Are you holding Master’s degree and looking for fully funded PhD Programs in Plymouth, England? University of Plymouth invites online application for multiple fully funded PhD positions in various research areas. Interested and eligible applicants may submit their online application for PhD programs via the University’s Online Application Portal.
1. Funded PhD Position in Peatlands on the edge: integrating modern and long-term ecology to inform UK peatland fire management in a changing climate
Summary of PhD Position:
Climate change is increasing wildfire risk globally. In the UK, peatland wildfires have been frequent and severe in recent years(1). Peatlands are important carbon-rich biodiverse ecosystems. Wildfire can severely damage peatlands with significant environmental impacts(3). Fire has played an important role in shaping landscapes historically(2), but uncontrolled fires lead to loss of ecosystem function and reduced peatland carbon storage capacity(3).
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
2. Funded PhD Position in Dynamics of land-to-lake transfers in the Lake Victoria basin
Summary of PhD Position:
The Winam Gulf catchment of Lake Victoria has historically been affected by poor land management practices leading to soil erosion, loss of agricultural productivity, flooding and downstream impact on lake ecology and associated fisheries. A gap in local knowledge/data and technical capacity to coordinate and deliver usable data tools was identified. This gap inhibits the dynamic understanding of the impact of soil degradation on soil-to-crop dynamics and subsequent impact on lake ecosystem/human health via the food chain.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
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3. Funded PhD Position in From Oceans to Clouds: Is the Antarctic ocean microlayer a source of cloud forming particles?
Summary of PhD Position:
Clouds can have a warming or cooling effect on the Planet depending on their phase. Cloud water droplets and ice crystals form on a subset of aerosol which can act either as a cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) or as an ice nucleating particle (INP). Ice clouds tend to have shorter lifetimes and a lower albedo (reflecting less solar energy back into space) than clouds which contain large numbers of water droplets. It is therefore critically important to understand the sources of CCN and INP, and how these sources might change, to make future climate predictions.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
4. Funded PhD Position in Microbial drivers of Temperate Rainforest expansion and functional resilience
Summary of PhD Position:
The British and Irish Isles have very low levels of current tree cover and what remains is frequently of poor condition [1]. The UK government has therefore proposed increasing tree cover through tree planting and natural regeneration via seed dispersal. Tree planting is expensive but necessary for woodland expansion in areas lacking trees [2], yet the relative capacity of planted woodland and natural regeneration to support healthy and resilient native woodland is still unclear [3].
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
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5. Funded PhD Position in Hot rocks and hidden metals: The porosity puzzle of the Cornubian batholith
Summary of PhD Position:
The Cornubian batholith of SW England represents a crucial resource for the UK’s Energy Transition, providing a source of critical metals (Li, Sn, W) and heat for geothermal projects. Deep crustal fluid flow and the resulting fluid-rock reactions that mobilise heat and metals into the fluids are key to its potential as an economic resource. However, the nature of the porosity and permeability which controls fluid flow within these rocks is poorly understood, limiting our ability to capitalise on their resource potential.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
6. Funded PhD Position in Tools for assessing microbial risks of groundwater heating
Summary of PhD Position:
We invite applications for an exciting project that will explore how microbes interact with aquifer energy systems, a crucial technology in the decarbonisation of our built environment. The project will involve field and laboratory investigations to understand how temperature changes associated with ground source heating and cooling will affect the microbiology in groundwater.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
7. Funded PhD Position in Nanoplastic-phytoplankton interactions under ocean warming and their multi-stressor effects
Summary of PhD Position:
Our seas have absorbed ~90% of the heat accumulated on Earth in the past 50 years. Consequently, sea surface temperatures and the frequency of marine heatwaves are increasing rapidly. Meanwhile, millions of tons of plastics enter the marine environment every year. Continual fragmentation has led to the occurrence of nano-scale plastic particles (nanoplastics; 1-1000 nm) which represent the majority of plastic in the ocean.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
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8. Funded PhD Position in The role of climate and tectonics on correlated and path dependent landsliding
Summary of PhD Position:
This project will investigate how landscape characteristics, climate and extreme triggering events influence whether new landslides preferentially rework previously disturbed terrain, initiate in undisturbed areas, or expand from landslipped zones into adjacent stable regions. These insights will provide vital information to improve hazard modelling and mitigation strategies in vulnerable regions worldwide.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
9. Funded PhD Position in Next-Generation Sensors for Tracking Calcium and Magnesium in Marine Ecosystems
Summary of PhD Position:
Calcium (Ca²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺) concentrations in seawater fundamentally impact marine ecosystems, as organisms have evolved physiologies and carbonate secretion mechanisms specifically adapted to these chemical conditions [1, 2]. Understanding the environmental variability of these ions will help to better predict the impact of ocean warming [1] and acidification on marine calcifying organisms.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
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10. Funded PhD Position in Impacts of UK heatwaves on coastal biodiversity: from genes to ecosystems
Summary of PhD Position:
Climate change is driving more frequent and intense heatwaves, with major consequences for biodiversity, ecological functioning, and ecosystem services provided to society. In coastal habitats, most research has focused on impacts of marine heatwaves in subtidal environments and tropical or sub-tropical regions, while the temperate intertidal zone remains relatively underexplored, despite being one of the most thermally extreme habitats on Earth.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
11. Funded PhD Position in Ecology of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems: connecting functional diversity and resilience
Summary of PhD Position:
Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs), such as deep-sea coral gardens and sponge fields, are biodiversity hotspots that deliver critical ecosystem services through their complex structures. However, they face increasing threats from fishing, resource extraction, and climate change. Functional diversity -the range of ecological roles species fulfil within a community – is central to ecosystem resilience, but remains poorly understood in VMEs. Quantifying VME functional diversity can help assess vulnerability and guide conservation of VMEs.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
12. Funded PhD Position in Sitting ducks, what’s the flux? The impact of seabird nest abundance and spatial distribution on ecosystem processes
Summary of PhD Position:
Breeding birds act as ecosystem engineers, concentrating activity and nutrient deposition around nests in ways that alter microclimate and plant communities. Processes such as ‘landscapes of fear’ affect where birds nest. This could introduce predictable spatial structuring in bird impacts that scale up to shape ecosystem function. However, multiple climate factors are changing seabird distributions, and humans can further modify where and how densely birds nest through habitat and population management (e.g., wild release, predator control, disturbance), potentially affecting these bird-ecosystem relationships.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
13. Funded PhD Position in Anthropogenic impacts on growth and protein metabolism in the European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax
Summary of PhD Position:
Pollution of coastal waters by sewage is of major concern, but little is known about the biological impact on animals, or interactions with other stressors such as ocean warming. Growth is essential in all animals, allowing individuals to reach a threshold size for reproduction and occupy adult ecological niches. Soft-tissue growth is essentially achieved by the synthesis and retention of proteins, an energetically expensive process, typically accounting for 25-40% of the energy required by an animal.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
14. Funded PhD Position in The biology and ecology of disease in seagrass: Understanding the pseudo-fungus Phytophthora gemini and its impact on common eelgrass (Zostera marina) development
Summary of PhD Position:
The PhD researcher will investigate the infection biology of Phytophthora gemini and its interaction with Zostera marina through a combination of laboratory assays, microscopy, and molecular techniques (e.g. qPCR, metabarcoding) to characterise pathogen life cycles, host responses and environmental tolerances. Fieldwork will be conducted at selected coastal sites to assess natural infection dynamics and collect samples for analysis.
Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
15. Funded PhD Position in Swamped: Is Crassula helmsii a significant threat to wetland biodiversity?
Summary of PhD Position:
Biological invasions represent one of the most significant threats to biodiversity. Freshwaters are disproportionately affected by such invasions, and home to a disproportionately large proportion of biodiversity, especially invertebrates. They also provide crucial ecosystem services. Crassula helmsii, a native Australasian plant, has been aggressively invading European freshwaters for over 30 years, with drastic consequences for their floristic diversity. Understanding of Crassula’s impacts on invertebrates, which make up the bulk of freshwater diversity, are more limited.