PhD Studentships: CENTA Studentships in Environment, Earth and Ecosystems Sciences

The School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystems Sciences is inviting applications for PhD studentships funded by the Central England NERC Training Alliance (CENTA) Doctoral Landscape Award. CENTA is a consortium of research-intensive Universities and research institutes that are working together to provide excellence in doctoral research training in Earth and Environmental Sciences. We are funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through the UKRI’s Collective Talent Funding. 

The available projects for the October 2027 intake are:

1. Reconstructing mid-latitude Climate and ecosystem variability across the Plio-Pleistocene (Advert ref: CENTA-01-27J)
2. Chasing ice sheets: Reconstructing the glacial history of northwest Europe during the Plio-Pleistocene with the IODP³ Expedition 507 Science Team (Advert ref: CENTA-02-27J)
3. The evolutionary consequences of individual investment in costly organs (Advert ref: CENTA-03-27J)
4. Briny Biospheres: A multi’Omic approach to complex hypersaline environments (Advert ref: CENTA-04-27J)
5. Petals and pollinators: modelling the co-evolution of insects and angiosperms in ancient Amazonian rainforests (Advert ref: CENTA-05-27J)
6. Cryo-mineral dynamics within ice-bound brines on Earth and icy moons (Advert ref: CENTA-06-27J)
7. Exploring how the values of environmental scientists influence research and impact at different career stages (Advert ref: CENTA-07-27J)
8. Exploring the limits of habitability from Antarctic brines to icy worlds (Advert ref: CENTA-08-27J)
9. Microbial origins of methane emissions and uptake in forested closed landfills (Advert ref: CENTA-09-27J)
10. Spectral signatures of increasing atmospheric CO2 in temperate forests (Advert ref: CENTA-10-27J)
11. Life on the rocks: mineral precipitation and its role in habitability (Advert ref: CENTA-11-27J)
12. Follow the fluids: Hydrothermal alteration in Iceland and implications for Early Earth and terrestrial planets (Advert ref: CENTA-12-27J)
13. The Polycomb Gatekeeper: PRC2-Mediated Genome Defence and Allele-Specific Expression in the Polar Diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus (CENTA-13-27J)
14. Assessing the risk of sooty bark disease to urban forests in Britain (Advert ref: CENTA-14-27J)
15. The cruellest spring: did seasonal asymmetry shape extinction and recovery across the Cretaceous-Palaeogene mass extinction event? (Advert ref: CENTA-15-27J)
16. Identifying dynamic response in dust storm activity to environmental change using a novel geospatial framework for monitoring mineral dust emission sources in North Africa and the Middle East (CENTA-16-27J)

Funding information

CENTA studentships provide funding for 3 years and 6 months (7 years for part-time students) during which all course fees are covered. Funded students will also receive an annual stipend of at least £21,805 per annum (pro rata for part-time students) and will be provided with a research training and support grant of £8,000.

Eligibility

• Applicants must hold an upper second-class honours degree in a relevant subject area. Degrees from outside the UK will be assessed according to the UK ENIC framework.
• Applicants who are not UK or Irish citizens must demonstrate their English language competency (see International research student applications for further details)
• The Open University accepts applications from both home and international students
• All projects are available for full-time and part-time study. Part-time students must not take on more than 0.5FTE additional employment.

How to apply

Applications close at 23:59 on 6 January 2027 with interviews taking place late January through mid-February. To apply you must complete the online application form, as part of which you will be asked to upload:

• A CV/resume outlining your most relevant qualifications, professional experience, and any prior research experience
• Copies of your degree certificates and transcripts (including translations if not in English)
• For applicants who are not British/Irish, proof of English language competency 
• A completed CENTA Studentship Application Form. As part of this form, you will need to provide a reference number for your completed CENTA EDI survey

When completing the OU application form, please ensure that you cite the internal advert reference number(s) e.g. CENTA-01-27J. Applicants may apply to more than one project.

Generative AI: You declare any artificial intelligence used to prepare your application. A section is provided in the CENTA studentship form.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to the academic lead for their project prior to application. For procedural or administrative queries, please contact [email protected] or telephone +44 (0) 1908 653806 (Mon-Fri 09:00 – 16:30)