Director of Studies:
Dr Miriam Reverter
Second Supervisor:
Dr Manuela Truebano
Third Supervisor:
Dr Nicola Foster
Fourth Supervisor: Professor Peter Schupp (peter.schupp@uol.de) Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl Von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
Second Supervisor:
Third Supervisor:
Fourth Supervisor: Professor Peter Schupp (peter.schupp@uol.de) Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl Von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
Applications are invited for a 3.5 years PhD studentship. The studentship will start on 01 October 2027.
Project description
Background:
Coral reefs are under imminent threat from climate change, with 99% expected to be lost within 50 years, with profound consequences for ecosystem functioning and the services they provide. Soft coral-dominated reefs are increasingly common across the Indo-Pacific, representing the most widespread reef state after hard coral-dominated reefs. Many soft coral species can outcompete hard corals, likely due to their greater resilience to increasing temperatures, as well as the production of bioactive metabolites that are thought to promote hard coral tissue damage and inhibit their recovery. Despite their importance, there is little understanding of either mechanism, and their combined influence on soft coral competitive success remains unexplored. This timely project aims to investigate how thermal tolerance and secondary metabolite dynamics jointly contribute to the increasing ecological dominance of Indo-Pacific soft corals under climate change, and associated deterioration of coral reefs.
Methodology:
You will conduct field-based controlled thermal experiments on dominant Indo-Pacific soft coral species at Coral Eye, Bangka Island (North Sulawesi, Indonesia), and will quantify physiological performance and changes in metabolite production under acute and chronic heat stress. LC-MS/MS metabolomics will characterise changes in chemical defences, while bioactivity assays and experiments with hard coral adults/larvae, will evaluate the ecological functions of these chemical defences. This integrated approach will determine whether thermal stress enhances, reduces or alters the ecological function of soft coral chemical defences.
Training:
You will join a collaborative, international team spanning the UK, Germany and Indonesia. Training will include:
1) Experimental design
2) LC-MS/MS metabolomics
3) Marine invertebrate ecophysiology
4) Data analysis, critical thinking and scientific writing
You will participate in at least one field campaign at Coral Eye to carry out field experiments and will be supported to secure funding for a second field season. Supervisors will support your professional development, including leading manuscripts, presenting at international conferences and engaging with stakeholders.
Person specification:
We seek an enthusiastic individual with a Marine Biology (or related) background, willing to work within an international team and to learn new field, laboratory, and quantitative skills. Previous experience in marine field ecology, omics, experimental biology and R software is desirable.
References
Reverter M, Jackson M, Rohde S, Moeller M, Bara R, Lasut MT, Segre Reinach M, Schupp PJ. 2021. High taxonomic resolution surveys and trait-based analyses reveal multiple benthic regimes in North Sulawesi (Indonesia). Scientific Reports 11, 16554. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95905-8
Reverter M, Helber SB, Rohde S, de Goeij JM, Schupp PJ. 2022. Coral benthic community changes in the Anthropocene: Biogeographic heterogeneity, overlooked configurations and methodology. Global Change Biology 28, 1956-1971. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16034Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Reverter M, Helber SB, Rohde S, de Goeij JM, Schupp PJ. 2024. Drivers of coral reef benthic changes and implications on ecosystem functioning and services. Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Review 62, 215-247. Available at: 10.1201/9781003477518-5
Ompi M, Blyth M, Benayahu Y, McFadden CS, Schupp PJ, Rohde S, Bara R, Makapedua D, Segre M, Foster N, Reverter M. 2025. Physical contact interactions between five soft corals with the scleractinian coral Acropora cf. pulchra (Acroporidae) in North Sulawesi (Indonesia). SSRN, 5783353. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5783353
Abbas ASA, Collins M, Ellis R, Spicer JI, Truebano M. 2024. Heat hardening improves thermal tolerance in abalone, without the trade-offs associated with chronic exposure. Journal of Thermal Biology 124, 103963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103963
Eligibility
Acceptable first degree subject(s): BSc. Marine Biology, Marine Conservation, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Marine Sciences.
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme, IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in each component test area) or equivalent.
ARIES studentships are subject to UKRI terms and conditions. Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded studentship, which covers fees, maintenance stipend £21,805 p.a. for 2026/27 (2027/28 TBC) and a research training and support grant (RTSG).
A limited number of studentships are available for international applicants, with the difference between 'home' and 'international' fees being waived by the registering university.
Please note, however, that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK, such as visa costs or the health surcharge.
NB: The studentship is supported for 3.5 years of the four-year registration period. The subsequent 6 months of registration is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ period.
Working part-time while receiving a stipend at the University of Plymouth is generally permitted, provided it does not conflict with the terms of your funding or visa requirements.
- Full-time jobs cannot be held alongside a full-time stipend.
- International students are generally limited to 20 hours of work per week.
If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact
Dr Miriam Reverter .
Please view a list of
supporting documents to upload with your application.
For more information on the admissions process generally, please visit our
how to apply for a research degree webpage or contact the Doctoral College at research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk
The closing date for applications is 16 December 2026.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview after the deadline. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.