- Vacancy Reference Number
- Mres25
- Closing Date
- 4 Apr 2027
- Salary
- n/a
- Duration
- 1 year
Understanding how the insect brain functions and generates behaviours is crucial for ecology, biodiversity, agriculture, pest control, disease prevention and robotics. Advances in computer vision, AI and genetic tools now enable detailed analysis of molecular, cellular and whole-organism behavioural processes, which allow researchers to uncover fundamental biological mechanisms and develop applied solutions.
This MRes project will focus on automated tracking, multimodal sensing and advanced computational models to decode how insects perceive, navigate and respond to their environments.
There is a wide range of possible research directions for the student to specialise in an area of interest. All projects have direct relevance to fundamental neuroscience, pollinator conservation and disease vector control. Some examples include:
• Automated Behavioural Analysis in Insects: Contributing to behavioural assay development, experimental design and execution of behavioural studies in collaboration with the supervisory team.
• Insect Brain Imaging for Anatomy and Neural Activity Mapping: Focusing on 1) live imaging of neuronal activity in genetically modified mosquitoes, to analyse how insect brains process sensory information, or 2) Imaging of brains of mosquitoes and bees to understand and characterise their brain anatomy and the factors that affect brain development. The images of brains will be obtained either via optical microscopy methods (e.g. confocal microscopy) or with the help of the synchrotron radiation tomography. The student may also contribute to the image acquisition.
• Multimodal Perception in Pollinators: Investigating how bees use multisensory cues to navigate their environments and interact with their surroundings.
• AI for Disease Vector Monitoring and Control: Applying computer vision and machine learning to analyse mosquito physiology and behaviour to assist in the development of automated monitoring and control systems.
• Neuromorphic Models Inspired by Insect Intelligence: Designing bio-inspired AI systems that mimic insect neural circuits for autonomous robotic perception and navigation for real-time adaptation to complex and dynamic environments.
OUR RESOURCES
Durham University hosts the UK regional supercomputer, Bede, with 128 NVIDIA V100 GPUs. In addition, our the Department of Computer Sciences hosts a NVIDIA CUDA Centre that caters to the increasing GPU demands for research purposes. Our Computer Sciences laboratories have access to a variety of sensors, LiDAR, RADAR, EEG, drones, robots, cameras, etc.
The Biosciences Department has a wealth of expertise in Ecology, Animal Behaviour, Cell and Molecular biology, Physiology and Neuroscience. The Department has state-of-the-art Bioimaging facilities, equipped with confocal, light-sheet, two-photon and electron microscopes. The Department also has multiple fully equipped molecular biology laboratories and insectaries.
SUPERVISION
You will be supervised by Dr. Amir Atapour-Abarghouei (http://www.atapour.co.uk/ ) and Dr. Lena Riabinina (http://insectneurolab.com/ ).
Dr. Atapour-Abarghouei is an expert in AI-driven visual perception, multimodal learning and efficient deep learning for real-world applications, with expertise spanning computer vision, robotic autonomy, anomaly detection and AI interpretability.
He has published in top-tier AI venues, including CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, ICML, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, and IEEE Transactions on Multimedia. His research has significantly impacted areas such as autonomous robotics, AI-driven perception, and computational intelligence. He collaborates with academia, AI research groups, and industry partners on developing next-generation adaptive and efficient AI systems for perception and behavioural analysis.
Dr. Riabinina is an expert in insect behaviour, olfactory processing, visual navigation and brain function, using techniques ranging from AI-based behavioural tracking to advanced imaging and genetic tools. She has published in leading neuroscience and biology journals, including Nature Methods, Current Biology and Nature Communications. Her research has direct applications in pollinator conservation, mosquito-borne disease control and biohybrid robotics.
DURING THE MRES STUDY, YOU WILL RECEIVE:
• Regular one-to-one meetings for guidance on research direction, problem-solving, and project development.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities, working at the intersection of computer vision, sensory neuroscience and ecology and AI-driven bio-inspired robotics.
• Access to cutting-edge experimental and computational resources, including Durham’s GPU clusters, advanced imaging facilities, and insect behavior research labs.
Both Dr. Atapour-Abarghouei and Dr. Riabinina have supervised numerous undergraduate, MSc, and PhD students, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in academia, research and industry. Their supervision approach emphasises independent research and interdisciplinary problem-solving, to enable students to develop into highly skilled researchers with expertise in AI, vision-based behaviour analysis and neuroscience and neuroethology.
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Durham University is a world top-100 university and is ranked the 6th in the UK. As a member university of the elite Russell Group, Durham University focuses on research excellence delivered by world-leading academics. It is located at Durham in North East England – one of the safest cities in the UK with an affordable living cost.
Entry Requirements
• A relevant undergraduate degree with good scores.
• Knowledge of modern programming languages.
• Meet Durham's English requirements (https://www.dur.ac.uk/study/international/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/).
HOW TO APPLY
Please send an email with your resume, transcripts and any supporting documents to Dr. Atapour-Abarghouei at amir.atapour-abarghouei@durham.ac.uk or Dr. Riabinina at olena.riabinina@durham.ac.uk for an initial discussion.
________________________________________
FUNDING NOTES
This is a self-funded position and applications are welcome all year round.
Further Information
http://insectneurolab.com/, http://www.atapour.co.uk/
Contact Details
Dr. Atapour-Abarghouei at amir.atapour-abarghouei@durham.ac.uk or Dr. Riabinina at olena.riabinina@durham.ac.uk
