Mountain Dynamics

Award Award	Duration Duration	Start dates Start dates	Application Application
PhD (MPhil also available) PhD (MPhil also available)	Full-time: 3–4 years Part-time: 6–8 years Full-time: 3–4 years Part-time: 6–8 years	February and October February and October	January to April January to April

Our research into tectonics and mountain building covers the processes and mechanisms relating to how mountains form on the surface of our planet and how the continental crust deforms from the macroscale to the microscale. In particular, our research focuses on mountain belts that form during continent-continent collision, such as the modern Himalayas and Caucasus and the ancient Caledonides. We try to unravel how, when and how quickly the mountain belts formed, the tectonic processes and mechanisms in operation during their uplift, and how their growth fed back into the solid Earth-surface processes-climate system. We achieve this through a combination of geochronology, structural geology, geochemical studies and metamorphic/igneous petrology.

Mountain Dynamics is a key theme in our Dynamic Earth Research Group. At any one time we commonly have two or three full-time PhD students, and have regular discussion meetings about the latest data from the laboratory and results/interpretations in recently published literature.

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and prior research experience is preferred. If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English.

We encourage enquiries from prospective students on any geochemical, petrological, structural or geochronological aspect of mountain building or tectonic process.

UK fee UK fee	International fee International fee
Full-time: £5,006 per year Full-time: £5,006 per year	Full-time: £16,420 per year Full-time: £16,420 per year
Part-time: £2,503 per year Part-time: £2,503 per year	Part-time: £8,210 per year Part-time: £8,210 per year

Some of our research students are funded via the Central England NERC Training Alliance; others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

An image to illustrate the Mountain dynamics research topic

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