5A. Overview of the
proposal emphasizing particularly how the proposal meets the aims of the
HFSP. Read the instructions carefully. Do not exceed 10 000 characters
including spaces and punctuation. Candidates with dual affiliations
should specify where their part of the project will be conducted
This project will address one of the fundamental questions in biology:
how animals navigate. Such a project requires cross disciplinary
researchers to model the physical signals released by the earth, the
structural mechanism by which animals could detect these signals and the
behavioural response which we see in nature (the navigation itself).
Current research has failed to reach a consensus on how animals
navigate, and in particular, animals which navigate across the ocean are
particularly poorly understood as they cannot use static features orient
themselves.
About the CTBTO infrasound network – what has it be used for in the
past?
We believe to advance our understanding of how animals navigate requires
a multi-disciplinary project. The lack of current consensus on the
mechanisms through which animals can navigate may result from the
limitations of single discipline research and the mechanism is likely to
be complex. This project will bring together geophysics, atmospheric and
oceanic modelling, behavioural ecology, physiology and spatial
modelling.
What does each component bring
Each researcher is integral to the project and their involvement will
continue through for the duration. There are four work packages, each
lead by a member of the team, and this will ensure a sustained
investment by all researchers throughout. The expertise available
through the international nature of the grants is not available in any
single country involved, stressing the essential for intercontinental
collaboration.
The combination of expertise involved in this grant results in an
innovative and cutting edge research at the frontiers of the life
sciences which will draw together fields of research which have never
been brought together before in such a way. This is a truly blue skies
project, with a high risk – high gain research plan, will push the
boundaries of our understanding of navigation across the animal kingdom.
It will combine extraordinary datasets which, without interdisciplinary
collaboration, are inaccessible for researchers to use together.
Interdisciplinary group will bring together not only data sets, but also
ideas and theories from different scientific fields, along with
different ways of thinking and analysing data which would lead to very
different ways of approaching scientific questions. Moreover, our team
of scientists are spread across three continents which will enable us to
maximise the benefits of scientific practices and strengths of different
regions. Many other grant schemes limit international collaboration as
financial support is limited to a single country. The HFSP research
grant is unlikely placed to allow this intercontinental, international
project and will break down geographical borders often imposed by other
funding schemes. Our team is also gender balanced, which is in keeping
with the ethos of HFSP.
Supporting four young and exciting early career researchers who have
just reached independence. Will allow them each to explore novel,
scientific avenues which would support the development of their research
group and establish cross-disciplinary collaborations for the future.
Young researchers often have new and exciting ways of viewing questions
and analyses, and support during this early independence phase can lead
to great scientists of the future. Funding early in a scientist’s career
often acts as a catalyst to future funding and internationally
importance research.
There is no other research funding opportunity that would fund this
project, making HFSP uniquely places to support such research. While all
participants are experts in their own field, this kind of
interdisciplinary project is needed to cohesively join these experts to
address one of the fundamental questions in nature.
This project is highly accessible to the general public and we will
invest time and resource in the dissemination of the findings. The
charismatic nature of seabirds attracts interest from the public and the
concept of navigation is easy to relate to. We therefore feel that there
would be both interest and excitement surrounding our findings.
The impact of the research would extend beyond the questions posed in
the project.
Models – ocean and weather informed models
Instiu measures of infrasound to calibrate current models
The combination of movement modelling techniques across disciplines
Exciting and inspiring project that will captivate the general public as
well as the scientific community.