This is a 12 month programme with no taught content, instead you will undertake a research project and write a thesis from your results. Like a PhD, you will have a supervisor who is based in your chosen field. MSc by Research will develop your academic and practical skills and can be an excellent option if you want to explore your area of interest further but feel that a PhD is not the right choice at this time. MSc by Research students go on to PhD study or to work in industry.<br><br>Our ecological and evolutionary research ranges from fundamental theory through to directly applied work, at scales ranging from molecular to global and across all the Earth's biomes. Particular strengths include research on biodiversity, evolutionary and developmental biology, host-parasite interactions, invasive alien species, pollination biology, landscape ecology and conservation. Our research has been driving national and international policy agendas around environmental change and global sustainability.<br><br>Ecology and Evolution Research Group (EERG) has a range of active research projects designed to solve real-world problems in species management and conservation. Our work within the UK, in collaboration with industry partners, involves exploring the impacts of wind farms on seabird movement. By mounting GPS trackers on birds, EERG researchers are testing for changes in behaviours around turbines that might have negative consequences on already declining species. Internationally, EERG is working to conserve the Caspian seal within a highly contested part of the world where climate change, pollution, and fisheries are contributing to ecological problems. In addition to the conservation of species, EERG work also uses innovative approaches for the study of problem species. Through extensive experimental work on pests that cause damage to stored food, we are not only generating practical guidance for the management of those pests but also testing key hypotheses about the ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions. A second approach to problem species involves understanding the impacts of invasive non-native species and attempting to stop their spread. This work combines biological research on the impacts of invasive species on ecosystem structure and function with novel methods from the social sciences which seek to understand and reduce behaviours that risk the spread of invasives. These integrated projects are taking place with a range of industrial and policy-focused collaborators to ensure that the work is solving real problems by providing practical solutions.