Available PhD topics, current PhD projects, open projects, NERC and other funding bodies
Although many people do a PhD in order to go into academia, it can also be very beneficial for careers in industry and the private sector. A PhD is hard work and takes at least 3 years to complete, so you need to find a suitable topic, which will engage your enthusiasm and interest for the long-haul.
AvailableTopics
If you are interested in applyingto doaspecificPhDproject inour Department (self-initiated, self-fundedor through anon-DTPstudentship), youshoulddirect your initial enquiry to the named supervisor (or co-supervisor) who can guide you further.In cases of uncertainty, you may also direct your enquiry to the Graduate Tutor.Once a supervisor has agreed in principle to supervise your project,or if you are applying for a specific funded studentship,you must complete aformal鶹ýƵվ PhD application.
The London NERC Doctoral TrainingPartnership ().
The PhD topics shown here arerepresentative examples of projects offered by our department that areeligible forfunding throughthe London NERCDoctoral Training Partnership (DTP).The London DTP offers studentships covering all aspects of earth and environmental science, hosted by different London-based academic institutions including 鶹ýƵվ.
- Past Life and Environments
Project Title Supervisor(s): Using the Past to Improve Predictions of the Future of Vertebrate Biodiversity. Prof Phil Mannion; Dr Alex Pigot Integrating past archives of crocodylians into diversity baselines and future projections. Prof Phil Mannion; Dr Samuel Turvey Neuroanatomical insights into the early evolution and biogeographic history of alligatoroid crocodylians. Prof Phil Mannion; Prof Paul Upchurch The Cambrian explosion: causes and consequences. ProfGraham Shields; Dr Nick Lane The Evolutionary and biogeographic impact of the break up of Gondwana during the Cretaceous and Cenozoic Prof Paul Upchurch; DrJulia Day Size control on extinction dynamics in Cenozoic planktonic foraminifera. Prof Bridget Wade; Dr Andy Purvis Quantifying temperature changes in the Oligocene icehouse. Prof Bridget Wade Giants and dwarfs: body size, climate and extinction. Richard Twitchett, NHM &Prof Bridget Wade
- Solid Earth Dynamics
Project Title: Supervisor(s): The initial condition for the long-term evolution of terrestrial planets. DrMaxim Ballmer; ProfJohn Brodholt The seismic signals of the heterogeneous Earth mantle. DrMaxim Ballmer; DrPaula Koelemeijer The dynamics of mantle plumes, and their geophysical and geochemical expressions. DrMaxim Ballmer; ProfAna Ferreira Game of Stones: how does rock strength control river incision? Dr Byron A. Adams & Prof Tom Mitchell The deep nitrogen cycle – nitrogen storage in the subduction system. ProfJohn Brodholt; Dr Andrew Thomson Glacial erosion in the tropics: The Santa Marta Range, southern Caribbean. Dr Matthew Fox; Prof Andrew Carter Rates of drainage network evolution measured with detrital data and inverse methods. . Dr Matthew Fox; ProfPieter Vermeesch Illuminate intra-crustal magma/gas transport beneath active volcanoes with very long-period tremors (VLP). DrTeh-Ru Alex Song; Prof Chris Kilburn Mapping Core-mantle boundary anisotropy with core-reflected P waves. DrTeh-Ru Alex Song The viscosity of the Earth’s inner core. ProfLidunka Vočadlo; ProfJohn Brodholt Understanding the Earth’s cores: benchmarking the ELASTIC toolkit for core-forming materials. ProfLidunka Vočadlo; ProfJohn Brodholt The structure, dynamics and composition of the Earth’s core. Prof Lidunka Vočadlo; Prof Ian Wood
- Earth, Atmosphere & Ocean Processes
Project Title: Supervisor(s): Defining the source parameters for operational models of ash resuspension. Dr Emma Liu; Prof Tom Mitchell Data fusion of 20 years of polar remote sensing data: emerging climate trends? DrMichel Tsamados; ProfJulienne Stroeve Deep Learning for radar altimetry echo classification and sea ice surface image recognition. Dr Michel Tsamados; Prof Julienne Stroeve Testing Earth’s thermostat with novel isotope tracers. Dr David Wilson; Dr Susan Little Ice sheet-ocean-climate interactions during the Pleistocene Ice Ages. Dr David Wilson;
If youare interested in any of these topics, please contact the namedsupervisor formoreinformation in the first instance. To apply for a DTP studentship, please do not apply to 鶹ýƵվ directly but instead follow the. Whilst the topics illustrate a cross-section of active research within our Department, the list is not exhaustive and we also welcome enquiries from students who wish to formulate their own topics.