Research
Our research is distinctive in the range and depth of subject coverage. We have traditional strength in the biology of whole organisms and considerable expertise in the application of mathematical, molecular and biophysical methodologies to problems of behavioural, conservation, developmental, environmental and evolutionary biology. In awarding the School a grade 5, the 2001 RAE panel report flagged our international excellence in Behaviour and Sensory Biology and the important discoveries made by several other groups.
Research in the School is focussed in three main areas:
Behaviour, Sensory & Neurobiology
We are interested in understanding the adaptive significance of behaviour, from underlying neural mechanisms (‘how‘, or proximate, questions) through to evolutionary explanations of function (‘why‘, or ultimate, questions).
Ecological & Evolutionary Processes
The Ecology Group undertakes internationally recognised research aimed at understanding the relations between organisms (plant, animal or microbe) at individual, population and community levels, as well as between organisms and their environments.
Plant and Pathogen Biology
The Plant and Pathogen Biology Group supports world-class molecular-based research aimed at understanding the whole organism be it plant, animal or microbe.