Applications are invited for a 3.5 year PhD studentship with Marine Research Plymouth – a collaborative partnership between the University of Plymouth, the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Marine Biological Association. The studentship is due to start on 1 October 2025.
We anticipate supporting one position, which will be allocated to the best combination of candidate and project as they emerge from interviews across the pool of available topics for this studentship.
Plymouth has been at the forefront of global marine research for more than a century, and today it is home to the largest concentration of marine researchers in the UK. Come and join our vibrant community of marine PhD students.
Explore the following available projects
Second Supervisor (External Lead): Dr Glen Wheeler
Lead Supervisor (DoS): Dr George Littlejohn
Third Supervisor: Professor Helen Findlay
The development of ocean carbon dioxide removal (oCDR) technologies, aimed at helping oceans sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide to prevent excessive warming of our planet, have attracted substantial interest recently. Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is one such example, where the addition of finely ground mineral rocks to seawater causes carbon dioxide to be drawn down. The project will examine the impact of OAE on marine phytoplankton, testing the resilience of various species to episodes of low carbon dioxide, which will help us understand how, when and where oCDR technologies can be deployed.
Second Supervisor (External Lead): Dr Lilian Lieber (also at UoP)
Lead Supervisor (DoS): Professor Alex Nimmo Smith
Third Supervisor: Dr Peter Miller
The rapid expansion of floating offshore wind (FLOW) infrastructure into deeper, seasonally stratified shelf seas like the Celtic Sea could have profound consequences for ocean dynamics through impacts on ocean fronts, and hence for key ecosystem drivers. Ocean fronts form at the interface of tidally well-mixed and seasonally stratified waters, providing biological hotspots. Despite their recognized importance, frontal habitats remain poorly studied and FLOW impacts are virtually unknown. This project will utilise autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and high-resolution satellite remote sensing to understand FLOW interactions with ocean dynamics in the Celtic Sea, addressing the need for innovative monitoring approaches.
Second Supervisor (External Lead): Professor Kerry Howell (also at UoP)
Lead Supervisor (DoS): Dr Dena Bazazian
Third Supervisor: Dr Pierre Hélaouët
Fourth Supervisor: Dr David Moffat
The health of our oceans is critical to the planet’s overall environmental stability, yet marine biodiversity is under increasing threat from climate change, overfishing, and pollution. Traditional methods of monitoring underwater ecosystems are often limited by challenges such as difficult access and poor visibility. There is an urgent need for innovative approaches that can provide accurate, real-time biodiversity data. This project seeks to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced computer vision to transform monitoring of underwater ecosystems. Automating species identification and behaviour analysis will improve the quality and efficiency of biodiversity assessments, providing vital insights to support conservation and sustainable management of marine resources.
Eligibility
Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree in an appropriate subject or a relevant Masters qualification. Also, non-native English speakers must have an IELTS Academic score of that meets the minimum for the relevant PhD programme, or equivalent. Please refer to the individual projects for full details.
The studentship is supported for 3.5 years and includes full home tuition fees plus a stipend at the 2025/26 rate (to be confirmed; compare the 2024/25 UKRI rate of £19,237 per annum). The last 6 months of the four-year registration period is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ period. The studentship will only fully fund those applicants who are eligible for home fees with relevant qualifications. Applicants normally required to cover international fees will have to cover the difference between the home and the international tuition fee rates (to be confirmed; compare the 2024/25 rate of £13,244).
If you wish to discuss any of the projects further informally, please contact the relevant lead supervisor.
The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Monday 6 January 2025.
Shortlisted candidates will be informed as soon as possible after the deadline, with interviews likely to take place in the second half of February. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider that their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
