GW4+PhD Studentship - Marine Reptiles

About Us

We are a world-class visitor attraction and leading science research centre. We use the Museum's unique collections and our unrivalled expertise to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. We care for more than 80 million objects spanning billions of years and welcome more than five million visitors annually and 16 million visits to our website.  

Today the Museum is more relevant and influential than ever. By attracting people from a range of backgrounds to work for us, we can continue to look at the world with fresh eyes and find new ways of doing things.

We employ 1100 staff in a variety of roles, all united by our vision of a future where people and planet thrive. We need everyone to have the passion and drive to help us with our mission to create advocates for our planet and inspire millions to care about the natural world.

Diversity and inclusion matter to us.

Our vision is of a future where both people and the planet thrive. Diversity is one of our core values and we strive to build a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging. All new staff who join us learn about the importance of diversity and inclusion to the Museum and how to contribute to creating an inclusive environment.

We know we have more to do, but we are committed to ensuring that everyone who works at the Museum feels they can thrive and feel valued and respected.

About the role

Ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs were extinct reptile groups that acted as keystone species in Mesozoic marine ecosystems, feeding upon varied vertebrate and invertebrate taxa. Although they have been the focus of intense taxonomic scrutiny, their cranial function – and its impact on palaeobiology – is poorly understood, and a comparative biomechanical framework for understanding their feeding ecology is lacking. These deficits limit our understanding of Mesozoic marine ecosystem function and reptile macroevolution. Fortunately, complete, three-dimensionally preserved specimens from both groups are available and amendable to detailed functional analysis. This project will use cutting-edge computational biomechanical methods to investigate the feeding performance and palaeoecology of these important groups. Specimens are held in the Natural History Museum, Bristol City Museum and other UK institutions. Skulls will be µCT-scanned to reveal their anatomical construction and remove surrounding rock matrix (or surface scanned where act is unfeasible). These scans will be used to produce virtual 3D models, through segmentation, retrodeformation and reconstruction. Simulations of jaw muscles will be added to these models following comparisons with living reptiles. The ‘fleshed out’ models will be used for biomechanical experiments using Finite Element analyses. Effects of complex cranial sutures, loosely connected jaws and intracranial cartilage will be explored. These studies will highlight differences / similarities in cranial performance / function and give insights into trophic relationships and guild structure. Phylogenetic comparative analyses will reveal the relative roles of evolutionary history (phylogeny) and environmental constraint (adaptation) in driving the development of these functional complexes. You will be trained in these methods in two world-leading labs with a long-standing collaboration. These labs provide complementary expertise and will expose you to different research environments and networks. Training will range from hard- and soft-tissue anatomy, to imaging, biomechanical analysis and coding and the results will likely have high impact for public engagement.

About you

You should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK. If you have a Lower Second Class degree, you can be considered if you also have a Master’s degree or relevant professional (e.g. work) experience.

Thriving at the Museum: the way we work

We are proud to work at the Museum and have identified the qualities we all need to embody to reach our shared ambition. This sits alongside the Museum’s values and forms the framework for the way we work.

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What we offer

• Free admission to our exhibitions and many other paid exhibitions at museums, galleries and institutions across London and the UK.
• Staff discount at our Museum shops and cafes
• Affordable membership to the Civil Service Sports Council which offers a range of benefits including an extensive list of special offers and reduced entry fees at a selection of cinema chains, theme parks, theatres, retailers and supermarkets. It also provides entry to up to 300 English Heritage sites and other national treasures. For more details, visit https://www.cssc.co.uk
• Membership to our Sports and Social Association (for a small fee), which includes access to our in-house gym and clubs such as football, softball, table tennis and tennis and classes in Middle Eastern dance, yoga and Tai Chi