PhD Studentship: SafeHike - Remote Monitoring of Small Mammals for Conservation and Public Health

[Course fees covered at home level; stipend of £20,780 p.a. for the first year and at least this amount for a further 2.5 years; overseas students must self-fund the difference in fees.] The University of Oxford is offering a fully funded 3.5-year D.Phil. (PhD) studentship titled 'SafeHike - Remote Monitoring of Small Mammals for Conservation and Public Health.' This research opportunity is based in the Department of Engineering Science and supervised by Professor Maurice Fallon. The project addresses the growing public health concern of Lyme disease, a bacterial illness spread by ticks, which are commonly found in forests and woodlands. The prevalence and distribution of Lyme disease are increasing, partly due to climate change, making it essential to develop new methods for monitoring tick activity and their small mammal hosts. The SafeHike project aims to design and deploy remote monitoring stations capable of tracking the presence and activity of ticks via mice and other rodents. The research will involve developing technology and cyber physical systems, such as automated traps, to enable data-driven analysis of tick presence. Key scientific components include image processing using traditional and thermal cameras, edge computing, classification algorithms, and statistical activity analysis. The project will culminate in the deployment of prototype technology in a real-world testbed, likely in the United States, with the goal of establishing a sensor network for spatial modelling of parasite activity across large areas. Beyond tick monitoring, the technology developed may be adapted for other wildlife behaviour analysis tasks, contributing to broader conservation and biodiversity monitoring efforts. The studentship is generously funded by the Breitman Family Foundation, covering course fees at the home student rate and providing a tax-free maintenance stipend of approximately £20,780 per annum for the first year, with at least this amount for the subsequent 2.5 years. Overseas students are eligible but must self-fund the difference between home and overseas fees. Eligibility requirements include a first class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent) in Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, or Physics. Applicants should possess excellent English written and spoken communication skills. Desirable skills include prior study in computer vision, robotics, electronics, or related disciplines, an interest in biodiversity monitoring and public health, and programming proficiency in Python, C++, or similar languages. All candidates must meet the University of Oxford's graduate admissions criteria. Prospective applicants are encouraged to make informal enquiries to Professor Maurice Fallon at [email protected]. To apply, submit a graduate application form via the University of Oxford website, quoting reference 26ENGIN_MF in all correspondence and your application. The application deadline is noon on 3 March 2026, with the successful candidate expected to start in October 2026. For further details and to access the application portal, visit: Research Studentship in Wildlife Monitoring .