PhD Studentship Opportunities to work in Dr Clark's lab at the University of Liverpool.
Current Opportunity
The impacts of land-based nutrient pollution and sediment on coastal ecosystems in a Caribbean Bay
Eligibility: Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Closing date: 8th January 2024 (Closed)
Click here for the official DTP advert and further instructions
The Project
In tropical coastal ecosystems, mangrove and seagrass ecosystems sieve nutrients and sediment from land, protecting fragile coral reefs. Increasing anthropogenic land-based sources of nutrients and sediments can overwhelm this natural sieve, allowing excessive nutrients and sediments to impact coastal water quality and ecosystem health. Maintaining the health of tropical coastal ecosystems is vital, as they are important global blue carbon stores and provide ecosystem services critical for human populations in the local area.In this project you will examine the effectiveness of seagrass beds in moderating the nutrient and sediment discharge from rivers with different characteristics such as those that are urbanised, peat-rich, or clean mountain rivers. The study site, Almirante Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama is a biodiverse estuary impacted by anthropogenic nutrient inputs from land, which is the likely driver of local annual hypoxia.
You will evaluate 1) seagrass community health (e.g., stem and shoot density, species composition, growth rates), 2) characterise the water-quality (e.g. YSI multiparameter Sonde, seawater isotopes) and sediment record (e.g., 50 cm sediment cores, geochemical analysis - diatom composition and XRF/heavy metal analysis), and 3) assess impacts of environmental change on coastal ecosystem dynamics.
You would be based at the University of Liverpool, with periodic visits to our partner UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH). Fieldwork will be at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Bocas del Toro, Panama. The Supervision Team will be Dr Kasey Clark and Prof Andy Plater (Geography and Planning, University of Liverpool), Prof Claire Mahaffey (Earth, Oceans, and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool), Dr Toby Marthews (UKCEH), and Dr Rachel Collin (STRI).
Essential and Desirable Criteria
The successful candidate will benefit from supervision and training that has enabled previous students to develop skills leading to publication in high quality journals, and successful conservation and academic careers.
Essential
How to Apply
Notes and details of how to apply are available here: https://accedtp.ac.uk/phd-opportunities/ All applicants to ACCE must complete the ACCE personal statement proforma. This is instead of a personal/supporting statement or cover letter. The proforma is designed to standardise this part of the application to minimise the difference between those who are given support and those who are not. Candidates should also submit a CV and the contact details of 2 referees. Informal enquiries may be made to [email protected] You will apply as a University of Liverpool PGR student, applying to the University formally via the AY (online application) system.
The ACCE DTP is committed to recruiting extraordinary future scientists regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or career pathway to date. We understand that commitment and excellence can be shown in many ways and have built our recruitment process to reflect this. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those underrepresented in science, who have curiosity, creativity and a drive to learn new skills. Informal enquiries may be made to [email protected]
Current Opportunity
The impacts of land-based nutrient pollution and sediment on coastal ecosystems in a Caribbean Bay
Eligibility: Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Closing date: 8th January 2024 (Closed)
Click here for the official DTP advert and further instructions
The Project
In tropical coastal ecosystems, mangrove and seagrass ecosystems sieve nutrients and sediment from land, protecting fragile coral reefs. Increasing anthropogenic land-based sources of nutrients and sediments can overwhelm this natural sieve, allowing excessive nutrients and sediments to impact coastal water quality and ecosystem health. Maintaining the health of tropical coastal ecosystems is vital, as they are important global blue carbon stores and provide ecosystem services critical for human populations in the local area.In this project you will examine the effectiveness of seagrass beds in moderating the nutrient and sediment discharge from rivers with different characteristics such as those that are urbanised, peat-rich, or clean mountain rivers. The study site, Almirante Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama is a biodiverse estuary impacted by anthropogenic nutrient inputs from land, which is the likely driver of local annual hypoxia.
You will evaluate 1) seagrass community health (e.g., stem and shoot density, species composition, growth rates), 2) characterise the water-quality (e.g. YSI multiparameter Sonde, seawater isotopes) and sediment record (e.g., 50 cm sediment cores, geochemical analysis - diatom composition and XRF/heavy metal analysis), and 3) assess impacts of environmental change on coastal ecosystem dynamics.
You would be based at the University of Liverpool, with periodic visits to our partner UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH). Fieldwork will be at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Bocas del Toro, Panama. The Supervision Team will be Dr Kasey Clark and Prof Andy Plater (Geography and Planning, University of Liverpool), Prof Claire Mahaffey (Earth, Oceans, and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool), Dr Toby Marthews (UKCEH), and Dr Rachel Collin (STRI).
Essential and Desirable Criteria
The successful candidate will benefit from supervision and training that has enabled previous students to develop skills leading to publication in high quality journals, and successful conservation and academic careers.
Essential
- Land-ocean interactions knowledge or field research
- Biogeochemical assessment of water or sediment
- Statistical techniques to analyse project data
- Experience carrying out tropical ecology and/or physical geography fieldwork
- Experience analysing water and sediment samples for nutrients, physical/chemical characteristics, particle size analysis, XRF, etc
- Numerical/scripting skills (e.g. R)
How to Apply
Notes and details of how to apply are available here: https://accedtp.ac.uk/phd-opportunities/ All applicants to ACCE must complete the ACCE personal statement proforma. This is instead of a personal/supporting statement or cover letter. The proforma is designed to standardise this part of the application to minimise the difference between those who are given support and those who are not. Candidates should also submit a CV and the contact details of 2 referees. Informal enquiries may be made to [email protected] You will apply as a University of Liverpool PGR student, applying to the University formally via the AY (online application) system.
The ACCE DTP is committed to recruiting extraordinary future scientists regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or career pathway to date. We understand that commitment and excellence can be shown in many ways and have built our recruitment process to reflect this. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those underrepresented in science, who have curiosity, creativity and a drive to learn new skills. Informal enquiries may be made to [email protected]
Past Opportunities
Funded Opportunity 1: Exploring river-induced stagnation as a novel driver of coastal hypoxia in the tropics
Eligibility: Full funding at UK home rate (International candidates, see details below)
Closing date: 13th February 2023 (Closed)
Click here for advert
The Project
In this exciting and novel PhD project, you’ll assess the role of large rivers to promote marine hypoxia in a Caribbean Bay.
Ocean deoxygenation is an increasing problem in coastal waters around the world. Hypoxia (dissolved oxygen < 2 mg/L) can result in the catastrophic mortality of marine life, as evidenced by marine “dead zones”. Tropical marine hypoxia is under-reported and under-studied compared to hypoxia in temperate and sub-tropical ecosystems.
In the case of Almirante Bay, in Panama, there is annual hypoxia. There are a few proposed reasons for the hypoxia, including shallow bathymetry of the Bay, weak tides, wind patterns, anthropogenic nutrient inputs, and freshwater inputs. Marine hypoxia impacts coral reef and ecosystem health, tourism, and livelihoods in the Bay.
Preliminary model outputs for Almirante Bay suggest that the drivers of hypoxia in tropical bays may differ from the drivers of temperate and sub-tropical systems, as excess nutrient inputs are often the main factor. Through this project you’ll provide novel insights into how freshwater inputs, specifically large rivers, prevent coastal water column turnover and promote stagnation, eutrophication, and hypoxia in tropical coastal areas.
What you’ll do
You’ll carry out field research in the Caribbean in Panama. You’ll spend two months in Panama at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) at the Bocas del Toro Research Station. You’ll collect water samples for water and nitrate stable isotope analyses and monitor physical/chemical parameters in Almirante Bay using a YSI Sonde. Back in Liverpool, you’ll analyse your samples for nitrate isotopes in the LIFER Lab, create a mixing model utilising established programming scripts with your results, determine the role of freshwater pulses in preventing turnover in Almirante Bay, and summarise the conditions when rivers promote hypoxia. Finally, you’ll make recommendations to the hydroelectric company on when they should reduce flows to promote reoxygenation in the Bay.
Supervision team
Through international collaboration, including external co-supervisors, you’ll have a unique experience. You’ll be a part of a cohesive, diverse, interdisciplinary, and successful research team with supervisors: Dr Kasey Clark and Prof Claire Mahaffey (University of Liverpool), STRI Scientist Dr Rachel Collin (STRI), Dr Mark Torres (Rice University), and Dr Sam Kastner (Washington Western University).
Details
We welcome applications from all backgrounds. The student would be based in the UK at the University of Liverpool. Fieldwork will be in Panama at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), in Bocas del Toro. The PhD would be for 3.5 years (or 6 years part-time) and the start date is October 2023. The student would have UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) support covering: £5000 for research training and support (lab and fieldwork); £17,688/year stipend; and the student fees at the home (UK) rate. International students can apply, but if selected would be required to fund the remaining student fee for international students, which are about £20,000/year, plus visa fees and NHS surcharge.
Application documents
Please email [email protected] if you want to find out more. Check out the full details on Findaphd.com link above. See useful documents below Faculty-Funded Studentship FAQs for applicants and the personal statement proforma template. The prospective student will need to submit their application (CV and the personal statement proforma) through the University of Liverpool's application portal.
Funded Opportunity 1: Exploring river-induced stagnation as a novel driver of coastal hypoxia in the tropics
Eligibility: Full funding at UK home rate (International candidates, see details below)
Closing date: 13th February 2023 (Closed)
Click here for advert
The Project
In this exciting and novel PhD project, you’ll assess the role of large rivers to promote marine hypoxia in a Caribbean Bay.
Ocean deoxygenation is an increasing problem in coastal waters around the world. Hypoxia (dissolved oxygen < 2 mg/L) can result in the catastrophic mortality of marine life, as evidenced by marine “dead zones”. Tropical marine hypoxia is under-reported and under-studied compared to hypoxia in temperate and sub-tropical ecosystems.
In the case of Almirante Bay, in Panama, there is annual hypoxia. There are a few proposed reasons for the hypoxia, including shallow bathymetry of the Bay, weak tides, wind patterns, anthropogenic nutrient inputs, and freshwater inputs. Marine hypoxia impacts coral reef and ecosystem health, tourism, and livelihoods in the Bay.
Preliminary model outputs for Almirante Bay suggest that the drivers of hypoxia in tropical bays may differ from the drivers of temperate and sub-tropical systems, as excess nutrient inputs are often the main factor. Through this project you’ll provide novel insights into how freshwater inputs, specifically large rivers, prevent coastal water column turnover and promote stagnation, eutrophication, and hypoxia in tropical coastal areas.
What you’ll do
You’ll carry out field research in the Caribbean in Panama. You’ll spend two months in Panama at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) at the Bocas del Toro Research Station. You’ll collect water samples for water and nitrate stable isotope analyses and monitor physical/chemical parameters in Almirante Bay using a YSI Sonde. Back in Liverpool, you’ll analyse your samples for nitrate isotopes in the LIFER Lab, create a mixing model utilising established programming scripts with your results, determine the role of freshwater pulses in preventing turnover in Almirante Bay, and summarise the conditions when rivers promote hypoxia. Finally, you’ll make recommendations to the hydroelectric company on when they should reduce flows to promote reoxygenation in the Bay.
Supervision team
Through international collaboration, including external co-supervisors, you’ll have a unique experience. You’ll be a part of a cohesive, diverse, interdisciplinary, and successful research team with supervisors: Dr Kasey Clark and Prof Claire Mahaffey (University of Liverpool), STRI Scientist Dr Rachel Collin (STRI), Dr Mark Torres (Rice University), and Dr Sam Kastner (Washington Western University).
Details
We welcome applications from all backgrounds. The student would be based in the UK at the University of Liverpool. Fieldwork will be in Panama at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), in Bocas del Toro. The PhD would be for 3.5 years (or 6 years part-time) and the start date is October 2023. The student would have UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) support covering: £5000 for research training and support (lab and fieldwork); £17,688/year stipend; and the student fees at the home (UK) rate. International students can apply, but if selected would be required to fund the remaining student fee for international students, which are about £20,000/year, plus visa fees and NHS surcharge.
Application documents
Please email [email protected] if you want to find out more. Check out the full details on Findaphd.com link above. See useful documents below Faculty-Funded Studentship FAQs for applicants and the personal statement proforma template. The prospective student will need to submit their application (CV and the personal statement proforma) through the University of Liverpool's application portal.
| faculty-funded_studentship_call_2022_candidate_faqs_v2.pdf |
| faculty-funded_studentship_call_2022_candidate_personal_statement_v2.docx |
Funded Opportunity 2: Understanding the influence of land-based nutrient pollution on coastal ecosystems in a Caribbean Bay
Eligibility: Worldwide - Full Funding
Closing date: January 13th 2023 (Closed)
Click here for advert
About the Project
In tropical coastal ecosystems, mangrove and seagrass ecosystems sieve nutrients and sediment from land, protecting fragile coral reefs. Increasing anthropogenic land-based sources of nutrients can overwhelm this natural sieve, allowing excessive nutrients and sediments to impact coastal water quality. Maintaining the health of tropical coastal ecosystems is vital, as they are important global blue carbon stores and provide numerous other ecosystem services.
This project will examine how effective mangroves and seagrasses are at altering the nutrient and sediment discharge from rivers with different characteristics, such as those that are urbanised, peat-rich, or clean mountain rivers. The study site, Almirante Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama is a biodiverse estuary impacted by anthropogenic nutrient inputs from land, which may be the driver of local annual hypoxia.
Key attributes of mangroves and seagrasses (e.g., stem and shoot density, species composition, growth rates) will be related to water-quality and sediment parameters at the sampling sites and adjacent rivers. Seagrass will be surveyed during the wet and dry seasons to assess short-term responses. Sediment traps will document sedimentation rates. GIS will be used to assess the impacts of the river discharge on the health of mangrove and seagrass meadows in Almirante Bay.
This will be the first systematic research linking land-based sources of nutrients from a broad range of river types to marine ecosystems' health along continental sites on the Caribbean coast. This project is timely, as the reduction of land-based sources of marine pollution have been identified as an important factor in the Regional Nutrient Pollution Reduction Strategy and Action Plan for the Wider Caribbean Region. Under the guidance of a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) scientist Dr Rachel Collin, fieldwork will be based out of the world-renowned Bocas del Toro Research Station in Panama, where the student will interact with diverse international researchers.
The Supervision Team: Dr Kasey Clark and Prof Claire Mahaffey (University of Liverpool), Prof Lorraine Maltby (University of Sheffield), Dr Rachel Collin (STRI).
How to apply
Notes and details of how to apply are available here. All applicants to ACCE must complete the ACCE personal statement proforma (see below). This is instead of a normal personal/supporting statement/cover letter. The proforma is designed to standardise this part of the application to minimise the difference between those who are given support and those who are not.
The ACCE DTP is committed to recruiting extraordinary future scientists regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or career pathway to date. We understand that commitment and excellence can be shown in many ways and have built our recruitment process to reflect this. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those underrepresented in science, who have curiosity, creativity and a drive to learn new skills. Informal enquiries may be made to [email protected]
Eligibility: Worldwide - Full Funding
Closing date: January 13th 2023 (Closed)
Click here for advert
About the Project
In tropical coastal ecosystems, mangrove and seagrass ecosystems sieve nutrients and sediment from land, protecting fragile coral reefs. Increasing anthropogenic land-based sources of nutrients can overwhelm this natural sieve, allowing excessive nutrients and sediments to impact coastal water quality. Maintaining the health of tropical coastal ecosystems is vital, as they are important global blue carbon stores and provide numerous other ecosystem services.
This project will examine how effective mangroves and seagrasses are at altering the nutrient and sediment discharge from rivers with different characteristics, such as those that are urbanised, peat-rich, or clean mountain rivers. The study site, Almirante Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama is a biodiverse estuary impacted by anthropogenic nutrient inputs from land, which may be the driver of local annual hypoxia.
Key attributes of mangroves and seagrasses (e.g., stem and shoot density, species composition, growth rates) will be related to water-quality and sediment parameters at the sampling sites and adjacent rivers. Seagrass will be surveyed during the wet and dry seasons to assess short-term responses. Sediment traps will document sedimentation rates. GIS will be used to assess the impacts of the river discharge on the health of mangrove and seagrass meadows in Almirante Bay.
This will be the first systematic research linking land-based sources of nutrients from a broad range of river types to marine ecosystems' health along continental sites on the Caribbean coast. This project is timely, as the reduction of land-based sources of marine pollution have been identified as an important factor in the Regional Nutrient Pollution Reduction Strategy and Action Plan for the Wider Caribbean Region. Under the guidance of a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) scientist Dr Rachel Collin, fieldwork will be based out of the world-renowned Bocas del Toro Research Station in Panama, where the student will interact with diverse international researchers.
The Supervision Team: Dr Kasey Clark and Prof Claire Mahaffey (University of Liverpool), Prof Lorraine Maltby (University of Sheffield), Dr Rachel Collin (STRI).
How to apply
Notes and details of how to apply are available here. All applicants to ACCE must complete the ACCE personal statement proforma (see below). This is instead of a normal personal/supporting statement/cover letter. The proforma is designed to standardise this part of the application to minimise the difference between those who are given support and those who are not.
The ACCE DTP is committed to recruiting extraordinary future scientists regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or career pathway to date. We understand that commitment and excellence can be shown in many ways and have built our recruitment process to reflect this. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those underrepresented in science, who have curiosity, creativity and a drive to learn new skills. Informal enquiries may be made to [email protected]
| phd_studentship_project_available_uk-panama_-_marine_ecology_and_physical_geography_2.docx |
| acce-personal-statement-proforma-2023-entry.docx |
Photos from fieldwork in Bocas del Torro in 2019-2020.
