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The UKRI will grow the strong supply of talented individuals needed to ensure a vibrant environment for research and innovation in the UK. The scheme is open to researchers and innovators from across business, universities, and other organisations.

The 91ÉçÇø is able to submit a limited number of Future Leaders Fellowship applications and so an internal selection process is needed to select these from across the University. Round 10 opened for applications on 03 February 2025 with a submission deadline of 18 June 2025. If you are interested in submitting a Future Leaders Fellowship application with the IEE, please contact one of our faculty as soon as possible who can guide you in the process

provide five years of funding to excellent early career researchers working within the . They aim to support researchers seeking to conduct their own environmental research, and with high potential to become an independent research leader in the future. 

The 2025 round opened on 9 January 2025 with a submission deadline of 3 April 2025. If you are interested in applying to this scheme, please contact a member of IEE staff within your area of expertise.

support excellent researchers for three years during key stages of their career. This includes early career researchers who wish to undertake their first independent research, more established researchers looking to establish their first independent research group, and more experienced scientists returning to research having taken a significant career break for family, caring or health reasons.

The 2025 round opened on 04 February 2025 with a submission deadline of 07 May 2025. If you are interested in applying for future rounds, please contact a member of IEE staff working in a related area.

intended to add significantly to the development of the best and most-promising researchers active in Europe. These are for trans-national researchers, including researchers coming to Europe and those moving within Europe. Brexit does not affect the eligibility of UK nationals and/or UK institutes to apply for, or to act as a host for Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions. As the UK has now rejoined the Horizon Europe framework, we will be fully eligible for any future MSCA opportunities.

If you are interested in applying to this scheme, please contact a member of IEE staff within your area of expertise. The next call will open on 08 May 2025. There is no limit on how many applicants we can support in making an application to this scheme but it does take some time to put together an application.

are eight year fellowships open to researchers of all nationalities. The scheme is for outstanding scientists who are in the early stages of their research career and have the potential to become leaders in their field.  Please contact an IEE staff member, or Director (james.darling@port.ac.uk) if you are interested in applying in the 2025 round. There is no limit on how many applicants we can support in making an application to this scheme but it does take some time to put together an application. IEE currently hosts a fellowship holder from this scheme.

offer a recognised first step into an independent research career for outstanding scientists and engineers at an early stage of their research career who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances, such as parenting or caring responsibilities or health issues. 

The next round of Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships will open on 02 September 2025 with a submission date of 28 October 2025. Please contact an IEE staff member, or Director (james.darling@port.ac.uk), as early as possible if you are interested in applying in the 2025 round. There is no limit on how many applicants we can support in making an application to this scheme but it does take some time to put together an application.

aim to support researchers from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM. They provide four-years of research funding, and outstanding mentoring, training and networking opportunities for award holders. 

The 2024 scheme opened for applications in September 2024 and was run as a pilot with researchers from Black heritage. If successful, the pilot may be broadened to researchers from other underrepresented groups. If you are interested in applying please contact one of our faculty who can help guide your application.

supports talented early career researchers from around the world to establish and conduct their research in the United Kingdom. These two-year  fellowships enable researchers to access expertise, gain new perspectives and build long-lasting collaborative relationships. 

The 2025 round opened for applications on 21 January 2025 with a submission date of 18 March 2025. If you are interested in applying for future rounds, please contact an IEE staff member within the area of your proposed research.

offer STEM professionals the opportunity to return to a research career after a break of two or more years for a family, health or caring reason. It is the opportunity to balance a personalised retraining programme with a challenging research project, held in a supportive UK university or research establishment. It is possible to apply for a Daphne Jackson Fellowship at any time. If interested in applying, please contact an IEE staff member with a connection to the proposed research.

are five year fellowships funded by the STFC. They support early career researchers with clear leadership potential to establish and independent research programme. The remit of this scheme includes solar and planetary science, overlapping with ongoing STFC awards in IEE. 

The 2024 round opened in June with a submission deadline of October. They will be open to candidates of any nationality, but each institution is limited in the total number of applications it can support, at the IEE we are only able to support 1 proposal. We encourage you to contact an IEE Director (IEE@port.ac.uk) as soon as possible if you are interested in applying for an Ernest Rutherford Fellowship with us.

Global climate change significantly causes iceberg calving from glaciers and bring huge impact to ocean environment. This PhD project aims to establish a novel modelling technology to fundamentally study the calving mechanism of iceberg and predict crevasse propagation in glaciers and corresponding impact to ocean environment. The framework of extended cohesive damage element method (ECDE) developed by primary supervisor will be introduced as a base to simulate tensile (mode I), shear (mode II) and mixed mode fracture propagation in glaciers. The ECDE will be in cooperating with ice properties considering their variations with temperature and density to study the calving mechanism of iceberg under external factors, including temperature, gravity or related bending, warm water tidal impact, etc. 2D and 3D numerical models will be established in terms of basic data of geography and construction of glaciers for prediction. This PhD will also conduct experimental work to obtain ice property, including Yang's modules, strength and fracture toughness, varying with temperature and density. The ice properties will be used as inputs for modelling simulation. This PhD project would basically form a modelling tool to predict iceberg calving from glaciers.

Please contact jiye.chen@port.ac.uk for further details

Glacial lakes in high mountain environments present a hazard to downstream communities because they can drain abruptly as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Whilst a large amount of attention is paid to moraine-dammed lakes that are expanding as glaciers retreat, lakes are also known to form when glaciers advance and block valleys as part of a surge cycle, known as ice-dammed lakes. These ice-dammed lakes are inherently unstable and are known to undergo episodic drainage events, presenting a persistent hazard over several years, and possibly trigger other hazards such as landslides. This PhD project seeks to investigate the characteristics and dynamics of ice-dammed lakes formed by glacier surges, with a primary focus on High Mountain Asia but with potential for a global analysis. The project will (1) explore the evolution of surge-dammed lakes through the various stages of formation, expansion and drainage using satellite imagery and digital elevation models; (2) develop a GIS based model for predicting surge-dammed lake hazards; and (3) explore how the model could be used for developing early warning systems or impact based forecasting. There may be opportunities for fieldwork as part of the project. The work has direct policy relevance to the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction through enhancing our understanding of ice-dammed lake outburst floods (Pillar 1) and enhancing preparedness and early warning systems (Pillar 4).

Please contact harold.lovell@port.ac.uk for further details

Mountain glaciers are sensitive indicators of climate change. In recent decades retreat and thinning of these glaciers has accelerated and many are predicted to have disappeared by the end of the 21st Century. At sub-regional and local scales, there is substantial variability in how glaciers are predicted to respond, meaning that glacier-specific observations are important for refining modelled predictions at these scales. This PhD project will focus on examining regional to individual glacier responses of high-latitude mountain glaciers across a range of northern hemisphere locations, including Norway, Greenland and Arctic Canada. The project will explore the role that topography, glacier hypsometry and microclimates play in moderating the response of glaciers to regional climate change. Particular attention will be paid to threshold behaviour, for example on plateau icefields, and predicting glacier source-area disconnections and catastrophic glacier detachments. Data collection and analysis will be primarily undertaken remotely, using satellite and aerial imagery, and DEMs, and therefore interested candidates should be familiar with using remotely-sensed data and analysis within GIS.  There will also be the opportunity to undertake fieldwork in active glacial environments.

Please contact clare.boston@port.ac.uk for further details

Estuarine environments sequester vast amounts of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and are therefore crucial sinks that demand protection in our attempts at mitigating climate change. The vegetated habitats of seagrass and saltmarsh along with tidal mudflats accumulate both autochthonous and allochthonous sources of C and N in below ground sediments, with potential of storage over millennia. However, these important environments are subject to extensive anthropogenic disturbance from urban development and eutrophication that has led to large amounts of these habitats being degraded with the subsequent loss and storage of C and N from the system. The Solent region on the southern coast of England is one such estuarine system which has suffered large amounts of habitat degradation, with large losses of both seagrass and saltmarsh habitats. The application of stable isotopic analysis of C and N in biomass tissues, suspended particulate material and marine sediment is an approach which allows sources to be fingerprinted and their fate to be determined. Stable isotopic data generated through this approach will be used in isotope mixing models to determine the relative source contributions to the sediment storage of C and N. Addressing both the dynamics and capacity of C and N storage in the Solent is imperative if we wish to make informed decisions on management and restoration efforts in our aims to mitigate climate change and reduce habitat degradation.

Please contact sarah.reynolds@port.ac.uk for further details

This project tests if genome engineering techniques can increase resistance of frogs to chytridiomycosis caused by Bd, which causes extinctions. Whole genome data identified changes enriched in populations frogs surviving extinction level pathogen exposure. These are limited to the MHC genes; they also express different antimicrobial peptides to susceptible frogs.

First X. tropicalis, a Bd-susceptible frog, will be altered to have MHC sequences and antimicrobial peptides typical of a Bd-resistant frog. Genome engineering used at EXRC will alter the MHC genes. To express antimicrobial peptides, we have successfully tested the DNA sequences expressing GFP trangenically in the secretory glands of X. tropicalis. The tools and techniques are in place to enable the student to learn and execute sophisticated genome engineering to produce a frog that we hypothesise is disease resistant.

The project then tests whether the genetically altered frog is resistant; IOZ has facilities and expertise to expose the frogs to pathogens. In addition to comparing the ability of the GA frogs to resist Bd with that of wild-types the reproduction, growth and other traits will be measured, testing whether the genetic alteration has a fitness cost. If the genetically altered animals resist Bd without costs to their fitness, this will act as proof of principle that genetic alteration of animals threatened by a pathogen may be a viable mechanism for retaining biodiversity, albeit as a last resort.

Please contact matthew.guille@port.ac.uk for further details

Extreme acidic environments (pH <3) harbour unique microbial life adapted to the ultra-low pH (i.e. acidophiles). These acidophilic microbial life remains poorly understood, especially regarding the microbes that degrade and transfer organic carbon from primary-producing algae through the microbial food web. This project will aim to study how and which microbes mediate carbon transfer through the microbial food web in extreme acidic environments. 

This project will use a combination of state-of-the-art molecular, isotope-probing and metagenomic approaches to study the carbon pathways and microbes involved. Acidophilic algae will be cultivated, their growth will be optimised, and their organic carbon characterised. Microcosm experiments will be performed with algal biomass labelled with 13C-carbon isotopes, which will then be fed to microbial communities. Degraders of the labelled organic matter will be identified by DNA-stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP). The results from DNA-SIP experiments will be complemented by microbiome-profiling and genome-resolved metagenomics to examine active microbes and genes encoding key enzymes for organic carbon transformations. 

This research will therefore advance our understanding of fundamental ecological and biogeochemical processes of extreme biology, and will also provide practical insights that will contribute to the development of sustainable strategies for metal bioremediation of acidic environments.

Please contact carmen.falagan@port.ac.uk for further details

Freshwater quality in the UK has now become a priority area of concern as freshwater habitats are under threat from chemical pollution. Human activities have resulted in the release of emerging contaminants into the aquatic environment including agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals (antibiotics and veterinary medicines), tyre compounds and PFAS. One of the main pathways emerging substances enter the environment is from treated wastewater discharges into the receiving watercourse. Currently, little is known about how these chemical mixtures behave and the impacts they can potentially have on aquatic ecosystems. This project will aim to elucidate the impact of these polar chemical mixtures on macroinvertebrate communities in freshwater rivers downstream of water recycling centre (WRC) discharges. The work will focus on the monitoring and analysis of these chemical substances up/downstream of a number of WRCs.  The Chemcatcher passive sampler and analytical techniques including liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry instrumentation will be used to ascertain the chemical profile. These data will inform experimental investigation into their fate and consequences at environmentally relevant concentrations using a set of semi-natural mesocosms at the River Laboratory facility in Dorset. The project will aim to interpret the links between contaminants and macroinvertebrate biodiversity at a number of sites on the River Avon (Hampshire/Wiltshire, UK) and its tributaries.

Please contact gary.fones@port.ac.uk for further information

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can cause developmental abnormalities resulting in altered morphometrics of reproductive organs. Marine mammals are good indicators of environmental change as they are often at the top of their food chain. Testicular weight has been shown to be negatively correlated with exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl’s (PCBs) in the harbour porpoise and in humans there is a negative association between PCB exposure and sperm quality. The ano-genital distance (AGD) is a measurement from the anus to the genital slit and has been known to shorten when pre-natal exposure to EDCs such as phthalates. The aim of this study is to gain a greater understanding into the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on reproductive functions in the common harbour porpoise. Using 30 years of stranding data this study will develop the methodology to compare the AGD to pollutant burden using historic photo archives.  In addition, this study will use archived testicular tissues to compare spermatophore development to contaminant burden and reproductive morphometrics. This project will: 1) Determine the variability in sexually dimorphic characters in harbour porpoise using photo archives 2) Determine relationships between sexually dimorphic indices and environmental contamination 3) Develop an index for determining spermatozoa quality in harbour porpoises 4) Determine the relationship between spermatozoa quality and environmental contamination.

Please contact alex.ford@port.ac.uk for further details

Subduction and recycling directly control the volatile budget and fluid fluxed reactions in the Earth’s mantle. As a consequence of mantle melting, the release of magmatic gases contributes to atmospheric cycles by powering redox reactions. Recycling is less important in mid-ocean ridges and hot-spots where mantle melting is driven by mantle upwelling and decompression. Although the contrasting nature between these two tectonic settings seems intuitive, a comparative discrimination between their volatile evolution has not been fully established.

Zircons and their apatite inclusions can offer a much-needed proxy to understand the evolution of magmas and the tectono-volatile cycles on Earth. Zircon can be reliably dated and provide important source information via U-Pb, Hf and O isotope analyses. Apatite inclusions shielded in zircons are carriers of primary geochemical signature and volatile content of magmas. S, Cl, F and OH fit its crystallographic lattice, revealing the primary water content, redox state, and volatile composition of their source magmas. 

This project uses cutting-edge in-situ techniques, including EPMA, LA-ICP-MS and synchrotron radiation to analyse samples from the Coast Mountains in Canada and Rhyolite Mountains in Iceland; prima facie cases of subduction and mid-ocean plume-driven tectonic settings, respectively. The results will be compared to Archaean samples of an uncertain tectonic setting to clarify the tectono-volatile cycle in the early Earth.

Please contact hugo.moreira@port.ac.uk for further details

The Earth experienced intensive impact bombardment from the Hadean to Palaeoarchaean, but the effects on lithosphere evolution are poorly understood. It has been hypothesized that bombardment led to near total reworking of the crust (Marchi et al, 2014), and may have resulted in differentiation of the lithosphere and the formation of early cratons (e.g. Grieve et al., 2006; Johnson et al., 2022). However, highly limited ancient rock records, and competing models for igneous processes operating in impact melt sheets, have precluded testing of these hypotheses and integration into models for Earth’s early evolution.

This project aims to test competing models for impact melt generation and melt sheet differentiation, capitalizing on two uniquely suited natural laboratories: the Sudbury impact structure, which contains Earth’s largest differentiated impact melt sheet and world-class Ni-Cu-PGE mineralisation, and the Kamestastin impact structure with a predominantly anorthositic target. The project will build on our advances in tracing superheated impact melt processes through microstructural phase heritage (White et al., 2020), and couple this with petrology, geochemistry, geochronology and thermodynamic modelling of melt evolution. Field study and sampling in both Canadian craters is planned, to complement existing sample sets. The outcomes will enhance understanding of Earth’s early evolution, ore-forming processes in Sudbury, and impact processes across the Solar system.

Please contact james.darling@port.ac.uk for further details

There is an urgent need to increase and diversify the global supply of rare earth elements (REEs). New potential sources include REE-Th-U pegmatites in Saskatchewan, some of the most concentrated REE occurrences in Canada. This PhD project is part of a Canadian-led project developing effective models for REE deposit petrogenesis, exploration and recovery. This project will tackle knowledge gaps including how REE are sourced, concentrated and enhanced by crustal processes. This PhD aims to track REE sources, transportation and mineralisation processes in pegmatites using focused geochemical characterisation of the main pegmatite ore minerals- monazite and apatite. The project will use petrochronology; the integrated microscale analysis of REE-bearing mineral chemistry, structure and age to fingerprint the source (through isotopic tracers), timing (through geochronology), and key magmatic, metamorphic and fluid reactions (through structural, chemical, fluid inclusion, isotopic, and redox variations). The project utilises microanalytical techniques including electron microscopy, laser ablation mass spectrometry, synchrotron microprobe and fluid inclusion techniques. This project will reveal new constraints on the timing and nature of mid-crustal processes responsible for pegmatite genesis and REE-enrichment, providing data-driven solutions for REE exploration and ore-processing, enhancing capabilities and toolsets for REE deposit research, exploration, and processing.

Please contact catherine.mottram@port.ac.uk for further details

Our STFC studentships offer full funding for researchers interested in planetary science. We were allocated 1 studentship for 2025, and advertised a single project with a closing date for applications of 31 January 2025: Impact melting and reprocessing of mafic planetary crusts | 91ÉçÇø.

Further opportunities will be detailed here.

This split site scheme funds up to 20 full time PhD scholarships per year at the 91ÉçÇø. Topics span across IEE disciplines, with recent projects including ecotoxicology, population perception of risk, contamination investigation technologies, deep basin geology and Paleogene stratigraphy. Interested Nigerian students can find out more about the scheme here.

Funding for PhD projects can also originate from other schemes. Recent examples include STFC CASE studentships, industry funded PhD projects and 91ÉçÇø funded projects. Current opportunities are advertised on the university PhD Scholarships page.

Interested students are encouraged to reach out to IEE staff working in an area that interests them. Exciting PhD projects can be co-designed at any time. We do have some examples of projects listed on the postgraduate research degree pages for Biological Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Physical and Human Geography and Civil Engineering.