Opportunities

I welcome enquiries from all levels including Undergraduates, Postgraduates, Postdocs, Collaborators and Placement Students/Interns. Please see below for more information, and/or contact me at sebastian.shimeld@zoo.ox.ac.uk. Graduate studentships may also be advertised on FindaPhD.com.

Undergraduate Projects

I can normally host a couple of undergraduate/masters student projects each year, sometimes more depending on the topic. Potential projects change each year, but can range from fully bioinformatic (for example using genome mining to study the evolution of complex gene families) to primarily lab based. Many previous projects have combined elements of both.

Laboratory experimental work will usually align closely with ongoing projects in my lab, so please see my Research pages and Publications for an indication of the type of work we do. However I also have interests in broader aspects of marine biology, especially in the thermal tolerance of zooplankton and its relationship to maternal resource allocation, and would be happy to discuss this.

DTP students

If you are a student from one of the Doctoral Training Centres/Programmes seeking a rotation placement, I am happy to discuss projects that fit in with any of the areas of research listed on my Research page.

External Graduate Students

I am usually able to take on at least one graduate student a year. If you are interested in a PhD in the areas related to my research, then please contact me. A range of funding mechanisms exist, through the University’s BBSRC and NERC  DTP schemes, via Departmental Scholarships, and a from variety of other sources.

Postdocs and Research fellows

Funded postdoctoral positions will be advertised via the departmental recruitment pages.

If you are considering applying for an Independent Fellowship, please contact me to discuss hosting arrangements and possible sources of funding. Previous members of my group have successfully competed for funding in this way from a variety of organisations including the Royal Society, the EU, EMBO, and other national organisations and charities.

Placements and Interns

I am normally able to host one or two summer placement students each year. There are several sources of funding for these, including awards from our local BBSRC DTP scheme, The Wellcome Trust, and various learned societies such as the BSDB and Genetics Society. Most aim to fund UK-based students in between the second and third years of their undergraduate degree. They typically have application deadlines in later winter/early spring of the year in which the placement is to occur, so contact me in good time if you want to pursue these opportunities.