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Sub-topics

• Ocean and Water Governance

• Marine and freshwater policies

• Maritime security

• Spatial planning

Theme lead: Dr Gianluca Ferraro 

Deputy: Dr Tegan Evans 

Sub-topics

• Seafarers’ rights and well being
• Ship breaking industry and sites
• Fisheries and labour
• Blue tourism and labour
• Blue economy human rights and labour rights awareness
• Blue economy modern slavery survivors access to remedy

Theme lead: Prof. Leila Choukroune
Deputy: Dr Sophie Quintin

Sub-topics

• Fisheries management
• Fishing by-catch of birds, turtles and mammals
• Aquaculture development
• Habitat conservation and restoration

Theme lead: Dr Ben Drakeford 
Deputy: Cassandra Tocco

Sub-topics

• Marine renewables energies
• Logistics and safety
• Shipping
• Port management
• Oil spill prevention
• Biofouling and anti-fouling
• Off-shore technologies

Theme lead: Dr Negar Akbari 

Deputy: Open chair

Sub-topics

• Marine and coastal ecosystem functioning
• Ecosystem carbon sequestration and storage
• Ecosystem resilience
• Marine debris litter and plastics
• Biodegradation and bioprospection
• Marine and coastal ecosystem service valuation

Theme lead: Prof. Joanne Preston

Deputy: Open chair

Listening to life: Acoustic and AI Technologies for Tracking Freshwater Biodiversity Recovery

Application Deadline: 5pm (UK time), 17th December 2025

Supervisory Team: Dr Edward Smart (��������), Dr Helen Currie (��������), (University College London)

A fully funded PhD opportunity, offered through the , based at the �������� in collaboration with University College London.

Project overview: Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened habitats on Earth, yet they are vital for biodiversity, climate resilience, and human wellbeing. This project aims to change how we listen to, interpret, and protect these environments — from chalk stream restoration in Southern Hampshire to ghost pond resurrection in the Brecks Fen Edge of West Norfolk. Using tools like passive acoustic monitoring, mini drones, camera traps, and AI-driven analysis, the project will create real-time insights into ecological recovery — detecting the return of rare and elusive species that traditional methods often miss.

Find out more and apply via .

Towards a water literate society: Deconstructing environmental habit forming in early childhood

Application Deadline: 16th January 2026

Supervisory Team: Dr Tara Woodyer, Dr Julia Brown, Dr Helen Currie

A fully funded PhD Opportunity, offered through a �������� Faculty Funded competitive bursary award.

Project overview: Water scarcity is no longer a distant concern — it’s a growing reality here in the UK. The Environment Agency warns of a potential 5 billion litre per day deficit by 2055, and we’re already seeing the impact on ecologically sensitive and globally unique freshwater environments, including the chalk streams of Hampshire. These habitats are under pressure from abstraction and changing climates — yet our collective water awareness remains remarkably low. This PhD project brings together social geography, environmental sustainability, and behavioural change to understand how early childhood routines influence lifelong water habits. Together, we’ll work towards developing a child-centred water literacy programme to support sustainable water use and protect fragile ecosystems.

Find out more and apply via THIS LINK.

Fate and consequences of emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment

Application Deadline: 5pm (UK time), 17th December 2025

Supervisory Team: Prof. Gary Fones (��������), (Queen Mary, University of London), Megan Robertson ()

A fully funded PhD opportunity, offered through the , based at the �������� in collaboration with Queen Mary, University of London, and Wessex Water.

Project overview: 

Freshwater quality in the UK is facing increasing pressure as chemical pollution emerges as a critical environmental challenge. From agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals to tyre-derived compounds and PFAS, human activities are introducing a complex mix of contaminants into our rivers. Much of this pollution enters through treated wastewater discharges, yet we still know surprisingly little about how these chemical mixtures behave — or how they affect the ecosystems that depend on clean water. This PhD project will investigate the impact of these polar chemical mixtures on freshwater macroinvertebrate communities downstream of water recycling centres (WRCs). Using Chemcatcher passive samplers and advanced analytical tools such as liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry, you will monitor and characterise contaminants up- and downstream of several WRCs on the River Avon (Hampshire/Wiltshire) and its tributaries. The findings will inform experimental studies at the River Laboratory in Dorset, where semi-natural mesocosms will be used to explore how real-world chemical exposures shape biodiversity.

Find out more and apply via .

Assessment of the sources, transport and fate of PFAS in soil, sediment, surface and groundwater and biota in England, with a focus on the River Thames catchment

Application Deadline: 16th January 2026

Supervisory Team: Dr Kabari Sam, Prof. Gary Fones, Dr Mo Hoque

A fully funded PhD Opportunity, offered through a �������� Faculty Funded competitive bursary award.

Project overview: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — often called “forever chemicals” — have become a major global environmental and public health concern. Used in everything from firefighting foams and non-stick cookware to industrial coatings, PFAS are now found throughout soils, sediments, and waters across the UK. Their remarkable chemical stability means they persist in the environment, travelling through air, water, and biota with little degradation. As a result, many sites in England — particularly near landfills, sewage treatment works, and industrial zones — show PFAS concentrations exceeding 1000 ng L⁻¹. Yet, despite their ubiquity, major knowledge gaps remain around how PFAS move, transform, and interact within complex catchment systems. This PhD project aims to unravel the sources, pathways, and mechanisms driving PFAS transport in the River Thames catchment. Working in collaboration with the Environment Agency, Rivers Trust, and leading water companies (e.g. Thames Water), you will collate and analyse PFAS data across multiple environmental matrices — including water, sediment, and biota. Using this evidence base, you will model the fate and migration of PFAS under varying environmental conditions and develop an innovative multi-criteria risk-ranking tool that goes beyond simple concentration metrics.

Find out more and apply via THIS LINK.

How does your carbon flow? Understanding the sources and sinks of blue carbon and nutrients across temperate coastal seascapes to inform evidence-based restoration that delivers biodiversity and climate targets and supports blue finance markets.

Application Deadline: 16th January 2026

Supervisory Team: Dr Nicolai Roterman, Prof. Joanne Preston, Dr Sarah Reynolds

A fully funded PhD Opportunity, offered through a �������� Faculty Funded competitive bursary award.

Project overview: 

Marine coastal environments are vital carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) sinks, playing a crucial role in mitigating climate change and eutrophication. Yet these habitats — from saltmarshes and seagrass meadows to oyster reefs and mudflats — are under increasing pressure from human disturbance, leading to widespread degradation and loss of stored carbon and nutrients. The Solent, on England’s south coast, provides a powerful model for understanding these processes. Despite its ecological importance, we still lack a detailed understanding of how this region stores and cycles C and N across its diverse marine habitats. This PhD project will quantify the sources and sinks of blue carbon and nitrogen in sediments across the Solent seascape, focusing on saltmarshes, seagrass meadows, mudflats, and intertidal oyster reefs. Working with world-class marine restoration initiatives, including the Solent Seascape Project, you will conduct extensive fieldwork to sample vegetated habitats, subtidal mudflats, and plankton biomass. Using stable isotope and environmental DNA techniques, you will trace the origins, fates, and storage pathways of carbon and nitrogen. These data will be integrated through isotopic mixing models to estimate contributions from natural and anthropogenic sources. Through this interdisciplinary approach, you will gain advanced training in stable isotope and eDNA analysis, contributing to evidence-based management of nearshore environments.

Find out more and apply via THIS LINK.

There are a range of funded opportunities available at CBG. An overview is provided below, and interested students are encouraged to contact potential supervisors.

South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership (SCDTP)

The ESRC SCDTP is now accepting funding applications from students wishing to commence studies in the 2026/27 academic year (Application Deadline: 16th January 2026, 5pm UK Time). Studentships are funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for social science research in Area Studies, Business and Management, Criminology, or Psychology. Three routes of funding exist to complete either: 1+3.5 (Master's programme + 3.5 years PhD programme funding), +3.5 (PhD programme funding), or +4.5 (PhD programme + Research-in-Practice placement).

Find out more via THIS LINK.

Apply via .

NERC TREES Doctoral Landscape Award

The �������� is a hosting partner in the , which provides funded studentships and outstanding development opportunities. TREES (Training, Research, and Equity in Environmental Sciences) is designed to equip the next generation of environmental scientists to tackle critical global challenges.

Applications for the 2026 round close in January, with at least three more annual calls for applications. Advertised CBG affiliated projects within the TREES scheme are outlined above as advertised opportunities, and students are also encouraged to develop their own PhD project idea in collaboration with research staff via the . 

Interested students are encouraged to reach out to CBG staff working in an area that interests them. When reaching out, it is advisable that you provide identified staff with an outline of your research interests and potential project ideas. Exciting PhD projects can be co-designed at any time.