Funded PhDs through the IGNITE Doctoral Landscape Award

About the project

The IGNITE Doctoral Landscape Award is offering to fund PhDs in the natural and environmental sciences.

Studying through the Doctoral Landscape Award means you’ll benefit from:

a bespoke training programme to support your skills development in areas including digital and data skills, science communication, and leadership and innovation.
the opportunity to go on two funded placements
a Research Training Support Grant to enable you to attend conferences and undertake training
access to world-class facilities and expertise across our academic and industry partners

You can apply to an advertised project or propose your own.

About the IGNITE Doctoral Landscape Award

The IGNITE Doctoral Landscape Award is a collaboration with four research organisations:

British Antarctic Survey
National Oceanography Centre
Marine Biological Association
Natural History Museum.

Potential supervisors

Lead supervisor

Professor Rachael James

Professor of Geochemistry

Research interests

Enhanced rock weathering and other techniques for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Novel isotopic signatures of biogeochemical cycling, including iron, chromium, lithium and magnesium, and the response of biogeochemcal cycles to global environmental change
Exploration for new sources of metals and elements critical for emerging green technologies, including lithium and the rare earth elements

Supervisors

Dr Ryan Reisinger PhD, FHEA, MRSSAf

Associate Professor

Entry requirements

You must have:

a UK 2:1 honours degree or higher in a relevant subject. You can also have its international equivalent.
and/or evidence of significant relevant professional experience equivalent to Masters level.

If English is not your first language, you will need an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall score of 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in all components. Visit our English language proficiency pages to find out about other qualifications we accept.

Fees and funding

If your application is successful, the IGNITE Doctoral Landscape Award will provide an annual stipend for 3.5 years at UKRI standard rate (currently £20,780 for the 2025/26 academic year). The DLA will fund tuition fees at UK level and may be able to offer a tuition fee waiver for the international fees.

How to apply

You can apply for an advertised project or propose your own.

Visit the IGNITE website for full details on how to apply.

IGNITE offers a guaranteed interview scheme for UK applicants from racially minoritised backgrounds. Contact us to opt in once your application is complete.

Important notice

For your application to be considered, please make sure you submit it before the deadline, 11:59pm (GMT), 8 January 2026.

Further information

If you have any queries about the IGNITE Doctoral Landscape Award or our studentships, email us at fels-pgr-apply@southampton.ac.uk.

Up to 30% of these studentships are available for international applicants.

Contact us

We have a range of potential supervisors for the funded PhDs based at the University of Southampton and at our partner organisations.

View our advertised projects here – you can contact the lead supervisor for project-specific questions.