Good morning UKPN,
The COASt and StAG groups at the University of St Andrews have 5 exciting and fully-funded PhD opportunities in glaciology and high-latitude oceanography, as part of the IAPETUS Doctoral Training Partnership. We encourage motivated candidates to reach out and enquire further with the lead supervisors listed below, and to apply! We particularly welcome applicants from non-traditional and minority backgrounds to consider applying.
The deadline for IAPETUS-listed studentships are Monday 05 January 2026. If you are an international (non-UK / Ireland) applicant, you'll need to make contact with the project supervisors by 08 December 2025.
1. Source or sink? The roles of glacier melt and sediment transport for the carbon budget of the Greenland Ice Sheet (Craig Smeaton - cs244@st-andrews.ac.uk)
This project calculates and investigates how glacier meltwater and sediment transport influence the carbon cycle within Greenland's glacial systems.
2. Measuring the isotopic fingerprint of Greenland Ice Sheet melt (Graeme MacGilchrist - gam24@st-andrews.ac.uk)
This project will develop and apply isotope spectroscopy techniques during Arctic field campaigns to trace meltwater pathways and quantify their influence on ocean circulation.
3: Investigating the oceanic impacts of Greenland's meltwater (Tom Cowton - tom.cowton@st-andrews.ac.uk)
This project will integrate oceanographic observations and numerical modelling to determine how freshwater from Greenland alters ocean stratification and circulation.
4. How does ice flow enhancement and rearrangement impact the West Antarctic Ice Sheet? (T.J. Young - tjy1@st-andrews.ac.uk)
This project combines ice-penetrating radar analysis and ice sheet modelling to constrain the ice flow history of the Weddell Sea sector and evaluate implications for future sea-level rise.
5. Quantifying Past Variations in Southern Ocean Primary Productivity from Sulfur Isotopes in Antarctic Ice Cores (Andrea Burke - ab276@st-andrews.ac.uk)
This project will analyze sulfur isotopes in ice cores to reconstruct millennial-scale changes in Southern Ocean productivity and assess its role in global carbon cycling.
The COASt (Climate, Ocean, and Atmosphere at St Andrews) and StAG (St Andrews Glaciology) groups conduct world-leading research in the physical processes of climate change with a focus on high-latitude regions:
Please feel free to circulate across your networks and encourage applications from anyone that you think would make an excellent candidate!
Andrea, Craig, Graeme, Tom, and TJ
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Young Tun Jan | 楊敦然
Lecturer in Physical Geography & Remote Sensing
Admissions Officer, Geography & Sustainable Development
420 Irvine, University of St Andrews
Fife KY16 9AL, Scotland, United Kingdom
w: Personal website
e: tjy1@st-andrews.ac.uk
t: +44 (0)1334 462 463
tw: @tjy511
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