Xav Harrison

@blongdon.bsky.social @hansonmark.bsky.social 👀

PhD on #microbiomes, #AMR and #migration open for applications until Jan 9th. Part of #NERC GW4+ DLTP

Fieldwork in Iceland on a fantastic model system for behavioural and microbial ecology - the mighty Brent goose!

Send me an email for informal enquiries.

Fully funded NERC GW4+ PhD Opportunity - *Understanding The Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance by Migratory Birds*

Supervised by me, @stubearhop.bsky.social (Exeter) & Patricia Brekke (ZSL). Application deadline 8th January. Please get in touch for more info

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

It wouldn’t be hard to improve on Scholar. But then again, why ISNT there something already? ResearchGate made me cry.

This study highlights the importance of measuring interactions between host, microbiome, pathogen and abiotic environment when studying patterns of infection in the wild.

Props to Emma Remotti from Cardiff who pushed this work forward as part of her MSc. research at the CEC.

Some newts were infected with the Mesomycetozoon pathogen Amphibiothecum. But we found that newts living in lower pH ponds had ⬆️ microbiome diversity and ⬇️ infection burdens.

Predicted functional analysis revealed potential mechanisms by which skin microbiomes can shape host immunity.

New preprint to round off 2025, wrapping up work I did @zslscience.bsky.social and continued @uniexecec.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

We studied skin bacterial community diversity in Palmate Newts from the Isle of Rum.

Pic: dramatic AI newt emerging from (hovering on?) a pond

The little white paws 🤩

Next up in our WAME Seminar series this Thursday 4th December we have 2 exciting talks on Wild Animal Mycobiomes

11am GMT / 12pm CET. Zoom link below

PhD opportunity: MOVE
Details: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...
Deadline: 12/01/26
Supervisors: @shoalgroup.bsky.social, @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social, @wlallen.bsky.social, @nhcooper123.bsky.social, @marinapapa.bsky.social
Apply: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/p...

@blongdon.bsky.social for speciation lecture?

Join us! 🧬🪰🎉🔬

We are currently advertising two #PhD projects to study the #evolution, #development and #genomics of sexual traits in stalk-eyed flies.

Deadline for applying is Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Get in touch for more info!

Fully funded NERC GW4+ PhD Opportunity - *Understanding The Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance by Migratory Birds*

Supervised by me, @stubearhop.bsky.social (Exeter) & Patricia Brekke (ZSL). Application deadline 8th January. Please get in touch for more info

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Super cool work Jolyon at al!

We have just launched our projects for #phd studentships starting in Sept 26 🙌

⏰Application deadline: Midday, Wed 3 Dec 25

Come and see the (wide!) range of #bioscience projects 👉 tinyurl.com/3m9um286

PhD studentship on antimicrobial resistance in wild baboons! Fully-funded by @swbiodtp.bsky.social Application deadline: Wed 3 Dec 2025. More details: bpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.bristo.... Apply here: www.swbio.ac.uk/programme/ho...
@inesfuertbauer.bsky.social @xavh.bsky.social

Please do get in touch about any of these opportunities. Moree detail to follow soon over at the lab website
xavharrison.github.io

Another AMR PhD! Understanding how host behaviour and physiology can shape AMR dynamics in wild baboons! Jointly supervised with @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social at Swansea and funded by @swbiodtp.bsky.social
#amr #baboons

Next - understanding the dynamics of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Gamebirds (lead supervisor @btschirren.bsky.social ) Funded by @swbiodtp.bsky.social

bpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.bristo...

First up - understanding how the host microbiome can shape prevalence and severity of infection with Mycobacterium bovis in wild European Badgers, funded by @swbiodtp.bsky.social

bpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.bristo...

Co-supervised by @btschirren.bsky.social
#mycobacterium #badger #melesmeles

Several opportunities to join the Wild Microbiome Lab in 2026 to do a PhD! Details below
#phd #ecology @uniexecec.bsky.social

Work with myself + ⭐ team @xavh.bsky.social & @darrenobbard.bsky.social on the 'Ecological and Evolutionary determinants of the bacterial microbiomes of UK moths'. Please get in touch if you are a Chinese student who likes host-pathogen interactions and would like to live in beautiful Cornwall.

@nakedprimate.bsky.social Driving to London listening to you on the BBC Inside Science podcast. Awesome stuff !

This work highlights value (and difficulty) of quantifying the relative importance of multiple drivers of wild animal microbiomes; only then can we identify links between host-associated microbes and animal health.

Superb team effort from @uniexecec.bsky.social, @zslscience.bsky.social and APHA

We find noisy but significant social group effects linked to bacterial community composition, but also individual differences in the faecal microbiota correlated with chronological age and probability of infection with the pathogen Mycobacterium bovis.

New preprint out from the lab, led by PhD student Tasha Meadows, and the culmination of many years collaboration with APHA and Woodchester Park

Here we look at spatial and within-individual dynamics of faecal bacterial communities in European Badgers

ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

AI generated image showing flock of sheep, shoal of fish, flock of birds and swarm robots

1/3

www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate...

PhD studentship! Comparative Analysis and Modelling of Collective Behaviour in Natural and Artificial Systems.

**this scholarship for UK residents only, as defined by UKCISA regulations**

Details below! Please RT

(AI-generated image)

Delighted to be involved in this work just out in @currentbiology.bsky.social led by the awesome @acbowland.bsky.social and @kjhockings.bsky.social

Want to be a field assistant in Sweden this summer?!

📑 Applications should include a motivation letter (1 page), a CV (detailing relevant experience), and contact information of two references. Send the above as a single PDF to b.tschirren@exeter.ac.uk by May 1st 2025.

🌍 #ExeterCEC #Internship

Just out "Making sense of the virome in light of evolution and ecology" doi.org/10.1098/rspb... from super ⭐ team @meganawallace.bsky.social @duckswabber.bsky.social @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social @ryanmimrie.bsky.social @eddieholmes.bsky.social @xavh.bsky.social in Proc B @royalsocietypublishing.org