Faculty of Environment, School of Earth and Environment Funded Studentship 2025-26

Project Title: High-Resolution Geochemical Analysis of Greenland Ice Cores to Identify Early Warning Signals of Rapid Climate Change 

School/Faculty: School of Earth and Environment 

Eligibility: UK/Home only 

Funding

1 full-time PhD scholarship hosted at the British Antarctic Survey (administered by the School of Earth and Environment, Leeds). Funding for one UK candidate, covering a maintenance grant matching UKRI maintenance stipend (£20,780 per year in 2025/26) and UK tuition fees for three and a half years, as well as a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £7,000, subject to satisfactory progress.  

Lead Supervisor’s full name & email address

Dr Liz Thomas (British Antarctic Survey): lith@bas.ac.uk 

Co-supervisor name(s) & email address(s) (optional)

Dr Ruza Ivanovic: R.Ivanovic@leeds.ac.uk 

Project summary

Are you passionate about climate research and keen to make a real impact? Are you keen to develop advanced research skills that can equip you for a wide range of future careers? Join an exciting, cutting-edge PhD project focused on obtaining and analysing high-resolution geochemical records from Greenland ice cores.

This fully funded PhD is available at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge. The project is part of a multi-million-pound interdisciplinary research consortium aimed at developing early warning systems and forecasting tipping points in the Greenland Ice Sheet and the Subpolar Gyre. A particular emphasis for this project is the 8.2 kyr event—a period marked by abrupt cooling in the North Atlantic region. 

For full information, please see the advert on the University of Leeds website. 

References (Optional)

N/A 

Entry requirements plus necessary or desired background

The minimum entry requirements for PhD study are a 2.1 honours Bachelor degree, or equivalent, or a good performance in a Master's level course in (geo)chemistry, climate science, Earth or environmental sciences, or related fields. Strong quantitative skills, including proficiency in data analysis tools (e.g. R, MATLAB), and an interest in interdisciplinary research are essential. Familiarity with ice core research and paleoclimate data, or experience with geochemical techniques, would be advantageous. 

Subject Area

Geochemistry, Climate Science, Environmental Science 

Keywords

Geochemistry, climate science, climate impacts, ice core research, ice dynamics

Advert information