{"id":335,"date":"2024-12-08T15:16:47","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T15:16:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/ai-intervene\/?page_id=335"},"modified":"2026-05-10T20:02:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T19:02:30","slug":"apply","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/ai-intervene\/apply\/","title":{"rendered":"Apply"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-INTERVENE is not currently open for applications.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

However, keep an eye on this page for updates on the application process to join the third cohort of PhD students to start in October 2027.\u00a0 Applications will open later in 2026.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

AI-INTERVENE is committed to making support for applicants accessible to everyone.<\/p>\n

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us. AI-INTERVENE offers interview guidance to underprivileged groups, so we encourage all to apply. You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.<\/p>\n

For 2026 entry (2nd annual cohort) we will be recruiting up to 12 students. <\/span><\/p>\n

Note: All students (both home and international) students are eligible to apply with the following conditions. For home students<\/strong> full funding will be provided by AI-INTERVENE. For international students applying to PhD projects where UCL are the degree awarding body<\/strong> (see individual advert on FindAPhD.com) full funding will be provided. For international students applying to PhD projects where the University of Reading are the degree awarding body<\/strong> (see individual advert on FindAPhD.com) UKRI funding only covers home fees<\/a> which increase annually, therefore international <\/b>students will be required to pay the difference between the International and Home student fees<\/a> (currently ~\u00a316000-\u00a319000\/year).<\/p>\n

Applying data science and AI methods to biodiversity data is a truly interdiscipinary challenge. We welcome applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and experience. For example, you may have a computer science, engineering or mathematics background, or equally, an ecology, biology or environmental science background. All are welcome.<\/p>\n

Please see the details of specific projects (see link below).<\/p>\n

How to Apply?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

To apply for an AI-INTERVENE PhD please visit FindaPhd’s Ai-INTERVENE landing page at: https:\/\/www.findaphd.com\/phds\/ai-intervene-dfa<\/a>\u00a0 This page contains full details on the list of open projects. Once you have selected a project please apply directly via the Good Grants platform using the following dedicated link: ai-intervene-dfa.grantplatform.com <\/a><\/p>\n

The deadline for applications is January 19th 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The list of projects for 2026 entry are as follows. All PhD degrees wil be conferred through either the University of Reading (UoR)\u00a0 or University College London (UCL).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Project ID<\/strong><\/td>\nProject Title<\/strong><\/td>\nLead Supervisor<\/strong><\/td>\nHost Institution<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
02<\/td>\nAI-Driven Biodiversity Monitoring in Kelp Forests : Estimating Shark Populations through Machine Learning<\/td>\nGlyn Barrett<\/td>\nUoR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
03<\/td>\nLearning from Nature: Cognitive Navigation of Legged Robots for Biodiversity Monitoring<\/td>\nDimitrios Kanoulas<\/td>\nUCL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
04<\/td>\nAI-enabled Construction of an Ecosystem Management Framework that Supports UK Seabirds Conservation<\/td>\nNathalie Pettorelli<\/td>\nZSL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
05<\/td>\nAutonomous Multi-Agent Systems for Warehousing Worldwide Biodiversity Data<\/td>\nFerran Espuny-Pujol<\/td>\nUoR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
07<\/td>\nHow and Why is the Timing of Egg Laying Changing in UK Wild Birds?<\/td>\nKen Norris<\/td>\nNHM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
08<\/td>\nImproving Methodologies of Whole Genome Assembly and Phylogeny Building in Historical Fungal Collections<\/td>\nEster Gaya<\/td>\nRBG Kew<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
09<\/td>\nMedicinal Plants Entering Trade: Local Use to Global Impact<\/td>\nJulie Hawkins<\/td>\nUoR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nRestored Saltmarsh Trajectories (Restored SMART) \u2013 A Machine Learning Evaluation of In Situ Saltmarsh Restoration Methods<\/td>\nJonathan Dale<\/td>\nUoR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/td>\nAutomating Descriptions for the World Flora Online<\/td>\nAlastair Culham<\/td>\nUoR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/td>\nPeatland Pulse: A Smart Sensing Approach to Uncover Biodiversity\u2013Carbon Links during Peatland Restoration<\/td>\nJenna Lawson<\/td>\nUKCEH<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14<\/td>\nCV-Pollin: Low-Energy Computer Vision for Plant-Pollinator Network Monitoring<\/td>\nDeepa Senapathi<\/td>\nUoR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15<\/td>\nPrivacy-Preserving Distributed Embedded AI for Biodiversity Monitoring<\/td>\nXiaomin Chen<\/td>\nUoR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17<\/td>\nThe Colourful Spectrum of Orchid Evolution<\/td>\nChris Vendetti<\/td>\nUoR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18<\/td>\nAdapting to a Changing World: The Mechanisms of Genetic Adaptation to Habitat Aridification<\/td>\nAida Andres<\/td>\nUCL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19<\/td>\nUnlocking Palaeo-Historical Biodiversity Data to Inform Ecological Baselines through AI<\/td>\nStephen Pates<\/td>\nUCL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20<\/td>\nDecoding Airborne eDNA through AI to Uncover Biodiversity and Environmental Health Patterns<\/td>\nSusheel Bhanu Busi<\/td>\nUKCEH<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21<\/td>\nBayesian and Machine Learning Approaches to Reveal the Evolutionary Synamics of the Early Diversification, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution of Living and Fossil Felidae<\/td>\nManabu Sakamoto<\/td>\nUoR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
22<\/td>\nDeveloping AI for the Global Monitoring of Big Cats: Cheetah as a Case Study<\/td>\nSarah Durant<\/td>\nZSL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23<\/td>\nCharacterisation of the Biodiversity and Ecology of Bacteriophages using Large-Scale Analyses of Metagenomic Data<\/td>\nFrancois Balloux<\/td>\nUCL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24<\/td>\n\n

Assessing the Value Added by AI in Seasonal Drought Forecasting for Desert Elephant Conservation<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Guy Cowlishaw<\/td>\nZSL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25<\/td>\n\n

Smart Wasps: A Technological Approach to Unravelling The Secrets of an Insect Apex Predator<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Seirian Sumner<\/td>\nUCL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
26<\/td>\n\n

FlightPath: Predicting Avian Influenza Evolution through AI-Powered Phylodynamics and Bird Migration Modelling<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Lucy van Dorp<\/td>\nUCL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
27<\/td>\n\n

Integrating AI and Aerial Imagery for Automated Wildlife Monitoring in Savannah Ecosystems<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Rajan Amin<\/td>\nZSL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
28<\/td>\n\n

AI-Integrated Network Ecosystem Models for Predicting Biodiversity Change<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Kate Jones<\/td>\nUCL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
29<\/td>\nExpanding Biodiversity Change Horizons with Predictive Models and Large Language Models<\/td>\nRobin Freeman<\/td>\nZSL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

What Happens Next?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

After the application deadline ( January 19th 2026) the AI-INTERVENE Training and Selection Committee will idenity candidates who meet the PhD entry requirements. During February 2026 candidates will be invited to an interview with the supervisory team for the project applied for. Interviews will be online and will be scheduled up until the end of February 2026.<\/span> Candidates will be expected to demonstrate motivation for joining the AI-INTERVENE programme.\u00a0 Shortlisting and interviews will be managed by the project supervisory team, reporting to the AI-INTERVENE Training and Selection Committee. The AI-INTERVENE Training and Selection Committee will then make the final selection of candidates. Offers will be sent to candidates in early March 2026 with the final decision expected within 2 weeks. Successful candidates will then have the opportunity to meet meet with their supervisory team. It is anticpated that final offers to applicants will be made during March 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AI-INTERVENE is not currently open for applications. 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