PhD Studentship - Sentinels of the Sea: What can Marine Mammals tell us about Biodiversity Change in UK Waters?

Marine biodiversity is changing rapidly, yet the processes driving these changes and their wider consequences are often poorly understood. Marine mammals are increasingly recognised as ecosystem sentinels due to their sensitivity to variation in ocean conditions and human pressures. This project will investigate what shifts in occurrence patterns and habitat use across multiple species can reveal about biodiversity change in UK waters. The project is designed to provide flexibility for the student to develop their own research direction but potential questions include: How have marine mammal distributions changed through time, and to what extent can the processes driving those changes be identified and attributed? Can marine mammals provide early indicators of wider ecosystem reorganisation? Can we forecast future ecological responses and their implications for conservation and management? Addressing these questions will generate evidence to support biodiversity monitoring, adaptive conservation and environmental decision-making.

This project will adopt a multidisciplinary approach integrating historical and contemporary ecological and social information to investigate ecological change through time. Potential sources include archived records and biological samples, strandings and sightings data, environmental datasets and stakeholder perspectives. Analytical approaches may include historical ecology, spatial analysis, ecological modelling and forecasting and social science. The specific methods will depend on the research focus developed collaboratively with the student.

The project brings together complementary specialist expertise from the University of Exeter's Centre for Ecology and Conservation, the British Antarctic Survey, and the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme at the Zoological Society of London/ Institute of Zoology, providing access to unique datasets, archived samples and research and policy networks. Through close collaboration with the supervisory team and project partners, the student will receive extensive on-the-job training in marine ecology, historical ecology, quantitative and qualitative analysis, scientific communication and stakeholder engagement, gaining experience across research, conservation practice and public outreach.

Funding

For eligible students the studentship will cover home tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend.

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