Durham University is delighted to launch The Global Grand Challenges Studentships (Hunt-Raymond GGC Studentships) which are designed to support excellent early career researchers wishing to pursue doctoral research (a PhD) in areas aligned to a highlighted Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). This call is aligned to SDG13: Climate Action, for projects that address issues associated with climate change and aim to build a more resilient global future.
Please see our scholarships webpages for further information and details of eligibility criteria.
Please contact the potential Biosciences project supervisors below if you are interested in developing an application for this scheme, by no later than 5th January 2026.
Dr Adam Bentham
Dr Bentham is interested in AI-driven protein design for crop improvement. In particular, the lab is focused on bioengineering plant immune receptors for novel disease resistance in the face of growing plant disease due to climate change.
Dr Adrian Brennan
Dr. Brennan is interested in within-species variation that is rarely considered in a vegetation restoration context, by testing its impact on establishment success and already present populations using combination of genomics and environmentally controlled growth conditions. The research will build knowledge and capacity about how current conservation practice affects plant species, strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity by learning how best to manage these species for future climate change, and integrate climate change into policies and planning by developing evidence-based guidelines.
Prof Alistair McGregor
Prof McGregor’s research area is understanding how climate change impacts insect development and sensory function. This would involve using interdisciplinary approaches from development, genomics and behaviour to climate science to land management to investigate how robust insect development is in the face of differences in temperature and heat waves, and the consequences for sensory functions such as olfaction and vision.
Dr Jose Munoz
Dr Munoz is interested in developing novel enzymatic systems for the deconstruction of agricultural and food waste. The laboratory is passionate about converting these urban and rural wastes into bioenergy molecules that can be used at home, shipping or even in aviation. These key enzymes would efficiently convert recalcitrant complex materials into useful commodities, decarbonising industries and homes, reducing environmental impact and tackling greenhouse emissions and energy bills. Further details on Dr Munoz’s research can be found here.
Dr Lena Riabinina
Climate change has dramatic effects on insect populations: it leads to the decline of useful insects, like bees, and the spread of insects that transmit diseases, like mosquitoes. Automatic monitoring and identification of insects in the field is thus essential. Dr Riabinina (Biosciences) and Dr Atapour-Abarghouei (amir.atapour-abarghouei@durham.ac.uk, Computer Sciences) invite candidates with a strong background in animal behaviour, sensory ecology, programming, computer vision and AI to co-develop projects on automatic monitoring of bees and mosquitoes.
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