About the Project
The studentship is with the University of Salford and the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Trust
Academic Supervisor: Dr. Robert Jehle
Academic Co-Supervisor: Dr. Victoria Franks
Industrial Supervisors: Dr. John Baker, Jim Foster
The studentship is fully funded and includes:
- A fee waiver
- A stipend of £22,852 pa for three years
Final date for applications: 4th October 2026
Interviews will be held October 2026
The candidate must be in a position to register by January 2027
Information regarding habitat requirements and population ecology is essential for conservation management and planning. The northern pool frog Pelophylax lessonae is one of only four frog and toad species native to the UK and was presumed extinct here by the mid-1990s. Reintroduction of the species, in 2005-2008, followed a carefully planned strategy, coordinated by the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (ARC) Trust conjunction with Natural England and other partners. The re-introduction took place using pool frogs from Sweden, released at a site geographically close to where the last pre-extirpation populations were found. Two new populations became successively established but remain small despite proactive measures such as head-starting of offspring. The northern pool frog remains one of the rarest British vertebrate species, and is classified as Critically Endangered at the England level using IUCN Red List criteria. Over the next decade, planned recovery efforts include establishing new populations using captive bred frogs.
The aim of the present PhD will be to fill in critical knowledge gaps regarding pool frog aquatic and terrestrial habitat use and population ecology, in order to inform current and future work by the ARC Trust and partners towards the establishment of new populations. More specifically, the PhD will include the creation of detailed, three-dimensional habitat classifications based on cutting-edge technology, combined with the tracking and tagging of individual frogs in the field and a desk-based population viability analysis. A better understanding of habitat preferences will be essential to identify and prepare future translocation sites, and to guide ongoing management of both existing and additional sites. It may also explain the differences in success of the two reintroduced populations and provide important lessons for future recovery work.
The PhD will be jointly supervised by staff from the ARC Trust (Dr. John Baker, Jim Foster) and the University of Salford (Dr. Robert Jehle). It will also receive additional input from a range of academics and practitioners from both institutions, and from existing collaborators.
Candidates: Candidates are required to have a 1st or 2:1 BSc degree in a relevant field. Possessing an MSc degree is advantageous but not essential. We expect applicants to have previous field work experience with native amphibians. The study will involve relocating to Norfolk for parts of spring and summer for years 1 and 2. The position would exclude those who keep captive amphibians or reptiles during the PhD period, since wild pool frogs are vulnerable to disease, and keeping captive animals markedly increases the risk of pathogen transfer.
Funding Eligibility: This studentship is only available to students with settled status in the UK, as classified by EPSRC eligibility.
Enquiries: Informal enquiries may be made to Dr. Robert Jehle by email: r.jehle@salford.ac.uk
A curriculum vitae and supporting statement explaining their interest (one page maximally) should be sent to: m.watts@salford.ac.uk
Note to applicant: In addition to applying for this role the successful candidate will also be required to complete the University application process which applies to all students wishing to study at The University of Salford. How to apply for research studies can be found here: https://www.salford.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/applying/applying-for-research