Research grant success for UEA microbiologist

Last month, a new research grant was awarded to Dr Gabrielle Davidson from the University of East Anglia’s School of Biological Science. Funding came from the UK Research and Innovation Natural Environment Research Council (UKRI-NERC) – a driving force of investment in environmental and associated sciences in the UK.

Dr Davidson secured almost £1m funding for a project called “Acquisition of beneficial gut microbes and functional trade-offs in wild avian hosts” and will be leading the project with Prof Lindsay Hall (Quadram Institute and University of Birmingham). This work will pinpoint which microbes drive host fitness, uncover how they shape host phenotypes and resolve why gut microbiomes vary so widely in wildlife.

Dr Davidson’s research group focuses on the environmental and social determinants of individual differences in gut microbiome and how the gut microbiome impacts host cognition across heterogeneous environments. They manage long-term monitored population of great tits and blue tits, including on UEA campus and woodlands, and implement the use of Radio Frequency Identification technology integrated into nest boxes and feeders to autonomously measure cognition and behaviour in the wild.

Follow this link for more details about Dr Davidson’s work

This grant was part of the NERC Pushing the Frontiers scheme which funds ambitious, high-risk and high-reward projects looking at ways to help us sustain and benefit from our natural resources, predict and respond to natural hazards and understand environmental change.

We look forward to hearing from Dr Davidson over the coming months to find out how this collaborative project develops.