2026 Studentships

How did Earth become a habitable planet? Revealing the origins of Earth’s water using Antarctic meteorites

University of Glasgow IAP-24-066

Paths to Cooperation: The Combined Effects of Social, Network, and Environmental Factors on the Success of Cooperative Strategies in Bacteria

University of St Andrews IAP-25-095

Assessing Magmatic Dead Carbon Effects on Radiocarbon Dates: A Multi-Method Investigation of Volcanic CO₂ Degassing at Laacher See, Germany

Durham University IAP-25-112

Reconstructing glacier histories and investigating glacial geomorphology in the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica.

University of Glasgow IAP-25-006

Stratosphere–Troposphere Coupling and Its Role in Antarctic Coastal Melt Events and Supraglacial Lake Formation

British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-012

Tectonics, Topography, and Transport: Sediment routing systems and sinks of the Strathclyde Group, Midland Valley Scotland.

University of St Andrews IAP-25-094

Characterisation and analysis of anthropogenically influenced fluvial catchments and geomorphology in the Philippines

University of Glasgow IAP-25-045

Integrating molecular dietary analysis, nutritional ecology and network inference to assess ecosystem service trade-offs in omnivorous beetles

Newcastle University IAP-25-080

Heavy metal insights into the formation of planet Earth

University of Glasgow IAP-25-010

Discovering the long-term extent and chronology of traditional dryland agriculture

Newcastle University IAP-25-073

Antarctic sea ice, circulation and ice sheet interactions in the Southeastern Weddell Sea

Durham University IAP-25-016

Sustainability in creel fisheries

Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-120

Under Pressure: comparative assessment of the effects of hydrostatic pressure, and oxygen availability on marine and freshwater animal physiology

Newcastle University IAP-25-088

Using functional genomics to assess population health after a local reintroduction of the field cricket in Cornwall

University of Glasgow IAP-25-048

Seascape ecology of the Antarctic Peninsula

University of Glasgow IAP-25-046

Monitoring Scotland’s fresh waters from space: re-engineering the state-of-art using artificial intelligence

University of Stirling IAP-25-128

A beneficial plant-microbial interaction: the ecology of flax retting.

Durham University IAP-25-139

Can microclimate refugia save an iconic floral assemblage under climate change?

Durham University IAP-25-127

Probabilistic flood prediction and modelling using machine learning

Durham University IAP-25-108

Environmental drivers in archaeology: past, present and future under the lens of geophysics

Durham University IAP-25-110

Physical and chemical drivers of bedrock river channel erosion

Durham University IAP-25-041

The history of tropical peatland vegetation in Peruvian Amazonia and implications for conservation and management

University of St Andrews IAP-25-103

Quantifying indoor and outdoor air pollution in central Scotland to support actions to improve health (Forth-ERA)

University of Stirling IAP-25-020

Time-evolving hazard and risk from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Bhutan.

Newcastle University IAP-25-014

Understanding the role of complexity and diversity in riparian woodland resilience to extreme events.

University of Stirling IAP-24-030

Passive Seismic Imaging of Under-explored Central Iceland

Durham University IAP-24-124

Evolutionary Trade-offs in Edible Insect Breeding: When Sexual and Artificial Selection Collide

University of Stirling IAP-25-129

Adapting to the Urban Night: Behavioural and Genomic Responses in Nocturnal Predators

Durham University IAP-25-126

Soil sulfur: a source or sink of greenhouse gases in boreal landscapes?

Durham University IAP-25-039

Volatile happenings on the igneous side of metamorphism

University of St Andrews IAP-25-001

Of woods and waders: balancing the competing benefits of conservation and restoration

University of St Andrews IAP-25-100

Telling the time in turbulent oceans: How do phytoplankton use clocks and carbon to survive deep mixing?

University of Stirling IAP-24-068

How Earthquakes Become Tsunamis: Investigating Rupture Propagation into Subduction Zone Accretionary Prisms

Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-118

Understanding grounding line dynamics in response to ice stream uncoupling

Durham University IAP-25-067

Hidden Risks of Saline Intrusion: Climate-Driven Sea-Level Rise and Geotechnical Implications for Coastal Stability

British Geological Survey IAP-25-125

Weathering vs. climate change: Quantifying recent silicate weathering using novel isotope tracers

Durham University IAP-24-104

Eruptive Brines and Active Ice: Modelling Subduction, Brine Dynamics and Cryovolcanism on Jupiter’s Icy Moon Europa

University of Glasgow IAP-25-106

Intelligent Geothermal Energy Development: AI-Enhanced Modelling and Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-142

Examining ecological shifts and impacts of adaptive divergence in response to geothermal habitats

University of Glasgow IAP-24-099

Advancing ultra-high resolution palaeoenvironmental records from lake sediment cores through integrated laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging

Newcastle University IAP-25-089

The impacts of electromagnetic fields from offshore cabling on lobster (Homarus gammarus) and crab (Cancer pagurus) behaviour

Newcastle University IAP-24-021

PROTECTION OF SEABED CARBON IN SHELF SEDIMENT

Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-115

Critical Metal insights from historic mines around Loch Tay : An atomistic approach to understanding critical metal enrichment pathways in mineral and mine wastes

University of Glasgow IAP-25-061

Feathered Witnesses: Unravelling the Impact of Habitat Loss on Neotropical Avifauna with Stable Isotope Analysis

University of Glasgow IAP-25-013

Leveraging wild hybrids to map the genomic mechanisms of life-history variation in a primitive vertebrate.

University of Glasgow IAP-25-047

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

British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-003

Microbial ecological archaeology of Antarctic microbes through single cell genomics

Newcastle University IAP-24-064

Assessing the Hydro ecological Impacts of Climate-Driven Extreme Events on UK Rivers

Heriot-Watt University IAP-24-115

What drives aggression? Linking Ecology, Evolution, and Genes

Durham University IAP-25-026

Computational innovation for the energy transition: Bayesian stratigraphic correlation of subsurface data

Durham University IAP-25-143

Designing Resilient Landscapes: Integrating Nature-based Solutions and Flood Defences into Catchments

Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-121

Investigating past changes in Greenland melting and its impacts on ocean circulation as a key to the future.

Durham University IAP-24-008

Investigating interactions between subglacial landscape evolution and Antarctic Ice Sheet behaviour

Durham University IAP-25-019

Resilient Coastal Communities: Nature-based Solutions to Mitigate Compound Flood Risks

Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-119

Predator defence in anemonefishes

Newcastle University IAP-25-004

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

British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-002

From preferences to pollination: do hummingbirds and bees differ in how they choose flowers?

Newcastle University IAP-25-074

The role of tree-based landscapes in improving food security and nutrition across West Africa

University of Stirling IAP-25-134

Tracing Micronutrient behaviour accompanying forestation and climate change

Durham University IAP-24-119

Role of turbidity currents in organic carbon and nutrient transport to deep-sea environment

Newcastle University IAP-24-045

Modelling landscape-level approaches for mitigating the evolution of pesticide resistance

University of Stirling IAP-25-133

Sundaland Reimagined: The Reconstruction of a Lost Cenozoic Continent

Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-122

How important is mantle carbonation in Earth’s long-term carbon cycle?

Durham University IAP-24-114

Characterising methane productivity during the Late Holocene in Arctic Sweden

Durham University IAP-25-044

Assessing the geothermal potential of Scottish granites by establishing their long-term thermal history

University of Glasgow IAP-25-050

Point process methods for mapping wildlife distributions from biased and incomplete data

University of Glasgow IAP-25-051

Trade-offs between wildness and wellbeing in restored landscapes: blue health, beavers and rewilding

University of Stirling IAP-25-130

Formation of rare metal (Li-Ta-Sn) melts on the Precambrian Earth

University of St Andrews IAP-25-030

Climate change impacts on soil biodiversity and functioning in mountain ecosystems

University of Stirling IAP-25-023

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

University of St Andrews IAP-25-104

Scalable early warning and rapid response data systems for invasive species biosecurity.

Newcastle University IAP-25-083

Role of Plant Functional Diversity in Modulating Grassland Responses to Grazing and Drought

Newcastle University IAP-25-077

Environmental and ‘One Health’ ecology of clinically pathogenic fungi

University of Stirling IAP-25-024

Secure and Decentralized Federated Learning for Environmental Forecasting

Newcastle University IAP-25-082

Mathematical modelling of Ecosystem Resilience in a Changing Climate

Durham University IAP-25-140

Testing Local Adaptation During Ecosystem Restoration in Burying Beetles

University of St Andrews IAP-25-033

Rockfall detection and modelling in the rapidly deglaciating Mont Blanc massif

Newcastle University IAP-25-055

Pleistocene to present-day sea level puzzles in Patagonia: disentangling the sea-level budget to improve regional ice history.

Durham University IAP-25-042

A metallogenic model for lithium and rare metal resources in the Glen Gairn granite

Durham University IAP-25-111

Modelling urban infrastructure interdependencies under flood conditions via dynamic graph learning

Newcastle University IAP-25-086

Understanding how a threatened seabird moves across complex ocean energyscapes

United Kingdom Centre for Ecology & Hydrology IAP-25-114

Peat-forming seasonally flooded forests of the Peruvian Amazon: distribution, carbon storage, and long-term ecology

University of St Andrews IAP-24-078

Din in the dark: the effects of anthropogenic noise on hibernation behaviour and physiology in hedgehogs

University of Glasgow IAP-25-068

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

University of Glasgow IAP-24-055

Getting to the core of the Great Glen Fault

University of Glasgow IAP-25-066

Greenhouse gas balance in an agricultural grassland system with enhanced rock weathering of basalt as a carbon dioxide removal strategy

Newcastle University IAP-25-092

Sediment release from glacial valleys in a changing climate: Interactions between valley morphology, sediment dynamics, and climate variations

University of Glasgow IAP-25-049

Vocal behaviour of killer whales and the dual pressures of ship noise and predation on Arctic marine mammals

University of St Andrews IAP-25-035

Ecological Colonisation of New Anthropogenic Rocks

University of Glasgow IAP-25-009

Linking persistence, predictability and extremes in a changing climate

University of St Andrews IAP-25-032

Microbial degradation of glacial POPs

University of Glasgow IAP-24-018

Exploring how plasticity and morphology shape life history strategies in ectotherms

Newcastle University IAP-25-008

Listening to Food Webs: Ecoacoustic insights into Bird Predator–Prey Networks in Changing Landscapes

Newcastle University IAP-25-085

Reproductive isolation in a species group of Drosophila

University of St Andrews IAP-25-034

The cognitive ecology of wild bumblebees

Newcastle University IAP-25-075

Nature-based solutions for coastal management – The role of biofilms in induced carbonate precipitation and sediment stability

Newcastle University IAP-24-070

From ice to ecosystem: assessing the risk of glacier melt and legacy contamination for reindeer in Sápmi (Lapland)

Durham University IAP-25-017

Healing and Harm: invasive species, medicinal plant use, and community-based conservation in South Africa

University of Stirling IAP-25-135

Explorations of symbiosis along a parasite-mutualist continuum

University of Stirling IAP-24-096

Representing runout in landslide nowcasts to improve disaster information and response

Newcastle University IAP-24-095

AI-Driven Satellite Embeddings for Fine-resolution Mapping and Tracking Global Coastal Vegetated Ecosystem Change (2017-2024)

University of Glasgow IAP-25-078

MINELOOP: Investigating MINEwater systems using closed-LOOP geothermal technologies

British Geological Survey IAP-25-124

Mineral entrapment within protocells: key to the origin of life?

Newcastle University IAP-25-091

Cracks in the ice: Disentangling the threats to Arctic ice shelves

University of Stirling IAP-25-131

Isotopic window into past & future of peatland methane emissions (ISOPEAT)

University of Glasgow IAP-25-070

The glaciers of South Georgia from the 1950s to 2100 CE

Newcastle University IAP-25-072

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

British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-011

Diffusion Clocks: Decoding Magma Ascent Speed Beneath Volcanoes

University of Glasgow IAP-25-021

Earth’s Deep Time CO2 and Mass Extinctions

University of St Andrews IAP-25-099

Unravelling nutrient feedbacks across the Great Oxidation Event

University of St Andrews IAP-24-005

From Wandering Albatrosses to Hedgehogs: Using AI and Citizen Science to Improve Biodiversity Monitoring under Ground Truth Uncertainty

University of Glasgow IAP-25-063

Automated Continuous In-situ Dissolved Metal Monitoring & Modelling (ACID M3)

Durham University IAP-25-109

Quantifying Past Variations in Southern Ocean Primary Productivity from Sulfur Isotopes in Antarctic Ice Cores

University of St Andrews IAP-25-105

What controls ice flow across Palmer and Ellsworth Lands, Antarctica?

Newcastle University IAP-25-087

Small-scale fisheries’ contributions to nutrition and food security under a changing climate

University of St Andrews IAP-25-098

Unravelling the Co-evolution of Climate Extremes and Vegetation Dynamics across Global Ecosystems

University of Glasgow IAP-25-071

Landslide-flood interactions in the Himalayan mountain range in a warming climate

Durham University IAP-25-040

Investigating the organic matter reactivity continuum in UK Coastal Shelf Seas.

Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-116

Modelling vector control for Aedes-borne arboviruses

United Kingdom Centre for Ecology & Hydrology IAP-25-113

Measuring the isotopic fingerprint of Greenland Ice Sheet melt

University of St Andrews IAP-25-093

The role of ditches in the global carbon cycle: A critical & unrecognised player.

University of Glasgow IAP-25-007

Carbonatite exsolution from Nepheline Syenite: The Lillebukt Nepheline Syenite-Carbonatite Complex, Northern Norway

University of St Andrews IAP-25-102

Understanding Biological Responses to Arctic Sea-Ice Geoengineering climate intervention

British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-027

Source or sink? The roles of glacier melt and sediment transport for the carbon budget of the Greenland Ice Sheet

University of St Andrews IAP-25-031

The impact of horizontal gene transfer on the evolution of eukaryotes

University of Stirling IAP-24-025

Physics, biology and ecology of toxic plankton blooms

Newcastle University IAP-25-065

Machine Learning for Innovative Slope Design to Radically Decarbonise Open Pit Mining

Newcastle University IAP-25-084

Sounding out the deep: using AI and passive acoustic monitoring to reveal spatial and temporal patterns in deep-sea ecosystems

University of Glasgow IAP-25-064

When nutrients turn toxic: how metals shape microbial coexistence

Durham University IAP-25-029

Occupancy, density and the ecology of terrestrial British mammals

Durham University IAP-25-060

Investigating multiple causes of saltmarsh compaction – how important is biodegradation?

Durham University IAP-24-020

Modelling effects of climate change on future kelp habitats and associated commercial fisheries

Newcastle University IAP-25-079

Determining the Impacts of Wildfires, from a local to global scale, using Satellite-based Observations.

University of Stirling IAP-25-054

How Age-Dependent Sexual Selection and Parity Mode Shape Fitness Trajectories in Reptile Reproduction

University of Glasgow IAP-25-028

Modelling internal tsunamis generated by glacial calving

Newcastle University IAP-25-005

What happens to millennia of mercury contamination in peatlands under a warming climate?

University of Stirling IAP-25-052

Drivers of changing geohazard exposure and risk in the Hindu-Kush Himalaya

Durham University IAP-25-069

Origin and evolutionary dynamics of rainforest assembly in the Fiji Islands

Durham University IAP-24-069

Holocene ice sheet-ocean interaction and glacimarine sedimentation in Greenland fjords

Durham University IAP-25-018

Reconstructing past ice-sheet retreat and ice-ocean interactions from marine sediment cores.

Newcastle University IAP-25-076

Plinian eruption deposits from Las Cañadas Caldera, Tenerife: constraining eruption frequencies, eruption cycles and the Quaternary evolution of the island

Durham University IAP-24-120

Mathematical models for treescape resilience in a changing climate

Newcastle University IAP-25-056

Investigating records of terrestrial precursors in the early Solar System using Cr, Ni and Zn isotope compositions of meteorites

University of St Andrews IAP-25-101

Rewired ecosystems: connecting structure, function and biodiversity in beaver-engineered landscapes

University of Stirling IAP-25-132

Understanding the ecological interplay between tree planting and natural processes to create future forests

University of Stirling IAP-25-053

The legacy of lost woods: soil microbial communities and the regeneration of the Caledonian Forest

Newcastle University IAP-25-090

Understanding the diverse impacts of human activity on primate behaviour and physiology

Durham University IAP-25-058

Reactive Fracturing and Carbonation Dynamics in Mafic and Ultramafic Rocks under CO₂ Storage Conditions

Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-117

The origin of animals: Building a precise timeline from the geological record

Durham University IAP-25-022

From Sound to Structure: Explainable AI for Multimodal Ecosystem Health Monitoring

Newcastle University IAP-25-062

Reservoirs of Bacterial Pathogens in Captive Animal Enclosures: Evolutionary Drivers in a Changing Climate

University of Glasgow IAP-25-015

Blue Carbon accumulation, transformation and storage: Quantifying biogeochemical processes in saltmarsh ecosystems.

Durham University IAP-25-036

Light for Life: Optical Sensing Platforms for Environmental Water Quality Monitoring

Newcastle University IAP-25-141

Developing a landslide dynamic hazard model

University of Glasgow IAP-25-144

Coastal Hydrodynamic Water Quality Modelling using Machine Learning Techniques

Newcastle University IAP-25-081

The evolution of reproductive isolation in rubyspot damselflies

Durham University IAP-25-025

The coral biomineralisation response to temperature and pH change in the Central Pacific over the last 500ka

University of St Andrews IAP-25-097

Transforming landscapes: the role of large herbivores in Holocene ecosystem dynamics

University of St Andrews IAP-25-037

Fluid transport of heat and metals: understanding the formation of highly permeable fracture systems in granite

Durham University IAP-25-107

The vulnerability of tourists to volcanic hazards in Indonesia

British Geological Survey IAP-25-123

Tracking and tracing contaminated sediment in historic mining headwater catchments

Durham University IAP-25-043

From Forests to Fevers: Network Models of Disease Emergence in Human-Modified Landscapes

University of Stirling IAP-25-136

Peat soil crusts: formation, desiccation and modelling of transport by wind

Durham University IAP-25-137

Powering Net Zero from Below: The Future of Mine Water Geothermal Energy

Durham University IAP-25-038

Investigating the oceanic impacts of Greenland’s meltwater

University of St Andrews IAP-25-096

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

British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-138