PHD STUDENTSHIPS

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

We currently have a number of full-time or part-time PhD Studentships available in the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences based in Milton Keynes starting in October 2022.  These studentships are available to both UK and International applicants.

The projects we have available are:

OU1 ­– Indian Summer Monsoon variability in response to Pliocene climate
(Monsoon, Geochemical proxies, Pliocene, Foraminifera)
Funding: CENTA or OU STEM

OU2 – Global carbon cycle changes during the middle Miocene Climate Transition
(Miocene, climate, organic geochemistry)
Funding: CENTA

OU3 – Ice microenvironments and biogeochemistry within seasonal glacier-associated ice deposits on Svalbard, Arctic Norway
(Geochemistry, cryosphere, field work)
Funding: CENTA or OU STEM

OU4 – Predicting the resilience of coastal habitats to climate change
(Ecohydrology, nature conservation, plant ecology, soil water regime, sea-level rise)
Funding: CENTA or OU STEM

OU5 – Deep ocean circulation dynamics during warm greenhouse climates
(Paleoclimate, Eocene, climate modelling)
Funding: CENTA or OU STEM

OU6 – Rapid emplacement of the lower Deccan Traps and its implication for late Cretaceous climate change
(Volcanology, geochemistry, field work, climate, basalt)
Funding: CENTA

OU7 – Leaf venation and the macroevolution of flow phenotypes
(Palaeobotany, networks, modelling, fossils, evolution)
Funding: CENTA or OU STEM

OU8 – Tropical forest carbon, habitat structure, and faunal biodiversity: implications for conservation
(Earth observation, fieldwork, biogeography, endemism, Wallacea)
Funding: CENTA

OU9 – Microbial survival in the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana
(Extremophiles, geobiology, field work)
Funding: CENTA

OU10 – After the dust has settled: The post-impact hydrothermal system at Rochechouart impact crater and implications for Early Earth
(Impact processes, mineralogy, geochemistry)
Funding: CENTA

OU11 – Written in stone: evaluating geodiversity as a natural, social and economic asset
(Geology, natural capital, heritage, public engagement, National Trust, Natural England)
Funding: CENTA or OU STEM

OU12 – Building quieter greener cities with trees
(Noise pollution, environmental monitoring, acoustics)
Funding: CENTA

OU13 - Reconstructing vegetation and fire history in response to past Indian Monsoon changes
(Palaeoclimate, Pliocene, IODP)
Funding: OU STEM

OU14 - Evolving fieldwork teaching: the benefits and challenges of a mixed economy of virtual and ‘in field’ learning in the environmental sciences
(Environmental Science; Fieldwork; Technology Enhanced Learning)
Funding: OU STEM

OU15 - Hyperspectral signals of change in grassland ecosystems
(Earth observation, calcareous grassland, species-rich, long-term experiment)
Funding: OU STEM

OU16 - Biocontrol of vector-borne diseases: a community led approach
(Environmental microbiology, Guyana, capacity building)
Funding: OU STEM

Funding information

For projects funded through the Doctoral Training Partnership CENTA successful candidates will receive:

• An annual stipend of £15,609 paid directly to the student in monthly increments for 3.5 years
• Full university fees
• A research training support grant (RTSG) of £8,000

For projects funded by the OU STEM faculty the successful candidates will receive:

• An annual stipend of £15,609 paid directly to the student in monthly increments for 3.25 years
• Full university fees
• A research training support grant (RTSG) of £3,000

Eligibility and Requirements

Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s or equivalent degree in a relevant subject with a grade at least equivalent to a 2:1 OR must demonstrate at least a pass at MSc level.  These studentships are available to both UK and International applicants.

How to apply

For projects labelled either with funding "CENTA" or with funding "CENTA or OU STEM" you will need to submit: 

• A CENTA application form, downloadable from: CENTA application
• A CV with the names of at least two referees (preferably those who can comment on your academic abilities)
• And an Open University application form, downloadable from: Home OU application form (if you are resident in the UK) or an Overseas OU application form (if you are an international applicant).

For projects only labelled with funding "OU STEM" (OU13, OU14, OU15 and OU16) you will need to submit:

• An OU STEM application form, downloadable from: OU STEM application
• A CV with the names of at least two referees (preferably those who can comment on your academic abilities)
• And an Open University application form, downloadable from: Home OU application form (if you are resident in the UK) or an Overseas OU application form (if you are an international applicant).

Applications must be sent to STEM-EEES-PHD@open.ac.uk by Friday 7^th January 2022 (12 pm, noon)

In order to address a historical imbalance, it is our ambition to guarantee up to half the available interviews for certain under-represented groups of Home-award-eligible students who meet the academic requirements (at least a 2:1 at UK BSc level or at least a pass at UK MSc level or equivalent).

For the 2022 intake you qualify for our interview scheme if you identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) or if the postcode where you went to secondary school or grew up (in the UK) is classified as Quintile 1 in the POLAR4 category of the following website: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/young-participation-by-area/search-by-postcode/