PhD Projects

Our training programme is set within a multidisciplinary environment. All Partners are dedicated to developing a multi-, cross- and pan-disciplinary London centre of environmental science doctoral training.

We recognise the need to develop student skills in new subjects and linking research areas between traditional subjects. Each Partner has submitted a selection of PhD projects falling within each research theme.

Below is the list of the exemplar projects available. Students are also invited to develop their own bespoke projects. Click on a column header to sort the table, or use the ‘advanced search’ to search for projects on a particular topic, in a particular research theme, or at a particular institution.

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1st Supervisor Inst. Project Title Theme 2nd Supervisor Inst.
Alexander, David UCL Evaluating earthquake information in the light of public needs Pan-disciplinary Studies Kelman, Ilan UCL
Andres, Aida UCL Genetic adaptation in chimpanzee subspecies Evolution & Adaptation Balloux, Francois UCL
Aruliah, Anasuya UCL Structures and energetics of the auroral upper atmosphere and ionosphere Natural & Biological Hazards
Barnes, Ian NHM Tracking historical dynamics of pathogens in bumblebees: linking disease to declines Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Brown, Mark RHUL
Baynes, Alice Brunel Molluscs: We need to understand them, to protect them from pollution Environmental Hazards & Pollution Jobling, Susan Brunel
Bradley, James QMUL Microbial life and activity on glaciers and in Arctic soils Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes Jungblut, Anne NHM
Bradley, James QMUL Microbial survival in the energy-limited deep biosphere. Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes Trimmer, Mark QMUL
Brekke, Patricia IOZ Ageing in the wild and how to manage it Evolution & Adaptation Balloux, Francois UCL
Briant, Rebecca BBK Reconstructing multiple high sea level events in the Channel – the records from southwest England and south Wales Past Life & Environments Roberts, Gerald BBK
Briant, Rebecca BBK EQuaTE – Building a European Quaternary timescale based on AAR analyses Past Life & Environments
Brierley, Chris UCL Past2Future climate simulations Past Life & Environments Guillas, Serge UCL
Catford, Jane KCL The Future of Alien Invasions: the impact of rates of introduction, and introduction bias, on the richness and composition of alien assemblages Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Blackburn, Tim UCL
Chatterjee, Helen UCL Predicting human impacts and environmental change on Southeast Asian biodiversity: past, present and future Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Turvey, Samuel IOZ
Cunningham, Andrew IOZ Informing Critically Endangered giant salamander conservation in China Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Frantz, Laurent QMUL
Davies, Bethan RHUL Dynamic patterns of ice recession in northern Patagonia Past Life & Environments Thorndycraft, Varyl RHUL
Dessimoz, Christophe UCL Resolving Deep Animal Phylogenies Through Genome-wide Maximum Likelihood Phylogenetic Inference Evolution & Adaptation Telford, Max UCL
Di Tommaso, Devis QMUL Fundamental Studies of Mineral Carbonation with Application to CO2 Sequestration Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes
Disney, Mathias UCL Using new 3D measurements to explain forest structure and function Pan-disciplinary Studies
Disney, Mathias UCL New approaches to measuring and valuing urban forests Pan-disciplinary Studies Lewis, Philip UCL
dos Reis, Mario QMUL Fossil morphology and genomic data to study species divergences through time. Evolution & Adaptation
Eggleton, Paul NHM Functional diversity of termites across the tropics: linking pattern and process Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Sumner, Seirian UCL
Engels, Stefan BBK Reconstructing long-term trends in NW European insect biodiversity using subfossil chironomids Past Life & Environments Briant, Rebecca BBK
Ford, Heather QMUL Past intermediate and deep ocean circulation during sustained periods of warmth Past Life & Environments
Frantz, Laurent QMUL Developing the Role of Museum Collections in Mammalian Conservation Genomics: SE Asia as a Case Study Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Barnes, Ian NHM
French, Jon UCL Improved prediction of coastal storm surge using multi-criteria mesh optimization Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes Burningham, Helene UCL
Gomez-Robles, Aida UCL Hominin brain evolution in a comparative context Evolution & Adaptation Soligo, Christophe UCL
Goswami, Anjali NHM Macroevolution, function, and modularity of the vertebrate jaw: a 3D perspective Evolution & Adaptation Porro, Laura UCL
Grieve, Stuart QMUL Quantification of the impact of changing vegetation on hillslope sediment transport Pan-disciplinary Studies Lines, Emily QMUL
Hacklay, Muki UCL Identifying systematic biases in citizen science and crowdsourced geographic information Pan-disciplinary Studies Basiri, Ana UCL
Hammond, James BBK Joint Seismic tomography for the Africa plate and underlying mantle Solid Earth Dynamics
Harvey, Gemma QMUL Rewilding and Natural Flood Management Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes Henshaw, Alex QMUL
Henderson, Lesley Brunel Public Perceptions of Plastics – From Pollution to Solutions Environmental Hazards & Pollution Jobling, Susan Brunel
Henry, Lee QMUL Symbiosis in the adaptation and diversification of insects Evolution & Adaptation
Henry, Lee QMUL Unraveling the biology of symbiotic mutualisms in ants Evolution & Adaptation Wurm, Yannick QMUL
Hurd, Paul QMUL The Honey Bee: An Emerging Model Organism for Epigenetics. Pan-disciplinary Studies Lowe, Rob QMUL
Iacovidou, Eleni Brunel Eliminating single-use plastic food packaging: A multi-dimensional assessment Environmental Hazards & Pollution
Jenner, Ronald NHM Profiling the venomous defense system of sea urchins Evolution & Adaptation Oliveri, Paola UCL
Jennings, Eleanor BBK The behaviour of the economically important elements during crustal processes and volcanic degassing at Popocatépetl volcano, Mexico. Solid Earth Dynamics Petrone, Chiara Maria NHM
Johnson, Edward UCL Transient loading of structures under impact of finite-amplitude waves Natural & Biological Hazards Eames, Ian UCL
Jones, Kate UCL Understanding the response of disease vectors to land-use change Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Newbold, Tim UCL
Jones, Kate UCL Biome Health – Tracking the response of wildlife across gradients of human pressure Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Carbone, Chris IOZ
Kelman, Ilan UCL Climate change impacts on tropical atoll communities Natural & Biological Hazards
Koelemeijer, Paula UCL Imaging the multi-scale landscape of the core-mantle boundary Solid Earth Dynamics Ferreira, Ana UCL
Koricheva, Julia RHUL Forest diversity effects on wood ants Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Eggleton, Paul NHM
LeComber, Steve QMUL Geographic profiling in conservation and ecology Pan-disciplinary Studies Fry, Hannah UCL
Letessier, Tom IOZ Where are the last strongholds of marine predators in the pelagic realm? Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Eizaguirre, Christophe QMUL
Little, Susan UCL The importance of micronutrient cycling in glaciated environments for the global carbon cycle – a case study from Greenland Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes Pogge Von Strandmann, Philip UCL
Mackay, Anson UCL Constraining seasonality shifts in Holocene precipitation across Eastern Lesotho (southern Africa), through oxygen isotope analysis of biogenic silica Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes Jones, Vivienne UCL
Martin-Puertas, Celia RHUL Extending the Holocene tephrochronological framework for palaeoclimate and palaeoecological records into southern Europe Past Life & Environments Blockley, Simon RHUL
Millington, James KCL Anthropogenic Fire in Dynamic Global Vegetation Models: Generalised agent-based modelling Pan-disciplinary Studies Wooster, Martin KCL
Milner, Alice RHUL A delicate balance? Understanding spontaneous switches from erosion to carbon accumulation in northern peatlands. Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes
Milner, Alice RHUL Keeping above the waves? The response of coastal freshwater peatlands to sea-level rise Environmental Hazards & Pollution Belyea, Lisa QMUL
Mirumachi, Naho KCL Evaluating the importance of flood pulse cycles in the Okavango socio-ecological system: Challenges of developing a free-flowing river. Pan-disciplinary Studies Tebbs, Emma KCL
Mudway, Ian KCL The Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) as a sentinel species for investigating for the chronic impacts of urban air quality on the brain Environmental Hazards & Pollution Brekke, Patricia IOZ
Murrell, David UCL Linking patterns and processes in tropical forests Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Olhede, Sofia UCL
Newbold, Tim UCL How does climate modify the response of biodiversity to land use? Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation
Nichols, Richard QMUL Genomic analysis of adaptation to environmental change Evolution & Adaptation Buggs, Richard QMUL
Nicoll, Malcolm IOZ Future-proofing threatened species recovery programmes Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Murrell, David UCL
Pearson, Richard UCL Stability of complex ecological networks under climate change Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation Severini, Simone UCL
Pettorelli, Nathalie IOZ Assessing climate change vulnerability of arid ecosystems using satellite information: the Khar Us protected area as a case study Pan-disciplinary Studies Disney, Mathias UCL
88 PhD projects available

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