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Postgraduate Courses

Postgraduate Information

Zoology welcomes motivated graduates wishing to pursue postgraduate study.  NUI Galway’s Postgraduate Research Prospectus outlines a three-step PhD application process: 

Step 1: Find a supervisor

If you think you would like to undertake research towards a PhD in the following broad areas, then get in touch by email.  You will find more detailed information on each staff member’s research pages.

 Dr Louise Allcock  - works on extreme marine environments: Antarctica and the deep sea.  She is interested particularly in the benthic fauna of submarine canyon systems and is fascinated by cephalopods, especially their evolution.

 Dr Tom Doyle - is an expert on jellyfish and other gelatinous zooplankton.  He uses biotelemetry to document the movement of jellies in the ocean, and also applies these tracking techniques to blue sharks, sea bass, and other ocean predators.

 Dr Michel Dugon – is interested in the evolution, development and ultrastructure of venom systems in terrestrial arthropods, particularly centipedes and arachnids.

Dr Bob Kennedy - is a benthic ecologist researching how macrofaunal community structure and behaviour are linked to bioturbation in soft sediments.  He uses sediment profile imagery (SPI) to study these processes in situ.

Dr Colin Lawton - is a mammal ecologist particularly interested in the ecology of invasive species such as the grey squirrel and the conservation of native species such as the endemic Irish stoat.

Dr Grace McCormack – is an evolutionary biologist currently focusing on the evolution of marine sponges.  She is also interested in the causes and spread of diseases including HIV in humans, pathogens and parasitesin bees and the adaptive evolution of honeybees.

Dr Kieran McCarthy - is interested in freshwater and diadromous fish in Ireland, with a focus on migratory behaviour and conservation.

Dr Anne Marie Power - is interested in sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, community ecology and impacts of climate change, and in marine natural products  - particularly the potential of barnacles to yield wet-setting glue for medical purposes.

Step 2: Investigate scholarships and funding

 Current Zoology PhD and Masters students are funded under a range of schemes including Hardiman and Dr Tony Ryan Research Scholarships, NUI Galway College of Science Scholarships, Irish Research Council postgraduate scholarships, and Science without Borders (Ciência sem Fronteiras).  You can find details of these and other scholarship schemes in the NUI Galway Postgraduate Research Prospectus.  Your chosen academic supervisor can give you further advice on which might be the most appropriate scholarship to apply for.

Step 3: Apply online

Look up the Entry Requirements:

Structured PhD, GYR12

MSc GYT47 (full-time), GYT48 (part-time)

Apply online through the PAC system