Solutions for the Marine Environment (SERVO) PhD studentships
Delivering progress on key global challenges related to marine sustainability through innovative, solutions-focused and high impact research
The SERVO (Solutions for thE maRine enVirOnment) PhD studentships have been developed by the
Marine Institute to deliver progress on key global challenges that align with the Institute’s research priorities: towards net zero, sustainable blue economy, safe seas, healthy oceans, and digital ocean. It seeks to harness global expertise in pursuit of world-leading, high impact marine and maritime science for a sustainable future.
Scope
These studentships aim to address global challenges related to marine sustainability through novel and timely research that is solutions-focused and of high impact. Outcomes should have measurable positive effects on the marine environment. This could include (but is not limited to) significant advances or innovations in:
- maritime efficiency and clean operations;
- maritime cyber security and navigation;
- offshore renewable energy generation;
- safeguarding marine biodiversity;
- maintaining ecosystem services;
- reducing marine pollution, including inputs from land and rivers;
- mitigating the effects of climate change on the marine environment;
- generating knowledge relevant to policy or legislation for sustainable management of the marine environment;
- aspects of human behaviour change in direct support of the above.
The scheme encourages proposals that would be difficult to fund via traditional routes.
Mechanism
The scheme aims to fund three studentships per year, for three years (2025–2027), supporting a total of nine studentships. Each studentship provides full funding for 3.5 years (followed by a self-funded 'write-up' period). Funding includes full home or international tuition fees plus an annual stipend that reflect the University rates per annum. Bench fees (to cover research costs) will also be funded up to a maximum limit.
The supervisory team should be led by a University of Plymouth academic as the Director of Studies (DoS) but should also include leading national or international co-supervisors from relevant academic and/or industrial sectors.
The scheme offers three routes to fund PhD studentships, as outlined across.
Pathways
- Staff-led single studentship for open recruitment
- the DoS / supervisory team submit a proposal for a standalone project, to be completed by one student.
- Staff-led multiple studentships for open recruitment
- the DoS / supervisory team devise a multi-faceted research topic and submit a proposal for interrelated studentships, to be completed by two or three students. For these proposals, it is essential to outline: a) the added value of a multiple student approach; and b) the extent to which each studentship could stand alone, if necessary, avoiding any critical interdependencies.
- Student-led single studentship
- the prospective student develops a proposal based on an original idea they have independently conceived and seeks collaboration with a member of University of Plymouth academic staff (and any co-supervisors). The staff member supports the development of the proposal as prospective DoS and submits it as a standalone project on behalf of, and to be completed by, the named student.
Selection
The following selection criteria will be used across all types of proposals:
- quality and feasibility of the proposal (including budget breakdown);
- composition and track record of the research team (international excellence);
- quality of the scientific experience for the candidate;
- potential to deliver significant measurable benefits at scale in terms of sustainability (alignment with scope of the scheme).
The following selection criteria will be used for specific pathways only:
- clear rationale on the added value of multiple students (multiple pathway);
- academic strength of the candidate (student-led pathway).
How to apply
The call for project proposals for 2027 is now closed
The call for project proposals for 2028 will open between July and October 2027.
Candidates: Projects for the 2027 intake will be advertised online between November–February on our
Postgraduate research studentships page. Adverts will contain a link to the online application portal.
Staff keen to participate in the student-led pathway can express their interest to marineinstitute@plymouth.ac.uk at any time providing a short list of keywords relevant to their research areas that align with the aims of the scheme. They will be added to the website as soon as possible.
Staff-led pathways
Proposals should be prepared using the Proposal Submission Form, which includes further information and full details of what is required. For the multiple pathway, separate copies of the submission form should be completed for each studentship and submitted together.
Open recruitment candidates can browse projects once they are available. Projects are due to be advertised online between November–February and are published on our
Postgraduate research studentships page. Adverts will contain a link to the online application portal.
Student-led pathway
Project ideas should be prepared by the candidate using the Proposal Development Form, which includes further information and full details of what is required. These proposals for development should be sent to the proposed lead supervisor (University of Plymouth staff member) as soon as possible for consideration. Fully developed proposals should be prepared using the Proposal Submission Form and submitted by staff on behalf of the candidate.
In relation to this scheme, preferentially contact staff who have expressed an interest in considering candidate proposals. These staff and their relevant topics of interest are featured at the bottom of this page. Check back periodically, as the list of participating staff members may grow, even after the call has opened. If your project idea does not clearly align with the research interests of the staff featured here, there may be other staff who would consider supervising your project. You can browse staff profiles on the main website or our Research Portal. Please contact these staff well in advance to check their willingness before developing your proposal.
SERVO PhD students
The scheme aims to fund three studentships per year, supporting a total of nine studentships. We expect to welcome three cohorts, joining us in October 2025, 2026 and 2027.
Meet our 2026 and 2025 cohorts.
Fiifi Badoo (2026)
Fiifi is working on a staff-led project entitled “Understanding plankton biodiversity and ecosystem change by applying machine learning”. Plankton imaging now produces high-resolution data, but outputs are fragmented across instruments and rarely inform biodiversity assessments. The project aims to consolidate images from several imagers into one standardised library, and to build and validate machine learning models to detect and classify plankton consistently across instruments. It will compare the ecological picture each instrument gives, extract traits such as size and biovolume to strengthen UK Marine Strategy and OSPAR plankton indicators and apply the results to a North-East Atlantic case study.
Fiifi is supervised by
Professor Abigail McQuatters-Gollop ,
Dr Fabio Favoretto , Dr Clare Ostle (MBA), Professor Adrien Desjardins (UBC), Dr James Scott (Cefas) and Dr Saskia Rühl (PML).
Amy Walker (2026)
Amy is working on a student-led project entitled “Quantifying the Invisible: Machine Learning Solutions for Tracking Atmospheric Nanoparticles”. Whilst plastic debris in the ocean has galvanised global attention, the atmospheric transport of millions of tonnes of micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) represents an invisible marine threat. The aim of the project is to apply advanced chemometric and machine learning tools to high fidelity chemical data generated from a global sampling network, transforming how MNPs are analysed and quantified in marine atmospheric environments.
She is supervised by
Dr Michael Wilde ,
Professor Simon Ussher , Dr Shizhen Zhao from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, and Dr Andrew Peters from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.
Worabhorn (Vee) Pathanatecha (2026)
Vee is working on a staff-led project entitled “Developing and evaluating design criteria to mitigate microplastic pollution”. Based on systematic literature reviews, the project will identify and assess upstream interventions to minimise microplastic releases, reduce chemical harms, and improve the sustainability of vehicle tyres and textiles. The research will combine life cycle assessment (LCA), microplastic quantification data, and the MarlLCA approach to better understand environmental impacts of different design options. This study is expected to guide industry and policy in transitioning toward safer, more sustainable production and consumption.
She is supervised by
Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS , Professor Kate Goldsworthy, Professor Kristian Syberg, and
Professor John Summerscales , in collaboration with University of the Arts London and Roskilde University, Denmark.
2025 cohort
Alexandra Johnson
Alexandra is working on a staff-led project entitled "Predicting marine biodiversity heatwave vulnerability at management relevant scales". The project aims to pioneer approaches to predicting the impact of heatwaves on biodiversity at regional scales, assessing vulnerability not only by the level of heat challenge, but also the physiological sensitivity of organisms. Modelling of integrated physiological, ecological and temperature data to predict mortality of intertidal species and associated changes in regional communities during heatwaves will identify critical areas for conservation and help support adaptive management of shorelines.
She is supervised by
Dr Manuela Truebano and
Dr Oliver Tills in collaboration with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), University of Newcastle, Universidade do Porto and Natural England.
Alvania Lawen
Alvania is working on a student-led project entitled "Microplastics in the marine environment of Seychelles". The project will work to enhance knowledge of the characteristics, impacts and risks of marine microplastic pollution in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), such as Seychelles – which receives large quantities of such pollution via the Indian Ocean gyre – to develop appropriate policy and management. This is an interdisciplinary project combining empirical studies through field and laboratory research with qualitative research.
Ahmed Mahid
Ahmed is working on a student-led project entitled "Wave transformation on coral reefs and implications for coastal defence on atoll islands". Global sea level rise presents an existential threat to the small coral islands of the Maldives and half of public infrastructure spending goes towards protection measures (2024 data). The project will work to improve the engineering design of shore protection and near-shore infrastructure of island communities to take into account wave transformation processes on coral reefs, to avoid early failure of critical infrastructure and limited funds being misspent. Improved knowledge of hydrodynamic processes and wave loading will contribute towards better coastal engineering practices on low-lying islands across the globe and influence policy decisions towards island resilience.
He is supervised by
Professor Martyn Hann and
Professor Gerd Masselink in collaboration with Delft University of Technology.
Marine Research Plymouth PhD studentship
If you're interested in the SERVO PhD studentships, you may also be interested to learn more about the Marine Research Plymouth PhD studentship.
This studentship brings together research staff from across Marine Research Plymouth, providing a springboard for collaborative research excellence and student prospects.
Find out more about the
Marine Research Plymouth Alliance PhD studentship .
