About the Project
Competition shapes some of the most important decisions animals make. The presence of rivals can drive individuals to work harder, pursue rewards more intensely and even take dangerous risks. Across species, competition for mates, food and social status can profoundly influence how animals balance potential rewards against threats. Yet despite the fundamental importance of competition in nature and society, we still know remarkably little about how the brain transforms competition into changes in decision making.
How does the presence of a rival change the way the brain evaluates rewards and risks? And can competitive experiences leave lasting traces in neural circuits that influence future decisions?
This PhD project will address these questions using the fruit fly Drosophila a powerful model for uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying complex behaviours.
Our laboratory recently discovered a neural mechanism through which dopamine enables male flies to suppress responses to danger and persist in courtship as they approach mating (Cazalé-Debat et al., Nature 2024). Building on this discovery, we will investigate how social competition influences the neural circuits that control behavioural priorities. We hypothesise that competition alters internal brain states, shifting the balance between reward seeking and threat avoidance, and that previous competitive experiences can produce lasting changes in how animals make decisions.
The student will combine state-of-the-art techniques, including quantitative behavioural tracking, advanced genetics, multiphoton imaging, neural circuit manipulation, connectomics, molecular approaches such as CRISPR-based genome editing, and computational analysis to address three fundamental questions:
- How does the brain detect and encode competition? We will identify the neurons and circuits that detect the presence of rivals and determine how competitive signals influence the neural mechanisms controlling reward seeking and risk taking.
- How does previous social experience shape future decisions? We will investigate whether competitive experiences produce persistent changes in neural circuit function, and how these changes influence subsequent behavioural choices.
- Do common neural mechanisms govern competition across different behavioural contexts? We will explore whether competition recruits shared neural mechanisms to influence decisions involving different rewards and risks.
This project offers exceptional training in modern systems neuroscience, combining live brain imaging, molecular and genetic approaches, neural circuit analysis and computational methods. The successful candidate will work at the interface of neuroscience, behaviour, evolution and psychology, with opportunities to collaborate with researchers in the UK, Germany and Switzerland.
By revealing how competition changes the brain, this research may provide broader insights into motivation, behavioural flexibility and maladaptive risk taking.
For more information about our research, visit https://www.rezavallab.org/.
Funding notes:
This is a PhD studentship with the Midlands Integrated Biosciences Training Partnership, funded by BBSRC and in partnership with the University of Warwick, University of Birmingham, Aston University, Harper Adams University, Coventry University, and the University of Leicester.
For more details please visit: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/mibtp/ or https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/about/college-of-life-and-environmental-sciences/midlands-integrative-biosciences-training-partnership
Application link:
How do potential applicants apply?
This opportunity is open to applicants from the UK, Europe and internationally. If you are interested in applying. Interested applicants should contact Prof Carolina Rezaval ASAP with a cover letter explaining their research interests, relevant experience and motivation for joining the laboratory.
Full details of the application process for students can be found on the UoB MIBTP webpage.
References:
Mating proximity blinds threat perception. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s[contact details available in the full listing].
Laurie Cazalé-Debat*, Lisa Scheunemann*, Megan Day, Tania Fernandez-d.V. Alquicira, Anna Dimtsi, Youchong Zhang, Lauren A Blackburn, Charles Ballardini, Katie Greenin-Whitehead, Eric Reynolds, Andrew C Lin, David Owald, and Carolina Rezaval.
A neuronal mechanism controlling the choice between feeding and sexual behaviors in Drosophila.
Cheriyamkunnel SJ*, Rose S*, Jacob PF, Blackburn LA, Glasgow S, Moorse J, Winstanley M, Moynihan PJ, Waddell S, Rezaval C. Curr Biol. 2021
Neuroscience: How the brain prioritizes behaviors.
Barajas-Azpeleta, R, Tastekin I and Ribeiro C. Curr Biol. 2021.
Bellen, H., Tong, C. & Tsuda, H. 100 years of Drosophila research and its impact on vertebrate neuroscience: a history lesson for the future. Nat Rev Neurosci 11, 514–522 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2839
