About the project or challenge area

Coccolithophores are important marine organisms directly influencing our climate. They take up CO2 via photosynthesis and produce a calcium carbonate shell, affecting the ocean carbon pump. We observe about 280 coccolithophore species in the ocean, but most of our ecological understanding relies on a single species, Emiliania huxleyi. While E. hux. is the most abundant coccolithophore species, its contribution to the ocean carbon pump is small, indicating our need to consider other species. In this project, you will apply novel statistical approaches to identify key coccolithophore groups involved in the ocean carbon pump and characterise their ecology.

Why choose this project?

You will receive training in statistics, data science and marine ecology. You will learn to apply different analytical techniques developed for terrestrial ecology to the marine environment. You will also develop knowledge of trait-based approaches to find critical drivers of species distribution and abundance.

About you

We seek a highly motivated and independent candidate interested in an interdisciplinary understanding of marine ecology and climate. You should have a degree in either Oceanography, Statistics, Biology, Ecology, Computer Science or Environmental Science. Any experience with R, Python or similar languages would be advantageous.

How to apply

All students can apply using the button below, following the Admissions Statement (PDF, 188kB). Please note that this is an advertised project, which means you only have to complete Section A of the Research Statement.

This project is not funded, for further details please use this link.

Before applying, we recommend getting in touch with the project's supervisors. If you are interested in this project and would like to learn more about the research you will be undertaking, please use the contact details on this page.