Fully Funded PhD Studentships in Biological Sciences and Geosciences

24 Funded PhDs Available: The NERC & BBSRC QUARTILES Partnership - Applications open for October 2026 Entry.

Applications are now open. Please visit our website for full details, to register for one of our information sessions, and to download the application form.

The QUARTILES Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) is a BBSRC and NERC-funded research and training programme designed to equip PhD students with the skills, expertise, outlook, and real-world experience to become the next generation of scientific leaders capable of addressing the most pressing environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainability.

QUARTILES combines research centres of excellence in biological sciences, geosciences and archaeology at the University of Aberdeen and Queen’s University Belfast, collaborating with over 50 partners from across government, industry, NGO and policy development. The partnership has a range of priority PhD projects and has developed a training curriculum that includes project management, leadership skills and internship opportunities to ensure graduates are positioned to lead, communicate and translate leading-edge science.

Why Join QUARTILES?

As a QUARTILES PhD student, you will:

• Work with experts: Be supervised by world-leading researchers and gain access to state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure.
• Enhance your employability: Receive specialist training central to your project, coupled with core and generic skills training.
• Join a community: Work as part of a vibrant, supportive, and inclusive research group, collaborating with fellow students across disciplines to tackle complex environmental issues and deliver innovative solutions.
• Gain real-world experience: Take advantage of placement or internship opportunities with external partners to build networks and open employment paths.

NERC-supported projects are funded for 45 months and BBSRC projects for 48 months.

Studentships include:

• Stipend based on UKRI rates (Estimated £21,383 pa for 2026/2027, updated annually).
• Home level tuition fees
• Research and training support costs (NERC £9,000; BBSRC £15,000)

QUARTILES is open to UK nationals and international candidates. International candidates will receive a fee waiver to cover the difference between home and international fees, but the DLA does not cover visa, immigration health surcharge or other relocation costs.

Equality, diversity and inclusion is core to the QUARTILES DLA. We encourage applications from diverse career paths and backgrounds and across all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status, amongst other protected characteristics.

We invite applications from those returning from a career break, industry or other roles. We typically require a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree, but exceptions can be made where applicants can demonstrate excellence in alternative ways, including, but not limited to, performance in masters courses, professional placements, internships or employment – this will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and is dependent upon approval from the relevant host institution.

We offer flexible study arrangements such as part-time study (minimum 50%), however this does depend on the nature of the project/research so will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

QUARTILES Training

QUARTILES offers a varied, cross-disciplinary training programme which develops with you as you travel through your PhD. It will set you up with all the critical skills and tools you need to get started, then moving through broader skills development and later into career aspirations and professional experience:

• Statistics, Python, R, Modelling & Analysis
• Environmental Policy
• Professional internships (usually 1-3 months)
• Career Conversations & Employability
• Enterprise & Innovation
• Leadership in Research
• Field Courses

Research Themes

QUARTILES has identified 5 key research themes to focus on, these are:

1. Biotechnology for Environmental Innovation
2. Ecosystem Services, Conservation and Restoration
3. Sustainable and Resilient Food-Systems
4. Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Carbon Cycling
5. Environmental Informatics and Earth Observation

Find out more about each of these themes and their focus on our website here.

Ready to take the next step? Visit our website to discover more, secure your spot at our applicant information session, and download the application form to apply today.

Information sessions will consist of a short presentation followed by a Q&A. Please register via this online form, sessions will run at the below dates and times:

• Wednesday 17^th December, 10:30-11:30am UK time
• Wednesday 7^th January, 17:00-18:00pm UK time

Applicants should contact the project supervisor before submitting any application to discuss details and fit for the project.

The deadline for applications is 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 14^th January 2026.

Remote interviews (Microsoft Teams) are anticipated to take place between Monday 16^th February and Friday 20^th February 2026. Interviewees will be asked to prepare a short presentation.

If you have any questions, please contact us at quartiles-admissions@abdn.ac.uk.

Projects available: (For full details on available projects, please visit our website)

University of Aberdeen School of Geosciences

1. Verifying Biochar Permanence for Carbon Capture and Sequestration using Raman Spectroscopy - Lead supervisor: Professor David Muirhead
2. Understanding hanging glaciers and their propensity for cascading hazards - Lead supervisor: Dr Lydia Sam
3. Spatiotemporal trends in supraglacial pond evolution in the Indian Himalaya - Lead supervisor: Dr Anshuman Bhardwaj
4. Shifting Sands: marine geomorphology, paleolandscapes and sediment mobility for energy transition - Lead supervisor: Dr Bartosz Kurjanski
5. Rivers, Rewired — A physics-aware foundation model for global rainfall–runoff - Lead supervisor: Dr David Haro Monteagudo
6. Oak genetics through time: ancient DNA analysis of sub-fossil oak for woodland management and conservation - Lead supervisor: Dr Michael Stratigos
7. Development and application of land-surface temperature index glacio-hydrological model - Lead supervisor: Dr Shaktiman Singh
8. Hippo and hyena haven: Exploring the isotope palaeoecology of a non-analogue ecosystem in MIS5e Britain - Lead supervisor: Professor Kate Britton

University of Aberdeen School of Biological Sciences

1. The wetland symphony: Assessing wetland diversity in Scotland using ecoacoustics - Lead supervisor: Dr Vasilis Louca
2. Harnessing biogeochemical tags and environmental genomics to infer habitat use and age-related movement of an endangered shark: from evolutionary insights to conservation management - Lead supervisor: Dr Catherine Jones
3. Drivers of variation between pathogens in host range and implications for spill-over risk at the wildlife-livestock interface - Lead supervisor: Dr Sandra Telfer
4. Bottlenose dolphin responses to shipping traffic: sociality, behaviour and welfare outcomes - Lead supervisor: Dr David Fisher
5. Utility of eDNA and serological approaches to model proliferative kidney disease (PKD) exposure of Scottish farmed rainbow trout - Lead supervisor: Dr Jason Holland
6. Trait-based drivers of the ornamental plant trade - Lead supervisor: Dr Catherine Sheard
7. The genetic control of physiological traits in molluscan shellfish - Lead supervisor: Dr Victoria Sleight
8. Predicting and managing the spatially asynchronous pulses of herbivorous rodent abundance cascading through ecosystems - Lead supervisor: Professor Xavier Lambin
9. Genetic diversity and adaptation: Developing indicators for national and international policy - Lead supervisor: Professor Lesley Lancaster

Queens University Belfast School of Natural and Built Environment

1. The Impact of Hetereogeneity on Geothermal Resources of the Sherwood Sandstone Formation - Lead supervisor: Professor Ulrich Ofterdinger
2. Proteomic Analysis of Dental Calculus to Investigate the Oral Microbiome and Diet in Medieval Ireland and Scotland - Lead supervisor: Professor Eileen Murphy
3. A Digital Twin of Natural Solutions for Coastal Protection - Lead supervisor: Dr Pal Schmitt

Queens University Belfast School of Biological Sciences

1. Veg, Flax and Flux: Diversifying Farms for Carbon and Biodiversity Gains - Lead supervisor: Professor Mark Emmerson
2. Unravelling the pollination black-box: how does insect behaviour shape pollination? - Lead supervisor: Dr Isabella Capellini
3. Understanding phage-host dynamics in cyanobacteria for sustainable biocontrol of harmful algal blooms - Lead supervisor: Dr Connor Bamford
4. Coastal Defenders: How Shallow Subtidal and Intertidal Habitats Can Safeguard Our Shores from Climate Change - Lead supervisor: Dr Annika Clements