Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarships

The School has been allocated a small number of fully funded PhD scholarships. These scholarships are highly competitive and cover living expenses at the standard UKRI stipend rate, Home/International University fees, and a modest annual contribution for research costs/conference attendance. Visa/NHS Health Fees are not covered by the scholarships.

The following projects have been proposed by staff members:

ALCOTT Using machine learning to predict environmental and biosphere change  (PDF, 242kB)

BYRNE Walking the plank between conservation and sustainability (PDF, 409kB)

DONOGHUE The evolutionary origin and assembly of animal bodyplans  (PDF, 261kB)

PANCOST The Reactivity of Peatland Carbon and Its Fate In a Changing Climate (PDF, 403kB)

PHILLIPS Enduring impacts of Volcanic Ash: case study from the Eastern Caribbean (PDF, 350kB)

PISANI Evaluating new data and methods to solve animal phylogeny (PDF, 300kB)

SCHMIDT PALMER Climate change impacts on coastal systems (PDF, 357kB)

WIMPENNY Insights into the Frictional Properties of Earthquake-Generating Faults (PDF, 358kB)

We also encourage applicants with their own project ideas. If you would like to propose your own project, these should be discussed with suitable potential supervisors before submitting an application.

Further general details of the scholarship scheme can be found here: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/about/research-programmes/funding-and-scholarships/scholarships/

Further information regarding visa / NHS costs can be found here: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/directory/visas/student-visa/apply/outside-uk/

Application deadline:       Monday 20^th January, 2025 , 23.59 GMT
                                            (Interviews are expected to take place in mid/late February)

How to apply
Applications are online only at:  http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/

1. Please select “PhD in Geology” as the programme in the online application system.
2. Please specify the project title and supervisors for the project that you are applying for.
3. To ensure your application is considered under the Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarship funding scheme you must complete the Funding page in your online PhD application as follows:
   a.   For “What is your likely source of funding?” select University of Bristol Scholarship
   b.   Set “Percentage from this source” to 100%
   c.   Set “Is this funding already secured?” to No
4. As part of the application process, you will be required to complete the Research Statement section.  Specify your supervisors and project title in this section.
5. If you are applying for one of the projects proposed above, upload the project description pdf as your research statement. 
   If you are proposing your own project, upload your proposed project description as your research statement.

STFC DTP

For 2025 we have been allocated one fully funded PhD studentship for projects associated with Solar System Science undertaken in the School. Proposed projects are listed below.

Deadline for applications: 12^th February at 14.00GMT

ELLIOTT Benchmarking major element isotopic compositions of chondritic meteorite (PDF, 456kB)

IRVING Comparative planetary seismology across the telluric planets (PDF, 566kB)

LORD An embarrassment of riches:reconciling our solar system's platinum problem (PDF, 439kB)

Applications can be made here.  Select 'Geology (PhD)' as the programme in the drop down menu. 

NERC GW4+ DLTP

This is an exciting opportunity to apply for a project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). We are now accepting applications for the PhD projects commencing Autumn 2025 in the Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences.

The application deadline is Monday 13th January 2025.

It is important that you follow the detailed instructions provided when applying for the DLTP and be sure to read the prospectus carefully. We advise you download the 'Admissions Statement' for Bristol and follow the instructions. The prospectus also shows other Bristol Schools offering projects under this DLTP.

When applying to NERC GW4+ DLTP projects, please include in your application the GW4+ DLTP Personal Statement 2025 (PDF, 316kB) version of the personal statement.

There is an additional 'applicants questionnaire' that the DLTP require, so please complete this at the time of application as well.

ALCOTT Earth's evolving oceans (PDF, 274kB)

BARCLAY Crunchy with Crystals:domes & flows of Morne Plat Plays volcanic complex (PDF, 277kB)

BYRNE Extracting critical and strategic metals from waste (PDF, 270kB)

DONOGHUE The taphonomy of organelles and the origin of eukaryotes (PDF, 270kB)

HENEHAN Ground-truthing the boron isotope-pH proxy in biogenic silica (PDF, 278kB)

IRVING Seismic investigations of the South Pacific’s mantle structure (PDF, 277kB)

MYHILL The dynamic behaviour of rocks containing small fraction liquids (PDF, 273kB)

PARKINSON How hot, how wet: Application of mineral chemistry & stable isotopest (PDF, 270kB)

PISANI Clarifying early fossil record of sponges & early evolution of animals (PDF, 301kB)

RAYFIELD The biology and palaeobiology of living and extinct small mammals (PDF, 271kB)

ROBINSON Establishing the anthropogenic role in ocean circulation change (PDF, 271kB)

ROWLEY Geochemical signatures of hot ash in cold water (PDF, 286kB)

VERDON Passive Seismic Monitoring of Offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) (PDF, 267kB)

VINTHER How do organic soft tissues survive in exceptional fossils? (PDF, 266kB)

WOOKEY West Antarctic glacier structure, deformation and flow using geophysics (PDF, 178kB)

WIMPENNY Fault Mechanics and Seismic Hazard in Subduction Zone Forearcs (PDF, 276kB)

Marine and Terrestrial Environments Projects

Deadline to apply:  open until post filled

'Forams as Observers of Anthropogenic Microplastics (FORAMS)': 
ALCOTT Microplastics and forams (MScR) (PDF, 132kB)

There are no bench fees required as part of this project. It is funded by the Cabot Seedcorn grant (FORAMS) and will cover the £1000 of bench fees incurred by the project.

Please note: this is an MScR project.  Please select MScR in Geology as the programme in the online application system. 

MSc by Research: Projects in Volcanology

The following projects* with a specific interest in volcanology are available for development for the MSc by Research in Geology. Students undertaking these projects will be part of a cohort of MScR volcanologists involved in Volcanology research group activities and meetings (more details below). Students should discuss projects of interest with the main supervisor when preparing their application. We also welcome co-development of projects with prospective students, with their own ideas. Projects may be available as full-time or part-time MScR; fees vary for those options.
*More projects may be listed in November.

Projects available (and primary supervisor):

• Alison Rust | Dynamics and forecasting of rapid, concentrated settling from volcanic ash from umbrella clouds: An experimental approach
• Alison Rust | Fragmentation of crystal-rich mafic magmas – controls from crystal and vesicle size distributions
• Jeremy Phillips | From the Volcano to the Sea: Long-range impacts of lahars in Guatemala
• Pete Rowley | Wetting and buoyancy of volcanic ash and pumice
• Pete Rowley | The risk to global shipping industries from volcanic activity
• Pete Rowley | Velocity controls on erosion in analogue pyroclastic density currents
• Pete Rowley | Surface waves in dense granular currents
• Lewis Alcott | Pumice and plastics: Applying volcanology to the distribution of oceanic microplastics
• Laura Robinson| Characterising an unknown eruption in the Galápagos Islands
• Laura Robinson | The Galápagos Deep 2023 Expedition – A geological history in marine sediment cores

Follow the link for more details on each project and the MScR program cohort: MSc by Research - Volcanology projects (PDF, 148kB)

More details about the Bristol Volcanology Group can be found here.

Deadline to apply: Projects may be applied for here by **early August 2025 for September 2025 entry. Earlier entry for January 2025 may be possible for some projects, with applications due by **mid-November 2024.
**NOTE: Overseas applicant deadlines may be a week or two prior to this.

Fees for academic year 2025-26:
UK: full-time £4,850 (per year)
UK: part-time £2,425 (per year)
Overseas: full-time £26,700 (per year)

Bench fees: £1000 (per student) – standard bench fees will be charged to contribute to research costs

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/

Opportunity Bristol provides financial support to UK students from Black backgrounds to undertake a research-related master's degree. 

Further details are on the the Opportunity Bristol information page.