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.

Here are the BAS projects within our Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTP) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) partners for 2023. Each DTP and CDT has a separate application process, and this is usually 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.

Our projects are in partnership with NERC Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and UKRI Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT)s. More information can be found on their websites – C-CLEAR, ARIES, INSPIRE, IAPETUS, GW4+, AI4ER, SENSE

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.

UKRI have confirmed that international students (EU and non-EU) were eligible for all Research Council-funded postgraduate studentships from the start of 2021/2022 academic year.  There will be a limited number of international studentships available.  Further information for international studentships is available on each DTP and CDT website.

Projects starting October 2024 are listed below.

C-CLEAR

How to apply: 

Enquiries in the first instance should be made to the lead supervisor.  Applicants should follow the process on the C-CLEAR website

Application Deadline: 12:00 GMT – Thursday 4th January 2024

CE513: Space weather and climate satellites in low Earth orbit

Supervisors: Richard Horne (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Giulio Del Zanna (DAMTP)

CE517: Providing early warning of the impact of extreme weather events on health service demand in the UK and India

Supervisors: Hua Lu (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Michael Herzog (Geography)

CE523: Vertical ocean mixing and atmospheric carbon across the Eocene

Supervisors: David Munday (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Ali Mashayek (Earth Sciences)

CE528: The impact of meteorological extremes on surface melting of Antarctica’s ice shelves

Supervisors: Andrew Orr (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Ian Willis (SPRI)

CE535: An ice-free Arctic: why was Arctic warmth amplified during past interglacials?

Supervisors: Louise Sime (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Francesco Muschitiello (Geography)

CE546: Unlocking the fingerprint of air-snow exchange of reactive bromine and nitrogen at the poles

Supervisors: Xin Yang (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Luke Abraham (Chemistry)

CE547: Constraining the climate impact of a newly identified polar aerosol source

Supervisors: Xin Yang (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Rachael Rhodes (Earth Sciences)

CE511: Assessing the contribution of terrestrial and marine sources to organic biomarkers in Antarctic ice cores

Supervisors: Liz Thomas (BAS), Chiara Giorio (Lead supervisor) (Chemistry)

IAPETUS

How to apply:

Enquiries in the first instance should be made to the lead supervisor.  To apply, please follow the instructions on the Iapetus website.

Closing date: 12:00 GMT – Friday 5th January 2024

The tactics of rheotaxis: movements of higher vertebrate predators in relation to Southern Ocean currents

Supervisors: Norman Ratcliffe (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Jason Matthiopoulos (Glasgow)

Drivers and impacts of extreme high temperature events over coastal Antarctica

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

The effects of climate warming and heatwaves on in situ benthic marine community development

Supervisors: Lloyd Peck (BAS), Heather Sugden (Lead supervisor) (Newcastle)

The contribution of mesopelagic fish to the functioning of the Southern Ocean ecosystem in a changing climate –  an isotopic study

Supervisors: Gabriele Stowasser (BAS), Jason Newton (Lead supervisor) (Glasgow)

How does ice flow enhancement and rearrangement impact the West Antarctic Ice Sheet?

Supervisors: Carlos Martin (BAS), T J Young (Lead Supervisor) (St Andrews)

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Ice Hazard Risk Mitigation and Research

Supervisors: Ben Evans (BAS), Anna Crawford (Lead Supervisor) (Stirling)

Late Quaternary glaciation and ice sheet-ocean interaction on the Faroes-Shetland margin

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

 

GW4+

How to apply:

In the first instance please contact the BAS lead project 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 guidance and draft answers for the GW4+ personal statement form that you will be asked to complete.  For projects hosted at BAS, you will need to submit your application to the lead supervisor.

For projects co-supervised by BAS, please follow the instructions of the lead institute for further information.

Closing date for applications: 23:59 GMT – Tuesday 9th January 2024

Future changes to rainfall over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

Supervisors: Andrew Orr (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Stephen Cornford (Bristol)

Antarctic Zooplankton and fish – fast food or fine dining?

Supervisors: Gabriele Stowasser (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Daniel Mayor (Exeter)

ARIES

How to apply: 

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

Closing date for applications:  23:59 GMT – Wednesday 10th January 2024

Impacts of eddy damping on the ocean stratification and general circulation

Supervisors: David Munday (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Xiaoming Zhai (UEA)

The role of black carbon in the Southern Ocean carbon cycle

Supervisors: Clara Manno (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Matthew Jones (UEA)

INSPIRE

How to apply:

Enquiries in the first instance should be made to the lead supervisor.  To apply, please follow the instructions on the INSPIRE website.

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 3rd January 2024

INSPIRE will be holding an applicant webinar on Wednesday 6th December at 10:00. More information can be found here

Impact and feedbacks of turbulent mixing of heat around melting ice in Antarctic waters

Supervisors: Andrew Brearley (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Alberto Naveira-Garabato (Southampton)

Space-time geography of Antarctic ice shelf mixing

Supervisors: Peter Davis (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Alberto Naveira-Garabato (Southampton)

Space weather priming: the missing link in prediction

Supervisors: Andrew Kavanagh (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Daniel Whiter (Southampton)

Beyond species on the move: characterising Southern Ocean bioregions and communities under present and future climates

Supervisors: Jennifer Freer (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Ryan Reisinger (Southampton)

Resolving Antarctic meltwater events in marine sediments and exploring their significance using climate models

Supervisors: Claire Allen (Lead supervisor) (BAS), Alessandro Silvano (Southampton)

Extreme heating of the upper atmosphere by Aurora

Supervisors: Andrew Kavanagh (BAS), Daniel Whiter (Lead supervisor) (Southampton)

Physical and biogeochemical responses to Antarctic sea ice loss: what are the implications for ocean carbon uptake?

Supervisors: Caroline Holmes (BAS), Alice Marzocchi (Lead supervisor) ( Southampton)