Marine Sciences – (M.Phil.)

MPhil supervision is normally available in the following areas:

Molecular and environmental signalling: temperate and tropical environments; function, characterisation and exploitation of marine chemical signals; transduction of environmental signals; biofouling; biological rhythmicity; invasive species (Professor M Bentley, Professor G Burgess, Dr G Caldwell, Professor A Clare).

Dynamics of fragile marine ecosystems: trophodynamics; ecosystem degradation; fishing and global warming impacts; coral reef and deep-sea ecosystems (Professor N Polunin, Dr J Delany, Dr B Wigham).

Marine biotechnology: chemical defence in marine microbes; antifouling; quorum sensing; marine bioadhesives; marine genomics; marine biomass for energy and chemicals (Professor G Burgess, Dr G Caldwell, Professor A Clare).

Marine biogeochemistry: cycling and emissions of climatically important gases; dissolved organic matter; photochemistry; nutrient cycling; gas exchange and sea-surface microlayer studies (Professor R Upstill-Goddard, Dr G Uher).

Coastal management: marine protected and no-trawl areas; interdisciplinary environmental science and conservation; fishermen’s knowledge; fisheries and coastal governance (Professor N Polunin, Dr S Stead).

We warmly welcome research applications in the general areas of: community macroecology; food web and ecosystem dynamics; marine resource management and coastal governance; marine organisms as environmental signal transducers and effectors; reproduction of invertebrates; marine biofouling and bioadhesion; environmental genomics and proteomics; ocean/atmosphere exchanges of climatically active trace gases; estuarine/coastal biogeochemistry.

A number of different routes to a research degree qualification are offered including full-time and part-time supervised research programmes. Part-time and off-campus study modes are also available.