Student Training and PhD Opportunities

There are currently over 100 PhD students associated with our organisation and nearly half of these students work full time at our offices and labs in Cambridge. Students have full access to our state of the art research facilities and some have the opportunity to carry out research in the polar regions. We strongly encourage the pursuit of interdisciplinary projects, and there is the opportunity to work with teams at the forefront of global change and exploration science in both polar regions.

From 2014-2024 our studentships were funded through NERC Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs).  In 2025, DTPs and CDTs were replaced by NERC Doctoral Landscape Awards (DLAs) and Doctoral Focal Awards (DFAs).

We are delighted our partnerships continue into the new era of DLAs, namely ARIES, CREATES, GW4+ Doctoral Training Landscape Partnership (DLTP), Iapetus and IGNITE.

BAS projects or supervisor research areas within our DLA partnerships for 2026 will be advertised in the autumn.  Each partner has a separate application process, which is often through the university at which the project is linked.  Please read and follow the instructions carefully before applying to ensure your application can be fully considered.  More information can be found on each of the DLAs’ websites.

Exceptionally, we may have opportunities funded through other sources.  These projects will be advertised below as and when they are available. In all other cases, we are only able to accept students through our DLA partnerships.

If you would like to know more about applying for a PhD, here are some short videos on Preparing your application, Tips on meeting your potential supervisor and Preparing for a PhD interview and presentation

INSPIRE DTP also have some Top Tips and Student Testimonies for prospective students for more insight into PhDs

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion – We are fully committed to the UKRI EDI principles and policies.  We strive to recruit and support a diverse and inclusive cohort of students.

Eligibility:  UK students will be eligible for a full NERC studentship.  More information is available in the UKRI Training Grant Guide.  A full studentship will include the cost of fees, stipend, and research funding allowance. DLAs may have funding for only a very limited number of international students.

 

ARIES

Closing date for applications: 23:59 GMT Wednesday 7th January 2026.

How to apply: Enquiries in the first instance should be made to the BAS supervisor. To apply, please follow the instructions on the ARIES website.

Bio-optical approaches to probing biological productivity and carbon cycling in Antarctic waters

Supervisors: Kate Hendry (Lead) (BAS), Karen Heywood (UEA)

From Oceans to Clouds: Is the Antarctic ocean microlayer a source of cloud forming particles?

Supervisors: Floortje van den Heuvel (Lead) (BAS), Mark Fitzsimons (Plymouth)

 

CREATES

Closing date for applications: 23:59 GMT Wednesday 7th January 2026.

How to apply:  Browse the list of topics and supervisors to find those that particularly interest you. Finalised project titles are not listed as the intention is that you express interest in a topic and develop the final project with your supervisory team in the first term of your studies.  You are strongly advised to contact prospective supervisors before applying, to further explore your mutual interests and get additional advice and information.  Further information on how to apply can be found on the CREATES website.

Alex Brearley – Polar physical oceanography with a focus on observations

Andrew Meijers – Observed and projected subsurface warming trends in the Southern Ocean from observations and models.

Andrew Orr – The processes responsible for climate change and variability in polar and high-mountain regions.

Ben Evans – Improving monitoring and understanding coupled ice sheet – ocean – climate systems

Emma Boland – Polar Oceanography with an interest in ML

Floor Van Den Heuvel – Cloud microphysical processes and sources of cloud forming nuclei (cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleating particles) in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica

Gareth Marshall – Understanding climate change and variability within the polar regions and links to the wider Earth system

Hua Lu – Combining observations, reanalysis, and model simulations to understand atmospheric processes driving extreme weather in the polar regions.

Louise Sime – Earth system dynamics during current and past warm climates

Markus Frey – Cloud interactions and climate impacts of aerosol from sea ice and polar oceans

Oliver Marsh – Ice shelf dynamics and deterioration

Richard Phillips – The ecology, life history and conservation of seabirds

 

GW4+ DLTP

Closing date for applications: 23:59 GMT Thursday 8th January 2026

How to apply: In the first instance please contact the BAS supervisor if you have any questions about the research topic or your suitability for the project you are interested in.  If you wish to submit an application, please take the time to read the GW4+ guidance and information carefully that you will be asked to complete.

GW4+ will be hosting an Applicants Webinar on Friday 7th December.  Please register your interest here and they will send you a link to join.

Hidden aerosols of the Arctic: Uncovering secondary emissions from blowing snow

Supervisors: Xin Yang (Lead) (BAS), Daniel Partridge (Bristol)

The effects of climate cooling on the evolution of Antarctic Eocene seafloor ecosystems

Supervisors: Rowan Whittle (Lead) (BAS), Daniela Schmidt (Bristol)

Evolving surrogate models: Machine learning & evolutionary computation for emulation in climate models

Supervisors: Dr Aishwaryaprajna (Lead) (Exeter), Max Thomas (BAS)

 

Iapetus

Closing date for applications: 12:00 (Noon) Monday 5th January 2026

How to apply:  In the first instance please contact the BAS supervisor if you have any questions about the research project.  Full guidance on how to submit an application can be found on the Iapetus website.

Changing freshwater inputs to the Southern Ocean due to rapid climatic change

Supervisors: Kate Hendry (Lead),(BAS), Graeme MacGilchrist (St Andrews)

Understanding Biological Responses to Arctic Sea-Ice Geoengineering climate intervention

Supervisors: Clara Manno (Lead) (BAS), Erin McClymont (Durham)

Beyond the Target: Integrating microchemistry and morphology to uncover diversity and connectivity in four non-target species from the deep waters of the Southern Ocean

Supervisors: Jaimie Cleeland (Lead) (BAS), Will Reid (Newcastle)

Stratosphere-Troposphere Coupling and its Role in Antarctic Coastal Melt Events and Supraglacial Lake Formation

Supervisors: Hua Lu (Lead) (BAS), Chris Stokes (Durham)

Quantifying the frequency and causes of extreme wet and dry periods in the Himalayas

Supervisors: Andrew Orr (Lead) (BAS), James Baldini (Durham)

Reconstructing the South Orkney Ice Cap – a sentinel of Antarctic Ice Sheet Change

Supervisors: Kelly Hogan (Lead) (BAS), Colm O’Cofaigh (Durham)

 

IGNITE

Closing date for applications: Thursday 8th January 2026

How to apply: In the first instance please contact the BAS supervisor if you have any questions about the research project. Full guidance on how to submit an application can be found on the IGNITE website

Just how bad is it? Assessing the collapse of deep ocean circulation in climate models

Supervisors: Andrew Meijers (Lead) (BAS), Alessandro Silvano (Southampton)

Impact of grounded icebergs on the oceanography and ecosystem of a sub-Antarctic island

Supervisors: Emma Young (Lead) (BAS),  Bieito Fernandez Castro (Southampton)

West Antarctic ice-shelf melting in a changing climate

Supervisors: Michael Haigh (Lead) (BAS), Alessandro Silvano (Southampton)

 

 

MetaExplore Marie-Curie Studentships in Functional Metagenomics

Deadline for applications: 12th January 2026.