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Current PhD positions
PhD: The role of zinc in the adaptation of diatoms to conditions of polar oceans – Apply here
Institution: University of East Anglia, UK
Supervisor(s): Prof. Tom Mock
Description: Diatoms are the main primary producers in polar oceans, where photosynthesis is largely limited by seasonal fluctuation in light, temperature and the extent of sea ice. Additionally, essential trace metals such as iron and zinc play an important role in controlling the biomass of polar primary producers. Polar diatoms appear to have a particularly high demand for zinc, thereby largely determining zinc distribution throughout the global ocean. The reason for the enhanced requirement of zinc in polar diatoms remains enigmatic. However, the first genome sequences from a polar diatom and other cold-adapted algae revealed adaptive expansions of gene families containing zinc-binding domains. The elevated concentrations of zinc in polar oceans may thus have aided the expansion of these zinc-binding domains. As specific gene families involved in photosynthesis and carbon fixation were both co-expanded and co-expressed, it suggests that zinc plays an important role in supporting photosynthetic growth in polar phytoplankton. More information…
Deadline: January 8, 2025
PhD: Ancient climate change as a driver of ocean (de)oxygenation and marine ecology – Apply here
Institution: University of Southampton, UK
Supervisor(s): Dr Alexandra Auderset, Dr Richard Stockey, Prof Paul Wilson, Dr G Inglis
Description: The ocean is losing its breath. Persistent ocean deoxygenation causes disruptions in the nutrient cycle with devastating consequences for ecosystems, but its future remains unclear. This project will use cutting-edge geochemical proxies and climate simulations to better understand the response of oxygen minimum zones and the knock-on effects on marine biodiversity to climate change. More information…
Deadline: January 8, 2025
PhD: Blowing in the wind. Tracing the transport of diatoms to Antarctic ice cores – Apply here
Institution: University of Southampton, UK
Supervisor(s): Dr Dieter Tetzner, Dr Zoe Thomas, Dr E Thomas, Dr Claire Allen
Description: The Westerly Winds are among the main drivers of climate variability in the Southern Hemisphere. This PhD will contribute to the development of a novel Antarctic ice core proxy for reconstructing past westerly wind changes. It involves determining the environmental conditions and mechanisms enabling the transport of particles to Antarctica. More information…
Deadline: January 8, 2025
PhD: Taking control – can phytoplankton increase nutrient uptake by manipulating their microenvironment? – Apply here
Institution: University of Southampton, UK
Supervisor(s): Dr Glen Wheeler, Dr T Bibby, Dr Matt Keys
Description: Many areas of our oceans are extremely nutrient-poor, so phytoplankton have evolved diverse ways to support photosynthesis and enhance nutrient acquisition in these regions. This project will examine how diatoms use photosynthetic enzymes to manipulate their cellular microenvironment and increase the availability of nutrients. More information…
Deadline: January 8, 2025
PhD: Crossed wires: examining the influence of nutrient colimitation on phytoplankton ecophysiology – Apply here
Institution: University of Southampton, UK
Supervisor(s): Dr Katherine Helliwell, Prof Mark Moore, Dr J Robidart
Description: Phytoplankton frequently experience scarce supply of multiple nutrients simultaneously in the marine environment, yet mechanisms enabling them to cope with nutrient co-limitation are poorly understood. This project seeks to better understand how a major group of phytoplankton, the diatoms, coordinate physiological adaptations to different nutrient co-limitation scenarios. More information…
Deadline: January 8, 2025
PhD: Tracking the biological response to the South Asian monsoon – Apply here
Institution: Penryn Campas, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
Supervisor(s): Kate Littler, Sev Kender, Daniela Schmidt, Pallavi Anand, Marci Robinson, (contact: Kate Littler)
Description: The South Asian (Indian) Monsoon is one of the most powerful meteorological phenomena on the planet, responsible for huge seasonal changes in rainfall and providing freshwater to over a billion people. To better understand its likely response to near future climate change, we must look to the geological past for clues as to its past behaviour. In this PhD project you will join an international team of scientists in reconstructing both the variability of the monsoon and the marine biological response to this variability, over the last 4 million years. This was a time of great change in global climate and ice volume, but the response of the monsoons and associated tropical ecosystems is still poorly constrained. You will apply cutting-edge techniques to sediment cores from the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, which already have extensive preliminary datasets. The direction of the study is flexible, but techniques could include morphometric and/or geochemical analysis of planktic foraminifera, or geochemical analysis of bulk sediment. The resulting datasets would shed light on how marine organisms responded to cyclic or abrupt changes in rainfall, temperature, and nutrients and give us clues about the resilience of these ecosystems in the future. More information…
Deadline: January 13, 2025
PhD: UCL Earth Sciences Ph.D. scholarship – Apply here
Institution: University College London, UK
Supervisor(s): Prof. Paul Bown, Prof. Philip Mannion, Dr Stephen Pates, Prof. Paul Upchurch, Prof. Bridget Wade (contact: Dr. Maxim Ballmer)
Description: This is a fully funded 4 year PhD scholarship open to ethnic groups underrepresented in Earth Sciences that have UK/home fees status. The topic can be anything that falls under the remit of Earth Sciences and that fits with the research of academic staff in the department. Palaeontology in the department is wide-ranging, spanning vertebrate palaeontology, invertebrate palaeontology, and micropalaeontology, with five members of academic staff eligible as primary supervisors. Prospective students should contact one or more members of staff listed above before applying to discuss possible projects, with information on broad research areas here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/earth-sciences/research/research-groups/palaeontology More information…
Deadline: January 23, 2025