2026 Studentships
Studentship projects for cohort 2026/27.
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Iapetus projects for the 2026/27 cohort will be added here from September 2025, with a complete list of projects by the beginning of November 2025. The Studentship Competition will open in November 2025. Please see this page for more details.
Diffusion Clocks: Decoding Magma Ascent Speed Beneath Volcanoes
University of Glasgow IAP-25-021
Understanding the ecological interplay between tree planting and natural processes to create future forests
University of Stirling IAP-25-053
Examining ecological shifts and impacts of adaptive divergence in response to geothermal habitats
University of Glasgow IAP-24-099
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
Sustainability in creel fisheries
Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-120
Tracking and tracing contaminated sediment in historic mining headwater catchments
Durham University IAP-25-043
The impacts of electromagnetic fields from offshore cabling on lobster (Homarus gammarus) and crab (Cancer pagurus) behaviour
Newcastle University IAP-24-021
Soil sulfur: a source or sink of greenhouse gases in boreal landscapes?
Durham University IAP-25-039
Understanding how a threatened seabird moves across complex ocean energyscapes
United Kingdom Centre for Ecology & Hydrology IAP-25-114
Understanding Biological Responses to Arctic Sea-Ice Geoengineering climate intervention
British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-027
The origin of animals: Building a precise timeline from the geological record
Durham University IAP-25-022
Determining the Impacts of Wildfires, from a local to global scale, using Satellite-based Observations.
University of Stirling IAP-25-054
Characterisation and analysis of anthropogenically influenced fluvial catchments and geomorphology in the Philippines
University of Glasgow IAP-25-045
From preferences to pollination: do hummingbirds and bees differ in how they choose flowers?
Newcastle University IAP-25-074
Modelling landscape-level approaches for mitigating the evolution of pesticide resistance
University of Stirling IAP-25-133
Representing runout in landslide nowcasts to improve disaster information and response
Newcastle University IAP-24-095
Reconstructing past ice-sheet retreat and ice-ocean interactions from marine sediment cores.
Newcastle University IAP-25-076
MINELOOP: Investigating MINEwater systems using closed-LOOP geothermal technologies
British Geological Survey IAP-25-124
Assessing the Hydro ecological Impacts of Climate-Driven Extreme Events on UK Rivers
Heriot-Watt University IAP-24-115
Landslide-flood interactions in the Himalayan mountain range in a warming climate
Durham University IAP-25-040
Carbonatite exsolution from Nepheline Syenite: The Lillebukt Nepheline Syenite-Carbonatite Complex, Northern Norway
University of St Andrews IAP-25-102
Formation of rare metal (Li-Ta-Sn) melts on the Precambrian Earth
University of St Andrews IAP-25-030
A metallogenic model for lithium and rare metal resources in the Glen Gairn granite
Durham University IAP-25-111
Reproductive isolation in a species group of Drosophila
University of St Andrews IAP-25-034
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
The evolution of reproductive isolation in rubyspot damselflies
Durham University IAP-25-025
Antarctic sea ice, circulation and ice sheet interactions in the Southeastern Weddell Sea
Durham University IAP-25-016
Understanding grounding line dynamics in response to ice stream uncoupling
Durham University IAP-25-067
The role of tree-based landscapes in improving food security and nutrition across West Africa
University of Stirling IAP-25-134
Unravelling nutrient feedbacks across the Great Oxidation Event
University of St Andrews IAP-24-005
Din in the dark: the effects of anthropogenic noise on hibernation behaviour and physiology in hedgehogs
University of Glasgow IAP-25-068
Modelling internal tsunamis generated by glacial calving
Newcastle University IAP-25-005
Holocene ice sheet-ocean interaction and glacimarine sedimentation in Greenland fjords
Durham University IAP-25-018
Leveraging wild hybrids to map the genomic mechanisms of life-history variation in a primitive vertebrate.
University of Glasgow IAP-25-047
Testing Local Adaptation During Ecosystem Restoration in Burying Beetles
University of St Andrews IAP-25-033
Designing Resilient Landscapes: Integrating Nature-based Solutions and Flood Defences into Catchments
Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-121
Reconstructing glacier histories and investigating glacial geomorphology in the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica.
University of Glasgow IAP-25-006
Occupancy, density and the ecology of terrestrial British mammals
Durham University IAP-25-060
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
Intelligent Geothermal Energy Development: AI-Enhanced Modelling and Decision-Making Under Uncertainty
Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-142
Can microclimate refugia save an iconic floral assemblage under climate change?
Durham University IAP-25-127
Getting to the core of the Great Glen Fault
University of Glasgow IAP-25-066
Investigating the organic matter reactivity continuum in UK Coastal Shelf Seas.
Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-116
AI-Driven Satellite Embeddings for Fine-resolution Mapping and Tracking Global Coastal Vegetated Ecosystem Change (2017-2024)
University of Glasgow IAP-25-078
Adapting to the Urban Night: Behavioural and Genomic Responses in Nocturnal Predators
Durham University IAP-25-126
Probabilistic flood prediction and modelling using machine learning
Durham University IAP-25-108
Predator defence in anemonefishes
Newcastle University IAP-25-004
Characterising methane productivity during the Late Holocene in Arctic Sweden
Durham University IAP-25-044
Scalable early warning and rapid response data systems for invasive species biosecurity.
Newcastle University IAP-25-083
Discovering the long-term extent and chronology of traditional dryland agriculture
Newcastle University IAP-25-073
Explorations of symbiosis along a parasite-mutualist continuum
University of Stirling IAP-24-096
Understanding the role of complexity and diversity in riparian woodland resilience to extreme events.
University of Stirling IAP-24-030
What controls ice flow across Palmer and Ellsworth Lands, Antarctica?
Newcastle University IAP-25-087
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
Weathering vs. climate change: Quantifying recent silicate weathering using novel isotope tracers
Durham University IAP-24-104
Transforming landscapes: the role of large herbivores in Holocene ecosystem dynamics
University of St Andrews IAP-25-037
Microbial degradation of glacial POPs
University of Glasgow IAP-24-018
A beneficial plant-microbial interaction: the ecology of flax retting.
Durham University IAP-25-139
Investigating interactions between subglacial landscape evolution and Antarctic Ice Sheet behaviour
Durham University IAP-25-019
Hidden Risks of Saline Intrusion: Climate-Driven Sea-Level Rise and Geotechnical Implications for Coastal Stability
British Geological Survey IAP-25-125
Understanding the diverse impacts of human activity on primate behaviour and physiology
Durham University IAP-25-058
Time-evolving hazard and risk from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Bhutan.
Newcastle University IAP-25-014
Climate change impacts on soil biodiversity and functioning in mountain ecosystems
University of Stirling IAP-25-023
Rockfall detection and modelling in the rapidly deglaciating Mont Blanc massif
Newcastle University IAP-25-055
Blue Carbon accumulation, transformation and storage: Quantifying biogeochemical processes in saltmarsh ecosystems.
Durham University IAP-25-036
Tracing Micronutrient behaviour accompanying forestation and climate change
Durham University IAP-24-119
Integrating molecular dietary analysis, nutritional ecology and network inference to assess ecosystem service trade-offs in omnivorous beetles
Newcastle University IAP-25-080
Monitoring Scotland’s fresh waters from space: re-engineering the state-of-art using artificial intelligence
University of Stirling IAP-25-128
Drivers of changing geohazard exposure and risk in the Hindu-Kush Himalaya
Durham University IAP-25-069
Powering Net Zero from Below: The Future of Mine Water Geothermal Energy
Durham University IAP-25-038
Isotopic window into past & future of peatland methane emissions (ISOPEAT)
University of Glasgow IAP-25-070
How important is mantle carbonation in Earth’s long-term carbon cycle?
Durham University IAP-24-114
Physical and chemical drivers of bedrock river channel erosion
Durham University IAP-25-041
Assessing the geothermal potential of Scottish granites by establishing their long-term thermal history
University of Glasgow IAP-25-050
Environmental and ‘One Health’ ecology of clinically pathogenic fungi
University of Stirling IAP-25-024
Reservoirs of Bacterial Pathogens in Captive Animal Enclosures: Evolutionary Drivers in a Changing Climate
University of Glasgow IAP-25-015
The role of ditches in the global carbon cycle: A critical & unrecognised player.
University of Glasgow IAP-25-007
Microbial ecological archaeology of Antarctic microbes through single cell genomics
Newcastle University IAP-24-064
Stratosphere–Troposphere Coupling and Its Role in Antarctic Coastal Melt Events and Supraglacial Lake Formation
British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-012
From Forests to Fevers: Network Models of Disease Emergence in Human-Modified Landscapes
University of Stirling IAP-25-136
How does ice flow enhancement and rearrangement impact the West Antarctic Ice Sheet?
University of St Andrews IAP-25-104
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
Peat soil crusts: formation, desiccation and modelling of transport by wind
Durham University IAP-25-137
Mathematical models for treescape resilience in a changing climate
Newcastle University IAP-25-056
Modelling urban infrastructure interdependencies under flood conditions via dynamic graph learning
Newcastle University IAP-25-086
PROTECTION OF SEABED CARBON IN SHELF SEDIMENT
Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-115
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
From Wandering Albatrosses to Hedgehogs: Using AI and Citizen Science to Improve Biodiversity Monitoring under Ground Truth Uncertainty
University of Glasgow IAP-25-063
Eruptive Brines and Active Ice: Modelling Subduction, Brine Dynamics and Cryovolcanism on Jupiter’s Icy Moon Europa
University of Glasgow IAP-25-106
Measuring the isotopic fingerprint of Greenland Ice Sheet melt
University of St Andrews IAP-25-093
What drives aggression? Linking Ecology, Evolution, and Genes
Durham University IAP-25-026
Role of Plant Functional Diversity in Modulating Grassland Responses to Grazing and Drought
Newcastle University IAP-25-077
From Sound to Structure: Explainable AI for Multimodal Ecosystem Health Monitoring
Newcastle University IAP-25-062
Origin and evolutionary dynamics of rainforest assembly in the Fiji Islands
Durham University IAP-24-069
Automated Continuous In-situ Dissolved Metal Monitoring & Modelling (ACID M3)
Durham University IAP-25-109
From ice to ecosystem: assessing the risk of glacier melt and legacy contamination for reindeer in Sápmi (Lapland)
Durham University IAP-25-017
Fluid transport of heat and metals: understanding the formation of highly permeable fracture systems in granite
Durham University IAP-25-107
Of woods and waders: balancing the competing benefits of conservation and restoration
University of St Andrews IAP-25-100
Tectonics, Topography, and Transport: Sediment routing systems and sinks of the Strathclyde Group, Midland Valley Scotland.
University of St Andrews IAP-25-094
Mineral entrapment within protocells: key to the origin of life?
Newcastle University IAP-25-091
Investigating past changes in Greenland melting and its impacts on ocean circulation as a key to the future.
Durham University IAP-24-008
Heavy metal insights into the formation of planet Earth
University of Glasgow IAP-25-010
Telling the time in turbulent oceans: How do phytoplankton use clocks and carbon to survive deep mixing?
University of Stirling IAP-24-068
Quantifying the frequency and causes of extreme wet and dry periods in the Himalayas
British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-002
Earth’s Deep Time CO2 and Mass Extinctions
University of St Andrews IAP-25-099
Healing and Harm: invasive species, medicinal plant use, and community-based conservation in South Africa
University of Stirling IAP-25-135
Exploring how plasticity and morphology shape life history strategies in ectotherms
Newcastle University IAP-25-008
Linking persistence, predictability and extremes in a changing climate
University of St Andrews IAP-25-032
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
Modelling effects of climate change on future kelp habitats and associated commercial fisheries
Newcastle University IAP-25-079
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
Volatile happenings on the igneous side of metamorphism
University of St Andrews IAP-25-001
Pleistocene to present-day sea level puzzles in Patagonia: disentangling the sea-level budget to improve regional ice history.
Durham University IAP-25-042
Point process methods for mapping wildlife distributions from biased and incomplete data
University of Glasgow IAP-25-051
Resilient Coastal Communities: Nature-based Solutions to Mitigate Compound Flood Risks
Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-119
Role of turbidity currents in organic carbon and nutrient transport to deep-sea environment
Newcastle University IAP-24-045
The cognitive ecology of wild bumblebees
Newcastle University IAP-25-075
Light for Life: Optical Sensing Platforms for Environmental Water Quality Monitoring
Newcastle University IAP-25-141
Ecological Colonisation of New Anthropogenic Rocks
University of Glasgow IAP-25-009
Advancing ultra-high resolution palaeoenvironmental records from lake sediment cores through integrated laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging
Newcastle University IAP-25-089
Reactive Fracturing and Carbonation Dynamics in Mafic and Ultramafic Rocks under CO₂ Storage Conditions
Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-117
Seascape ecology of the Antarctic Peninsula
University of Glasgow IAP-25-046
Machine Learning for Innovative Slope Design to Radically Decarbonise Open Pit Mining
Newcastle University IAP-25-084
When nutrients turn toxic: how metals shape microbial coexistence
Durham University IAP-25-029
Listening to Food Webs: Ecoacoustic insights into Bird Predator–Prey Networks in Changing Landscapes
Newcastle University IAP-25-085
The glaciers of South Georgia from the 1950s to 2100 CE
Newcastle University IAP-25-072
Mathematical modelling of Ecosystem Resilience in a Changing Climate
Durham University IAP-25-140
The legacy of lost woods: soil microbial communities and the regeneration of the Caledonian Forest
Newcastle University IAP-25-090
Investigating the oceanic impacts of Greenland’s meltwater
University of St Andrews IAP-25-096
Peat-forming seasonally flooded forests of the Peruvian Amazon: distribution, carbon storage, and long-term ecology
University of St Andrews IAP-24-078
Feathered Witnesses: Unravelling the Impact of Habitat Loss on Neotropical Avifauna with Stable Isotope Analysis
University of Glasgow IAP-25-013
The vulnerability of tourists to volcanic hazards in Indonesia
British Geological Survey IAP-25-123
How Earthquakes Become Tsunamis: Investigating Rupture Propagation into Subduction Zone Accretionary Prisms
Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-118
Rewired ecosystems: connecting structure, function and biodiversity in beaver-engineered landscapes
University of Stirling IAP-25-132
The history of tropical peatland vegetation in Peruvian Amazonia and implications for conservation and management
University of St Andrews IAP-25-103
Unravelling the Co-evolution of Climate Extremes and Vegetation Dynamics across Global Ecosystems
University of Glasgow IAP-25-071
How Age-Dependent Sexual Selection and Parity Mode Shape Fitness Trajectories in Reptile Reproduction
University of Glasgow IAP-25-028
How did Earth become a habitable planet? Revealing the origins of Earth’s water using Antarctic meteorites
University of Glasgow IAP-24-066
Investigating multiple causes of saltmarsh compaction – how important is biodegradation?
Durham University IAP-24-020
Small-scale fisheries’ contributions to nutrition and food security under a changing climate
University of St Andrews IAP-25-098
The coral biomineralisation response to temperature and pH change in the Central Pacific over the last 500ka
University of St Andrews IAP-25-097
Sediment release from glacial valleys in a changing climate: Interactions between valley morphology, sediment dynamics, and climate variations
University of Glasgow IAP-25-049
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
Secure and Decentralized Federated Learning for Environmental Forecasting
Newcastle University IAP-25-082
Nature-based solutions for coastal management – The role of biofilms in induced carbonate precipitation and sediment stability
Newcastle University IAP-24-070
Sundaland Reimagined: The Reconstruction of a Lost Cenozoic Continent
Heriot-Watt University IAP-25-122
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
Using functional genomics to assess population health after a local reintroduction of the field cricket in Cornwall
University of Glasgow IAP-25-048
The impact of horizontal gene transfer on the evolution of eukaryotes
University of Stirling IAP-24-025
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
Cracks in the ice: Disentangling the threats to Arctic ice shelves
University of Stirling IAP-25-131
Under Pressure: comparative assessment of the effects of hydrostatic pressure, and oxygen availability on marine and freshwater animal physiology
Newcastle University IAP-25-088
Trade-offs between wildness and wellbeing in restored landscapes: blue health, beavers and rewilding
University of Stirling IAP-25-130
Reconstructing the South Orkney Ice Cap – a sentinel of Antarctic Ice Sheet change
British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-138
Modelling vector control for Aedes-borne arboviruses
United Kingdom Centre for Ecology & Hydrology IAP-25-113
Environmental drivers in archaeology: past, present and future under the lens of geophysics
Durham University IAP-25-110
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
Quantifying Past Variations in Southern Ocean Primary Productivity from Sulfur Isotopes in Antarctic Ice Cores
University of St Andrews IAP-25-105
Physics, biology and ecology of toxic plankton blooms
Newcastle University IAP-25-065
Quantifying indoor and outdoor air pollution in central Scotland to support actions to improve health (Forth-ERA)
University of Stirling IAP-25-020
Coastal Hydrodynamic Water Quality Modelling using Machine Learning Techniques
Newcastle University IAP-25-081
What happens to millennia of mercury contamination in peatlands under a warming climate?
University of Stirling IAP-25-052
Changing freshwater inputs to the Southern Ocean due to rapid climatic change
British Antarctic Survey IAP-25-003
