The sub-lethal impact of pesticides on foraging in bumblebees - linking landscape-scale behaviour change to molecular and physiological responses to understand the mechanism & mitigate its effects

The sub-lethal impact of pesticides on foraging in bumblebees - linking landscape-scale behaviour change to molecular and physiological responses to understand the mechanism & mitigate its effects

Quick Decision

Promising with material uncertainties. This project aims to explain whether pesticides change how bumblebees forage across real landscapes and whether behavioural shifts correspond to molecular or physiological responses. The advertised work combines a landscape-scale tracking system and accelerometer records with differential gene expression and metabolomics. It may suit candidates with a grounding in ecology, biology, toxicology, molecular science, engineering or quantitative methods who want to cross field and lab work.

The supervisory mix—bee tracking and machine learning, pollinator ecology, and insect molecular biology—is a clear academic strength. The official Yorkshire Bioscience DTP round is open for 2027, but the accessible official Sheffield project table does not render this title, so I could not independently verify that the exact project remains selectable. The project record gives Wednesday 6 January 2027 at 17:00 UK time (GMT); that precise date is not repeated in the accessible official DTP page. Confirm the live EOI listing, closing time and award allocation with the programme and Dr Michael Smith before investing in a full application. International funding at Sheffield uses a very limited, highly competitive bursary route.

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

What Is Unsolved and Why It Matters

Pesticide effects on pollinators are often assessed through mortality or controlled laboratory responses. Those tests can miss changes in how bees forage across a mixed landscape, while an observed behaviour change alone does not reveal the biological mechanism. The project asks whether landscape-scale foraging behaviour under pesticide exposure can be linked to physiological signals.

The broader evidence motivates this question but also shows why the design needs precision. A European field study associated pesticide residues with poorer bumblebee colony performance across agricultural landscapes. A clothianidin study found gene-expression responses differed by tissue. Controlled acetamiprid exposure changed some foraging-orientation outcomes without changing antennal sensitivity; another study of non-neonicotinoid pesticides found altered activity and pollen provisioning without detectable short-term change in flower handling or pollination service. These results argue for specifying compound, dose, tissue and behavioural endpoint rather than treating “pesticide effect” as one uniform outcome. (European landscape study, tissue-specific gene-expression study, acetamiprid study, non-neonicotinoid study)

Work, Methods, and Potential Outputs

The project description names three connected elements: tracking bumblebees as they forage across landscapes with a new tracking system; recording behaviour with an accelerometer and relating it to pesticide exposure; and assessing physiological response through differential gene expression and metabolomics. The combination could explain not only whether behaviour shifts, but whether measurable biological pathways help account for it.

The available description does not specify the tracking technology, accelerometer sampling rate, pesticide active ingredients or doses, species, field sites, colony numbers, exposure verification, molecular tissues, controls or statistical plan. A 2021 Sheffield team paper demonstrated small retroreflective tags detected by comparing flash/no-flash camera images, including multi-bee garden tracking and detection at about 35 metres. This is useful background, not proof that the present project uses that system; the project refers to a newer landscape-scale system and an accelerometer. Ask what the current platform measures, how tag effects and sensor output are validated, and what behavioural features can be inferred. (Tracking method, Michael Smith profile)

A plausible research angle is to define a small set of behavioural features in advance—such as trip timing or activity—and align them with a justified pesticide exposure and tissue-sampling plan. Landscape context, weather, forage, colony state, sensor error and exposure may vary together. Analysis therefore needs to separate association from a mechanistic claim. These are ways to sharpen the advertised question, not promised work packages.

School, Programme and Field Context

The project record names the University of Sheffield School of Computer Science as the main host and describes collaboration with Sheffield Biosciences, the University of Leeds and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Sheffield’s overall QS World University Rankings 2027 position is 82nd globally and 14th in the UK. A subject-relevant signal is its 2021 Research Excellence Framework Biological Sciences submission: 61% of Unit of Assessment 5’s overall profile was rated four-star and 37% three-star. These describe the institution and submitted unit, not this research team. Sheffield’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology research spans field ecology, genomics, computational modelling and work from molecular to ecosystem scales. (Sheffield rankings, REF 2021 Biological Sciences profile, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology research)

The DTP describes a four-year studentship for successful award holders. Sheffield says full-time PhDs usually last three to four years and school-specific entry requirements vary. The material reviewed does not confirm which institution registers and awards this PhD. Sheffield is named as main host; a Leeds researcher is named as co-supervisor. That does not establish a joint degree or Leeds registration. Confirm the awarding institution, home school and any required cross-campus attendance. (DTP funding and eligibility, Sheffield PhD guidance)

Supervisor and Lab Assessment

Supervisor Research Directions

Dr Michael Smith’s Sheffield profile describes work at the intersection of insect behavioural ecology and computer science, including bee tracking, tags and machine learning. His listed grants include bee tracking and previous BBSRC work on pesticide-induced pollinator behaviour. These show relevant activity but do not fund or guarantee this studentship.

Dr Stuart Campbell is a Sheffield Biosciences lecturer and Academic Lead for Volatile Metabolomics. His work covers plant-insect and pollinator ecology through field, mechanistic and multi-omics approaches. Dr Elizabeth Duncan at Leeds studies insect development, environmental response, phenotypic plasticity, epigenetics and gene expression. The fit is coherent: sensing and inference, ecological context, and molecular interpretation can be brought to one organismal question. The supervisory split, day-to-day contact and cross-campus arrangements remain unconfirmed. (Smith, Campbell, Duncan, Campbell Lab)

Recent Important Publications

• Ellis, Campbell and Edmondson (2025), “Drivers of nocturnal and diurnal pollinating insect declines in urban landscapes.” The study sampled 10,721 insects across three cities and linked pollinator richness to landscape features. It supports the team’s experience with field-scale pollinator ecology, not pesticide experiments or individual bee tracking. (Paper)
• Smithson, Duncan, Sait and Bretman (2024), “Sensory perception of rivals has trait-dependent effects on plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster.” The experiment shows that environmental cues can affect traits differently. It is adjacent expertise in behaviour and plasticity, but concerns fruit flies and social cues rather than bees and pesticides. (Paper)
• Duncan (2023), “One genome, multiple phenotypes: decoding the evolution and mechanisms of environmentally induced developmental plasticity in insects.” This review connects environmental conditions with insect phenotype and molecular regulation. It offers a framework for the project’s behaviour-to-physiology link, not direct evidence about pesticide response in bees. (Review)

Sheffield Biosciences lists genomics, the NERC Environmental Omics Facility and Biological Mass Spectrometry. The biOMICS facility describes mass-spectrometry analysis of proteins and metabolites. These are relevant capabilities, but public facility pages do not establish project access, queue priority, budget or training. The Trust says it works with PhD students as partner, supervisor or data supplier. The advertised Trust placements could provide conservation exposure, but duration and guaranteed activities are not specified. (Biosciences facilities, biOMICS, Trust scientific research)

Funding, Application, and Living Cost

For successful candidates, the DTP describes a four-year studentship with a tax-free UKRI-rate stipend, UK-rate tuition and research costs. It warns that not every project will be funded and selection is competitive. Its numeric example of £20,780 is for 2025/26, which is not a confirmed 2027 entry figure. UKRI’s latest published benchmark is £21,805 stipend and £5,238 home-fee contribution for 2026/27. Neither confirms the 2027/28 rate. (DTP funding and eligibility, UKRI student support)

International applicants may be considered at Sheffield through a very limited bursary route; the DTP says these full awards go only to exceptional candidates and reports over 100 applicants per international place in 2026. UKRI’s normal fee contribution is capped at the home rate, so obtain written confirmation of any overseas fee top-up. Visa charges, NHS health surcharge, travel insurance and travel to the UK are excluded. “Students worldwide” should not be read as equal access to full funding.

The supplied project record gives Wednesday 6 January 2027 at 17:00 UK time (GMT). It expects interviews in February 2027. The current DTP page confirms the 2027 round is open but does not repeat the exact date in accessible text. Applicants may select up to two projects, and successful candidates must respond to an offer within 10 days. Verify the date and exact project selection in the live EOI form. (2027 project page, application page)

Sheffield says living costs vary and links students to accommodation prices rather than promising a single budget. For 2026/27, listed postgraduate residences cost about £7,559–£12,259 for 42- or 51-week contracts; rent includes utilities, contents insurance and internet. Private rent, food, transport, visa and personal costs are separate. These rents and the £21,805 stipend benchmark refer to 2026/27, not the unconfirmed 2027/28 award. (Sheffield living-cost guidance, 2026/27 postgraduate rents)

Applicant Fit and Preparation

Required Background and Skills

The DTP requires at least a 2:1 bachelor’s degree or equivalent and welcomes biological, chemical or physical science and mathematics backgrounds interested in biological questions. A master’s is not essential under its guidance. The project record separately welcomes science or engineering backgrounds; an engineering applicant should confirm that the DTP treats their subject as eligible for this competition. Host-school entry and English-language rules also apply. (DTP applicant advice, Sheffield PhD guidance)

Preferred Experience and Suggested Preparation

The DTP values research, lab or field experience, motivation, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, teamwork and independent work. Relevant evidence could include ecological sampling, insect biology, toxicology, experimental design, molecular data, sensors or quantitative analysis. These are useful preparation areas, not confirmed formal prerequisites; no source reviewed says prior bee, omics or machine-learning experience is mandatory.

Before applying, read one adjacent paper from each supervisory strand and prepare a concise example of how a skill from the applicant’s discipline could connect measurable behaviour with biological response. Be ready to discuss data quality, controls, field logistics and what training would be needed in unfamiliar areas. The DTP requests referees at shortlisting and recommends at least one who can discuss research work.

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before Applying

• Is this exact project title selectable in the live 2027 EOI, and is funding allocated to it?
• Does the active form confirm 6 January 2027 at 17:00 UK time, and what documents are required?
• Does an engineering qualification satisfy the DTP subject rules for this project?
• What stipend applies in 2027/28, and who covers any international fee gap?
• Which institution registers and awards the PhD?

At Interview

• Which pesticide compounds, doses, bee species, colonies, sites, controls and exposure-verification methods are planned?
• What tracking/accelerometer platform is used, what does it measure, and how will sensor data be validated?
• Which tissues and omics assays are planned, how will sample sizes be set, and what analysis/facility support is funded?
• How are the three supervisors’ roles divided, and how often will cross-campus supervision occur?
• What exactly do the Trust placements involve, and are they additional to or connected with PIPS/CASE?

Before Accepting an Offer

• Obtain the award letter showing stipend, tuition, international top-up, research/field costs and exclusions.
• Confirm degree registration, supervisors, expected attendance sites and placement duration/expenses.
• Build a budget from confirmed award terms and current rent/visa costs, not the old numeric stipend on the DTP page.

Evidence and Sources

• YBDTP Projects for 2027
• YBDTP funding and eligibility
• YBDTP applicant advice
• YBDTP placements
• UKRI student funding
• Sheffield PhD application guidance
• Sheffield rankings
• REF 2021 Biological Sciences results
• Sheffield Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Sheffield Biosciences facilities
• biOMICS Mass Spectrometry Facility
• Michael Smith profile
• Elizabeth Duncan profile
• Stuart Campbell profile
• Campbell Lab research
• Bumblebee Conservation Trust research
• Smith et al. 2021 insect-tracking method
• Ellis, Campbell and Edmondson 2025
• Duncan 2023 review
• Smithson et al. 2024
• European landscape pesticide study
• Bumblebee gene-expression study
• Acetamiprid and foraging study
• Non-neonicotinoid pesticide study
• Sheffield living costs
• Sheffield postgraduate rents
• UK Life Sciences Jobs Plan