Robyn Grant

We’re interested in folks applying from all manner of disciplinary backgrounds. Biology, zoology of course. But also computer science, remote sensing, architecture. If you’re keen to work with LiDAR and point clouds, we’d like to hear from you!

Doctoral scholarships Find out what doctoral research scholarships are available at Manchester Met and sign up for vacancy alerts.

We are advertising a Sensory Ecology, Zoo Biology funded PhD opportunity, led by @cbrassey.bsky.social in partnership with Chester Zoo. Using some super-cool 3D scanning techniques and thinking about visual fields and enclosure design. Send round all your friends!
www.mmu.ac.uk/study/postgr...

Just as well I kept my super old laptop, which is now the only computer that can run my highspeed video camera! My old faithful! I feel there are many weird old computers littered around universities that are kept around to run that one machine or one programme!

I spent a fabulous afternoon at Stroud Green Primary School in London, chatting about all things whiskery and what I do as a scientist.

Absolutely thrilled to be a part of this awesome special issue on Sensory Perception in a Changing World.

And if you are interested in how whisker sensing might be affected in a changing world, then do check out my contribution: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Our new paper studying cortisol and behaviour during seal pup rehabilitation. Another fabulous output from Michal Zatrak's PhD.
authors.elsevier.com/c/1mOZQcF2O~...

I am having an amazing time observing the grey seals in Norfolk this week. There is a lot going on here, lots of young shedding their white coats and growing up!

Have a great winter break, and a nice Christmas to anyone who celebrates.

Don't worry; it's not all doom -- the seals are amazingly resilient, and the story also features an adorable ginger albino pup called Golden Boy & a team of scientists at the top of their various games, including Jody Weir, Wendi Roe @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social & @robyngrant.bsky.social 👩‍🔬🦭🧪

Silent Spring Last year, they were hit with a deadly virus. The year before that, starvation. What will this breeding season bring for the thousands of fur seals hauled up on our coasts?

Photographer Richard Robinson & I spent the spring documenting the toughest time of year for Kaikōura's fur seals. In the last 2 years they've faced starvation and a new virus -- now, as bird flu looms, what will this breeding season hold? nzgeo.com/stories/silent-spring 🧪🦭 @nzgeo.bsky.social

I watched the online premier of the @beavertrust.bsky.social #BalancingTheScales yesterday. It was beautifully filmed and lovely to see such a complex story summarised.

We're looking for a new postdoc on our new BBSCR grant (Graham Taylor/Tim Guilford/Cait Newport). See link below!

my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

Catching the end of #SuperSeabirdSunday to show you a pic from our recent Albatross tour in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Amazing!

I am reviewing all my new kiwi footage wearing my new kiwi t-shirt... which quite exciting :)

Yes, we think they are especially long and sensitive in birds that forage in dark complex habitats. But it would be good to see some fun behavioural studies too!

Applications for Winter 2025 conference attendance grants are trickling in, awarding up to £500 with a high success rate (if eligible).
Deadline isn't until 1st October, but don't forget to get referee statements in by then too!
All the info you need is here:
www.asab.org/conference-g...
@asab.org

*****EVERY EPISODE OF COUNT DUCKULA IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON ITVX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*****

I had such a great time at Orana Wildlife park yesterday planning our first research projects together. Exciting :)

Winter ASAB 2025 December 15th-16th Edinburgh ASABwinter.github.io/2025/ How sensory information affects behaviour Logo of a moth

Join us for #ASABWinter2025 in Edinburgh Dec 15-16 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Abstracts for posters/talks due Aug 29

More details here: asabwinter.github.io/2025/

‘Walk on the wild side’ with Harry Gill Evolution Education Trust PhD Scholar Harry Gill, PhD researcher and Evolution Education Trust Scholar, is leading the project ‘Walk on the Wild Side: Investigating human perception of biological motion’ which explores how well dog owners...

You can read more about Harry's PhD work here:
www.mmu.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

Harry Gill first PhD paper is out, applying @deeplabcut.bsky.social to dog gait analyses ... and it worked pretty well :)
You can access the paper here:
authors.elsevier.com/c/1lXNEcF2Ow...
@cbrassey.bsky.social

New Comparative Anatomy Textbook! Completely free to read and open access!

doi.org/10.59319/YHF...

Kaikoura seal colonies, NZ, are just fantastic, there is just so much going on there! The behaviour is astounding and the whiskers are fabulous!

I had an amazing day with the Kaikoura NZ Department of Conservation Team learning about their seal conservation work. What great work they do!

The Development of Facial Bristles in Tawny Frogmouths (Podargus strigoides) Facial bristles are present in many avian species, although their morphology and function are still not well understood. Previous studies have suggested that rictal bristles are tactile and may play ...

We have a new paper on rictal bristle development in Tawny Frogmouths:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
@isdp.org

Can we study whisker movements to gain insights into the natural sensory behaviours of mammals? Abstract figure legend The recommended future of whisker science research is integrating findings from the laboratory with studies from other captive institutions (such as zoos, rehabilitation centre...

Excited to share my review @jphysiol.bsky.social :
Can we study whisker movements to gain insights into the natural sensory behaviours of mammals?
doi.org/10.1113/JP28...
I recommend developing more social and active foraging tasks and including a wider variety of species in lab studies

Adaptive landscapes unveil the complex evolutionary path from sprawling to upright forelimb function and posture in mammals The ‘sprawling-to-parasagittal’ postural transition is a key part of mammalian evolution from non-mammalian synapsids. This study uses evolutionary adaptive landscapes to reveal parasagittal postures ...

I'm so excited to share my latest paper out now! How did the ancestors of mammals make the switch from sprawling to upright, taking over the world in the process? Spoiler alert; it's complicated! journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

We are looking for a Research Assistant to contribute to our ongoing analysis of dolphin acoustic data from West Wales - collaboration between @wtsww.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social 🐬
Deadline is 29th June - please share widely!
www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...

🦭🔥Hot off the press! 🔥🦭 Check out this exciting work from @robyngrant.bsky.social and colleagues looking at the wonderful world of whiskers! #anatomy #comparative #whiskers

Determining modulus of elasticity using finite element analysis and non‐destructive testing: Are aquatic animal whiskers stiffer? The values of the modulus of elasticity (E) for each species whiskers were obtained when the FE model was aligned to the maximum displacement values of the experiment. Grey seal E values were larger ...

Check out our new paper in @journalofanatomy.bsky.social with @cbrassey.bsky.social using FEA and bend tests to show that seal whiskers are stiffer - in both shape and material - than terrestrial species.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...