Postgraduate research projects
PhD and Masters by Research projects within the School of Earth Sciences are published on this page. It will be expected that you contact potential supervisors in advance of submitting an application.
We offer funded projects from a variety of UK and international industry and government sources. All funded studentships for which we are currently recruiting are advertised below.
General information on postgraduate admissions can be found on the University postgraduate webpages.
NOTE: select either 'Geology (PhD)' or 'Geology (MSc by Research)' as your programme when applying.
NERC GW4+ DLTP
Deadline: Thursday 7 January 2027 23:59 GMT
This NERC-funded Doctoral Landscape Training Partnership programme offers studentships for 42 months within four research themes: Climate Change and Risk, Earth Science and Hazards, Science for Environmental Solutions and Evolution and Biodiversity Through Space and Time.
Find out more on the University of Bristol prospectus, including entry requirements and funding details, and on the NERC GW4+ DLTP website.
Projects
- AI reconstruction of coral growth and environmental responses in 4D (PDF, 268kB). Lead Supervisor: Dr Erica Hendy
- Do MERMAIDs hear volcanoes (PDF, 271kB) Lead Supervisor: Dr Jessica Irving
- Earthquake Ruptures in Complex Fault Networks (PDF, 280kB). Lead Supervisor: Dr Max Werner
- Earth's Evolving Oceans (PDF, 262kB). Lead Supervisor: Dr Lewis Alcott
- Engineering bacterial biomagnetic batteries to clean up contaminated UK waters (PDF, 263kB). Lead Supervisor: Dr James Byrne
- Establishing sponges as deep sea temperature and water mass loggers (PDF, 262kB). Lead Supervisor: Dr Michael Henehan
- Hazard generation from pyroclastic density currents entering water (PDF, 267kB). Lead Supervisor: Dr Pete Rowley
- Rare earth elements in metamorphic rocks (PDF, 263kB). Lead Supervisor: Dr Freya George
- Redox controls on titanate pyrochlore (PDF, 266kB). Lead Supervisor: Professor Claire Corkhill
- Resistance, resilience, recovery and reorganization (PDF, 261kB). Lead Supervisor: Professor Daniela Schmidt
- Taking a breath: Costovertebral joint diversity (PDF, 267kB). Lead Supervisor: Dr Katrina Jones
- The Cambrian explosion of jawed invertebrates the Gnathifera (PDF, 279kB). Lead Supervisor: Dr Jakob Vinther
- Understanding Magma Driven Faulting in Active Volcanic Systems (PDF, 270kB). Lead Supervisor: Professor Juliet Biggs
How to apply
Read the specific guidance on how to apply (PDF, 165kB) for these projects.
You must complete the DLTP Personal Statement (Office document, 197kB) and submit it with your application, otherwise your application will not be considered.
You can only submit one application for any NERC GW4+ DLTP project across all our partner institutions.
After you submit your application, complete the DLTP Survey for 2027 Entry.
SWBio DTP
Deadline: Wednesday 2 December 2026 12:00 (GMT)
The South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP) programme aims to provide students with outstanding interdisciplinary research training across a broad of bioscience disciplines, underpinned by transformative technologies.
Find out more on the University of Bristol prospectus, including entry requirements and funding details, and on the SWBio website.
Projects
- Evolutionary assembly of land plants - genomes, development and phenotype.pdf (PDF, 299kB) Lead Supervisor: Professor Phil Donoghue
- Telling all tales - evolutionary, functional, and genetic underpinnings of mamma (PDF, 235kB) Lead Supervisor: Dr Katrina Jones
How to apply
Apply on the SWBio application portal.
Other Funding Options
You can explore further funding options for your postgraduate studies in this guide from the Bristol Doctoral College:
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/about/research-programmes/funding-and-scholarships/