functions and biodiversity, which are vital skills for my career development. This was possible because of the immense support that I have received from the Department of Zoology.

The Department is well connected with the Cambridge Museum of Zoology and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative which has provided me with several opportunities to volunteer and network with scientists from diverse backgrounds. As an international student, I feel very welcomed in my department and within the University of Cambridge. The student community is a microcosm of the world and a melting pot of cultures, and this has motivated me to pursue my goals and passions with renewed zeal. It has been a wonderful experience, one I will forever value.

Godspower Major, Insect Ecology Group (April 2024)

I am currently studying for an MPhil in the Head Lab under Prof. Jason Head, working on the ecological origins of the stem snake Dinilysia patagonica. Extant snakes are known to occupy a diversity of lifestyles spanning fossorial, terrestrial, aquatic, marine and arboreal habitats. The huge diversity and highly derived morphology have long inspired debate about snake ecological and evolutionary origins. Total group snakes (Pan-serpentes) originated on land during the middle early Cretaceous ~128 mya. Until recently, a lack of useful fossil evidence of stem snake fossils made interpretation of ecology, morphology, biogeography and behaviour of ancestral snakes difficult. Phylogenetic analysis has shown Dinilysia patagonica to be the stem sister taxon to crown snakes, representative of the basal condition in snakes.

In my project, I am looking at the evolution of a series of three crests in the middle ear of Dinilysia and a series of extant snake species with known habitats. The morphology crests and surrounding bone morphology have been shown to have a strong correlation with ecology. I am identifying the locations and homologies of these crests to find the most likely basal condition and evolution of these features in snakes. I will use this to test the ecological origins of snakes via the representative basal condition of D. patagonica to place them in fossorial, aquatic or arboreal ecologies based on the morphology of the inner ear and comparative anatomy with similar related taxa with known ecologies.

Conducting this research has only been possible thanks to the support from my supervisor, and the resources, like museum specimens and CT scans, available to me from the lab, the department, my college, and the university more broadly. Besides the technology and specimens provided by the department, I have also been able to attend many training workshops and courses through the university. These have been especially useful for improving my statistical skills and analytical tools. Outside of academic considerations, I also appreciate the strong sense of community found in Zoology - weekly happy hours, wellbeing talks, photography competitions, PhD talks and seminars all help foster a sense of community and facilitate connections among postgraduate students, and the department more broadly.

Laura Chilver, Vertebrate Evolution Group (April 2024)

I am currently doing an MPhil in the Aquatic Ecology Group under Prof. David Aldridge. My research focuses on the impacts of North American Signal Crayfish on the chalk streams of Cambridgeshire. Chalk streams unique ecosystems found almost exclusively in the south-west and north-east of the United Kingdom. Their clear gravel beds and unique physical and bio-chemical settings provide an optimum medium for a diverse array of fauna and flora including nationally and internationally protected species. The limited geographical range and high conservation value of English chalk streams further heightens their susceptibility to ecosystem change. Invasion by signal crayfish threatens the health of these freshwater systems as their novel aggressive foraging behaviours and burrowing activities commonly result in the displacement of native crayfish, high declines of invertebrate and macrophyte densities, and changes in abiotic and biotic parameters such as increased concentrations of suspended sediment. I am specifically looking at the effects of signal crayfish populations on macroinvertebrate and macrophyte diversity and community structure. To achieve this, David and I planned, coordinated, and executed two rounds of fieldwork in two chalk streams of Cambridgeshire with the aim to have two complete chapters for my thesis.

I really appreciated the sense of community in the Zoology Department. With the many social events organized by the department and student representatives, you have several opportunities to surround yourself with a diverse group of researchers. The department also constantly publicises new opportunities, such as training courses, placements, academic support, and funding opportunities. Choosing Cambridge Zoology Department for your MPhil studies promises not only a rigorous academic training, but also a supportive and vibrant community that will make your time here enjoyable and valuable.

Ashley Hoblyn, Aquatic Ecology Group (April 2024)

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Key Information


12 months full-time

24 months part-time

Study Mode : Research

Master of Philosophy

Department of Zoology

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Course on Department Website

Dates and deadlines:

Applications open
Sept. 4, 2023
Application deadline
Oct. 2, 2024
Course Starts
Jan. 5, 2025

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Applications open
Sept. 4, 2023
Application deadline
Jan. 14, 2025
Course Starts
April 17, 2025

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Michaelmas 2025

Applications open
Sept. 4, 2024
Application deadline
May 16, 2025
Course Starts
Oct. 1, 2025

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Applications open
Sept. 4, 2024
Application deadline
Oct. 2, 2025
Course Starts
Jan. 5, 2026

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Applications open
Sept. 4, 2024
Application deadline
Jan. 14, 2026
Course Starts
April 17, 2026

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Course Funding Deadline
Jan. 7, 2025
Gates Cambridge US round only
Oct. 16, 2024

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2025, Lent 2026 and Easter 2026.


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