Funding

Competition funded (UK/EU and international students)

Project code

ELS50600126

Start dates

October 2026

Application deadline

16 January 2026

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three year PhD to commence in October 2026.

The PhD will be based in the Faculty of Science & Health, and will be supervised by Dr Nicolai Roterman, Professor Joanne Preston and Dr Sarah Reynolds.

Candidates applying for this project may be eligible to compete for one of a small number of bursaries available. Successful applicants will receive a bursary to cover tuition fees for three years and a stipend in line with the UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26). Bursary recipients will also receive a £1,500 p.a. for project costs/consumables.

Costs for student visa and immigration health surcharge are not covered by this bursary. For further guidance and advice visit our international and EU students ‘Visa FAQs’ page.

This funded PhD is only open to new students who do not hold a previous doctoral level qualification.

 

The work on this project will involve:

  • Collaboration with world-class and pioneering marine restoration projects, including the . 
  • Extensive field work in the Solent, sampling vegetated habitats, sub-tidal mudflats and plankton biomass.
  • Training in stable isotope and environmental DNA sample preparation, laboratory techniques, and analytical analysis.
  • Enabling informed decision making on restoration and management of near-shore environments, informing carbon codes and natural capital market development, and could lead to policy change.

Marine coastal 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 and eutrophication. However, these environments are subject to extensive anthropogenic disturbance leading to large amounts of these habitats being degraded with the subsequent loss of C and N from the system. The Solent on the southern coast of England provides a model estuarine system, which has suffered large amounts of habitat degradation. Our understanding of the dynamics and capacity of this region in storing C and N are lacking. The application of stable isotopic analysis of C and N in biomass tissues, suspended particulate material and marine sediment allows sources to be fingerprinted and their fate to be determined. In combination with elemental and environmental DNA analyses these can be used to model 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 temperate marine ecosystems is imperative if we wish to make informed decisions on management and restoration efforts in our aims to mitigate climate change, eutrophication and habitat degradation. 

 

This project will quantify the sources and sinks of blue carbon and nitrogen stocks in sediments of biogenic marine habitats across the Solent seascape, namely saltmarshes, seagrass meadows, mudflats and intertidal oyster reefs. This will involve, (i) isotopically characterising biological and anthropogenic sources of C and N from the various habitats and waterways; (ii) identify the fate of carbon and nitrogen in the sub-tidal benthic environment using stable isotopes and environmental DNA (iii) apply isotopic mixing models to estimate contributions of differing carbon and nitrogen sources to the Solent region (iv) apply this knowledge to informing development of nature markets and accreditation codes. 

 

Entry requirements

You will need a good first degree from an internationally recognised university (minimum upper second class or equivalent, depending on your chosen course) or a Master’s degree in an appropriate subject. In exceptional cases, we may consider equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

You should have a strong knowledge of the marine environment, with a particular focus on Blue Carbon, sediment biogeochemistry and ideally molecular ecology (eDNA).  It is preferable that you hold some experience in field work and sampling of the nearshore environment. Some previous experience in environmental or bioinformatic analysis would also be advantageous. You should have good project management and time management skills. Additionally, you will have excellent communication skills, and be able to work independently and within a team.

How to apply

Please note that email applications are not accepted. If you have any project-specific questions please contact Dr Nicolai Roterman or Professor Joanne Preston (nicolai.roterman1@port.ac.uk or joanne.preston@port.ac.uk) to discuss your interest before you apply, quoting the project code.

When you are ready to apply, please use this . Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV. Our ‘How to Apply’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process.

If you want to be considered for this funded PhD opportunity you must quote project code ELS50600126 when applying.