ARIES DTP opportunities October 2023

ARIES PhD project opportunities October 2023
ARIES DTP opportunities October 2023
The University of Plymouth is a partner in the Advanced Research and Innovation in the Environmental Sciences (ARIES) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) which is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). 
As one of 17 new Doctoral Training Partnerships in the UK, ARIES enrolled its first cohort of students in October 2019.
ARIES will equip the next generation of environmental scientists with the knowledge and tools to better understand and manage our planet by:
  • Developing multiple cohorts of scientists with advanced skills and knowledge, multidisciplinary outlooks, and substantial potential to operate successfully across all postgraduate career options.
  • Assembling a diverse and integrated training partnership that enables our PGRs to address priority topics in environmental sciences through cutting-edge and world-leading research.
  • Training all of our PGRs to understand modern methods of data management, interrogation, analysis, and presentation; from bioinformatics to artificial intelligence.
  • Ensuring our graduates engage with the interfaces between environmental science and societal needs by growing their ability to achieve non-academic impact and effective public engagement.
The ARIES studentships applications are now closed for entry to its fifth cohort, starting in October 2023, the following projects at the University of Plymouth were shortlisted for funding.

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

  • Hidden depths: deformation and seismic hazard in continental collision zones 
  • How do natural and ship emissions influence marine atmospheric sulfur, aerosol composition and acidity? 
  • What controls rock falls in desert environments? Investigating the role of climate, seismicity and lithology on rock fall hazard and risk 
  • The wetter the better? Understanding wet woodland carbon dynamics in the Anthropocene 
  • Hydrothermal inputs to global geochemical cycles: a novel high resolution approach to quantifying hydrothermal exchange 
  • Investigating the stoichiometry and binding of trace elements to marine particulate matter 
  • Building the oceans: the anatomy of magma flow in sheeted dykes at fast-spreading ridges 
  • How hot was the Jurassic Greenhouse climate? 
  • African Humid Period floods on the Sahara Desert margins 

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

  • Fish nurseries in a changing world: towards functional indicators of habitat quality 
  • Reconfiguring seascapes in the Anthropocene: Assessing how connectivity pathways maintain biodiversity 
  • Food safety for all: developing invertebrate models for monitoring phytoplankton toxicity in shellfish 
How to apply
To apply please use the online PG apply application form, then clearly state that you are applying for an ARIES PhD studentship and nameof the primary supervisor and project title at the top of your personal statement.
Online application
Whilst you can apply for up to three ARIES projects, you must submit a separate application for each.
Take a look at the Doctoral College information on applying for a research degree.
For any generic questions on ARIES, studentships and selection processes, prospective applicants should contact Professor Dave Bilton for projects in School of Biological and Marine Sciences and Professor Greg Price for School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. For specific details on individual projects, please contact the project's primary supervisor. 
For further information please see www.aries-dtp.ac.uk or contact aries.dtp@uea.ac.uk.
The closing date for these projects is 23:59 on 11 January 2023. 
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview to preliminary interviews that will take place late in January 2023 with those selected going forward for final interview in February 2023. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants who have not received an offer of a place by March 2023 should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
Key information
  • This project has been shortlisted for funding by the ARIES NERC DTP and will start on 1 October 2023. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 11 January 2023.
  • Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a NERC studentship for 3.5 years, which covers fees, stipend (£17,668 p.a. for 2022-23) and research funding. International applicants (EU and non-EU) are be eligible for fully-funded UKRI studentships. Please note ARIES funding does not cover visa costs (including immigration health surcharge) or other additional costs associated with relocation to the UK.
  • ARIES students benefit from bespoke graduate training and ARIES provides £2,500 to every student for access to external training, travel and conferences.
  • Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses in the subject area.
  • ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage enquiries and applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and transgender status. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, and our recruitment process considers potential with the same weighting as past experience.
  • All ARIES studentships may be undertaken on a part-time or full-time basis, visa requirements notwithstanding.
Please note: 
ARIES is required by our funders to collect Equality and Diversity Information from all of our applicants. The information you provide will be used solely for monitoring and statistical purposes; it will remain confidential, and will be stored on the UEA sharepoint server. Data will not be shared with those involved in making decisions on the award of Studentships, and will have no influence on the success of your application. It will only be shared outside of this group in an anonymised and aggregated form. You will be ask to complete the form by the University to which you apply.