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Current research degree projects

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Explore our current postgraduate research degree and PhD opportunities.

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198 research degree projects

Engineering

Designing Next-Generation Electric Power Systems for Electrified Aircraft Propulsion

The aerospace industry is undergoing a revolution. With disruptive technologies changing how we think about air travel, you have the opportunity to make a lasting impact and join a movement that will redefine global transportation. 

Funding: Fully funded (UK and international)

Closing date: 2 January 2025
Ocean and earth science

What are the physical controls on nutrients in the Southern Ocean?

Nutrients from the Southern Ocean are fundamental to global ocean ecosystems and carbon uptake. The project will use a combination of data from different ocean models to figure out the physical drivers of the amount of nutrients in the Southern Ocean and the paths they take to get there.  

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2025
Ocean and earth science

Understanding Weddell Sea freshwater influence on water mass formation and climate change

This project will use a variety of hydrographic datasets to understand the water mass formation processes within the ice covered Weddell Sea, and how they are responding to climate change. These control the formation of climatically important water masses and the exchange of properties between the ocean and atmosphere.   

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2025
Ocean and earth science

Understanding oceanic photosynthesis

Phytoplankton that perform photosynthesis are the source of energy that drives global elemental cycles, including carbon, and thus regulate climate. Their growth requires essential elements (N, Fe, Mn). Project will determine how phytoplankton adapt to changing availabilities of these resources to understand how photosynthesis will respond in a changing ocean.  

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2025
Ocean and earth science

The role of ocean mixing on Antarctic ice melt

We invite you to explore the role of ocean mixing on Antarctic ice melt.  You will use acoustic and oceanographic data from West Antarctica to unlock an untapped data set. You will generate new knowledge of the dynamics of ocean mixing that is crucial for understanding Antarctic ice loss.  

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2025
Ocean and earth science

Spatial scaling of benthic biodiversity in an abyssal deep-sea mining province: ecological and genomic approaches

The project will focus on the spatial patterns of macrofaunal biodiversity in an abyssal ecosystem over scales relevant to the management of potential deep-sea mining. It will use the latest ecological and genomic methods on samples collected in 2024 as well as through new potential collections with the JPI-Oceans project.  

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2025
Ocean and earth science

A closer look at the submesoscale: Leveraging shipboard velocity measurements

Submesoscale motions are difficult to directly observe in the ocean. This project will leverage specialised processing of existing Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements to enable a more detailed observational picture of the submesoscale. Using this novel perspective, the student will help refine our understanding of submesoscale currents and waves. 

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2025
Ocean and earth science

Coupling of seismic and electromagnetic signals at ocean floor sensors

We can obtain complementary information about the composition of Earth’s mantle and crust from seismic and electromagnetic signals. The project will explore the detection of seismic signals by seafloor electromagnetic sensors and vice versa, using several datasets including new data collected in September 2023 with co-located seismic and electromagnetic sensors.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2025
Ocean and earth science

Understanding the sensitivity of ecological metrics to subsea imaging conditions

Photography is a key tool in monitoring remote marine habitats, but determining real ecological change is hampered by a lack of comparability between rapidly improving camera systems. This project will maximise comparability in image-derived ecological metrics by evaluating and minimizing sources of method bias, considering human- and AI-generated data.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2025
Ocean and earth science

Pump it down - Tracking Carbon in the Labrador Sea’s Climate-Critical Ecosystem

You will investigate sinking particles key role in ocean carbon storage –– in a region identified as climate-system tipping point: The Labrador Sea. You will use state-of-the-art in situ images of plankton and particles collected autonomously over an entire year to understand and quantify this critical ecosystem.  

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2025