Jim Galloway

2017: PhD researcher, Sensory Ecology Lab (Martin Stevens, Exeter) and Ecology of Vision Lab (Nick Roberts, Bristol)

2016-2017: MSc Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology, University of Exeter.

2012-2015: BSc Biology (Hons), Royal Holloway University of London.

Previous research

BSc Biology (Hons), Royal Holloway University of London, 2012 - 2015- I obtained a BSc Biology from Royal Holloway University of London in 2015, where my undergraduate research project tested the potential for DNA Barcoding to be used as a tool for identifying pasitoids of the Short-haired Bumblebee. Following my undergraduate degree, I stayed at Royal Holloway for 3 months as a research assistant on a project examining the phylogeography of the bumblebee parasite Spherularia bombi.

MSc Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology, 2016 - 2017- In September2016 I started an MSc in Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology at the University of Exeter. My research project was with the Sensory Ecology lab, and used Hippolyte varians, the chameleon prawn, and rock gobies to directly examine the effectiveness of camouflage (specifically background matching) as an antipredator defence.  This research involved the creation of artificial rockpools with one colour of seaweed, and prawns that both matched and didn’t match the seaweed to see if those that matched had a survival advantage.

Research project

My PhD project aims to examine the role of vision in animals capable of colour change, and how this ability to change colour aids in camouflage. I am specifically looking at the role vision plays in allowing animals capable of colour change to match their background.

This research will examine how animals capable of changing colour use it to adapt to environmental variation, not just the visual difference in backgrounds, but to changes in light conditions as well.