Lead Supervisor: Daniel Smale (dansma@mba.ac.uk)
2nd Supervisor: Siân Rees (sian.rees@plymouth.ac.uk)
Associate Partner: Cornish Seaweed Company (https://www.cornishseaweed.co.uk/)

 

Project Description

Cultivation of microalgae and macroalgae (i.e. seaweeds) currently contributes about 20% of total global aquaculture biomass and is rising rapidly at 8% per year. Seaweed products are used by a range of industries including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture and human food. Seaweed farming in the UK, as elsewhere, has increased in recent years, although still in its infancy. Two major limitations to continued expansion relate to a lack of information on the local impacts of cultivation, and an assessment of the socioeconomic and ecological benefits of seaweed farming.

This project will operate at the interface between fundamental ecology and applied research within a commercial environment, with significant input from non-academic partners. Specifically, the project will examine whether seaweed farms promote local biodiversity, attract and support commercially-important fisheries species, and contribute to local carbon uptake and sequestration. The work will also examine the social/economic benefits and challenges of seaweed farming and translate the findings to facilitate policy and decision making.

 

Aims and objectives

The overarching aim of the project is to quantify the ecological impact and changes to ecosystem services as a result of a seaweed farm. This overarching aim will be met by addressing the following, targeted questions:

  • How does seaweed farming influence local biodiversity and habitat structure?
  • Do seaweed farms provide favorable habitat for fisheries species?
  • Does seaweed farming contribute to local carbon sequestration?
  • What are the social and economic impacts (positive and negative) of a seaweed farm?
  • What is the potential for seaweed farming to contribute to (and leverage from) contribution to UK economic, biodiversity and climate targets?

Q1-3 will require primary data collection at two farm sites in Cornwall (UK), using a range of approaches including benthic surveys, video/potting techniques and sediment coring. Q4-5 will involve synthesising data collected during the project along with existing evidence from the literature and information garnered from a range of stakeholders. Together, this will provide a robust evaluation of the stacked ecosystem service benefits of seaweed farming.

 

Training

In addition to opportunities through the CDT, the successful candidate will receive training in taxonomy, sampling techniques, sediment biogeochemistry and statistical approaches. There will be opportunities to engage with industry and government agencies through the network of partners.

 

Project Structure

Following an initial period of training, information gathering and planning, targeted surveys will be conducted during seaweed growing seasons at two farm sites, over two years. Fieldwork will be interspersed with periods of sample processing and analysis, data exploration, and synthesis of existing information on socioeconomic impacts of seaweed farming. It is anticipated that the project will lead to several high quality scientific outputs as well as the development of tools to assist with decision-making, thereby having ‘real world’ impact.

The project will be supervised by Dr Dan Smale (MBA), Dr Siân Rees (UoP), Dr Emma Sheehan (UoP) and Dr Ross Brown (Exeter), with significant input from project partners at The Crown Estate, the MMO, Cornish Seaweed Company and Biome Algae.

Information for Applicants

Applications for Cohort 2 of the CDT SuMMeR is now open, with PhD Studentships commencing from 1 October 2023.

How to apply
Please find below the list of PhD projects which will start from October 2023. Please click on the reference code of the project you are interested in for more information and the contact details of the Lead Supervisor. You are encouraged to contact the Lead Supervisor (stated in the description of the project) prior to the submission of your application to discuss any aspect of the project/s you are interested in. This will be informal and will have no impact on any applications that follow, other than showing your interest and enthusiasm.

To submit your application, please send to cdt-summer@plymouth.ac.uk:

  • A two-page curriculum vitae (CV) – please do not include personal information, such as your portrait photograph, age, marital status or nationality on your CV.. Let us know your education history from undergraduate, work experience, employment, research and publications and any other experience you consider relevant for the project. (Do contact the team at CDT SuMMeR if you have queries (CDT-SuMMeR-PGRS@plymouth.ac.uk);
  • A personal statement/covering letter (no longer than 1000 words) which explains why you consider yourself to be a suitable candidate for the PhD Project advertised, what qualifications, experience and skills you have that support your application, and what your aspirations are following on completion of this PhD. Our team is strongly committed to upholding equity, diversity, and inclusion. We expect candidates to uphold these same values and contribute to a positive, safe and inclusive environment. We invite candidates to include a statement about their experience of working across disciplines, cultures, countries or groups in their cover letter. Please ensure you state the PhD Project Reference Code for which you are applying for, on your personal statement/covering letter;
  • Complete the Diversity survey at the following link: CDT SuMMeR EDI Survey Please note this is for monitoring purposes only and is not linked to your application. The raw data is being collected independently of the CDT SuMMeR Programme Office by SERIO and is being collected because we want to check how well we are improving our recruitment processes year-on-year. We want to make sure we attract the best talent by recruiting candidates from many diverse backgrounds and experiences. Only the anonymised and aggregated data will be made available to the CDT SuMMeR programme office.
  • Optional: SuMMeR appreciates and values differences and seeks to attract, develop and retain a diverse mix of talented people that will contribute to and benefit from the CDT. If you wish to do so, please provide any contextual information that is relevant to your prior attainment and/or your educational pathway to this point. For example, if you are returning to the education system after a period of prolonged absence, you may, if you wish, list any relevant professional experience/qualifications that you have gained. Or, if your prior attainment was affected by extenuating circumstances that you wish to share with us, please do so (up to 500 words).

The closing date for applications is 16:00 BST on 17th January 2023.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by email and invited for interview, with interviews expected to take place from the week commencing the 6th of February 2023. We regret that we may not be able to respond to every applicant. Applicants who have not received a response by this date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Eligibility

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree in an appropriate subject and either a relevant Masters qualification or a wider range of experience in a relevant career path (which is equally as important).

Each applicant may apply for a studentship on up to three projects. Where more than one project is applied for, the supervisors of all those projects will be made aware that other applications have been made

CDT SuMMeR studentships are partially funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which applies the eligibility criteria laid down by its parent body, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and co-funded by the respective Hosting Partner institutes. UKRI provides details on its training grants in its Terms and Conditions for Training Funding document, including its Training Grant Guide, which can be found on the UKRI website.

International students are eligible for all UKRI-funded postgraduate studentships but UKRI will normally limit the proportion of international students appointed each year through individual doctoral training programmes to 30% of the total.

The studentship is supported for 3 years and 8 months. All UKRI-funded PhD students (UK, EU, International) will be eligible for the full award – both the stipend to support living costs (currently £17,668 per annum pro rata at the 2022/23 rate), and fees at the research organisations’ UK rate. CDT SuMMeR’s funding will not cover international fees set by universities, applicants normally required to pay International fees may have to cover the difference between the Home and the International tuition fee rates (approximately £12,697 per annum).

Please enquire with the lead supervisor on the situation regarding international fees for the project you are interested in.  CDT SuMMeR’s funding will not cover costs associated with visa application or health surcharges, or additional costs associated with entry to, and living in the UK. For EU and international eligibility for UKRI studentships see UKRI’s guidance .

In case of uncertainty, the planned university of registration should be contacted for eligibility advice; or the CDT SuMMeR Programme Office: cdt-summer-students@plymouth.ac.uk

Find out more here.