Don't miss our weekly PhD newsletter | Sign up now Don't miss our weekly PhD newsletter | Sign up now

We have 54 Geophysics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

Discipline

Discipline

Geology

Location

Location

All locations

Institution

Institution

All Institutions

PhD Type

PhD Type

All PhD Types

Funding

Funding

All Funding


Geophysics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

We have 54 Geophysics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

PhD in Geophysics students aim to understand the composition, structure and physical properties of the Earth. You could be researching plate tectonics or the Earth's magnetic field and its changes over time.

What's it like to study a PhD in Geophysics?

Geophysics is a popular area of research with many potential research topics. You could be looking at topics including:

  • volcanology
  • seismology
  • tectonics
  • atomic physics
  • geochemical and isotopic signatures

You may also be asked to collaborate with local emergency services to improve their risk assessment and planning.

It takes around three to four years to complete a Geophysics PhD, which usually involves writing a thesis around 80,000 words long (although word counts differ between universities). You will likely have regular contact with your supervisor and group or department meetings. You may also be required to attend research training sessions and have supervisory meetings about your ongoing work.

In the UK, you may be asked to apply for a PhD with a specialisation in certain areas. If you are applying for a PhD that requires you to apply for a bespoke research topic, you will first need to be accepted into a department that already has a research programme in place.

You may be asked to submit a research proposal to accompany your application.

Entry requirements for a PhD in Geophysics

In the UK you'll usually need a Masters degree in Geosciences, Geology or Physics to be considered for a PhD in Geophysics. You may sometimes be able to gain entry with a 2:1 undergraduate degree in Geology or Geosciences, but it is more likely that you'll have a Masters if you don't also have a degree in Geology or Geosciences.

PhD in Geophysics funding options

A PhD in Geophysics in the UK is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). They offer fully-funded studentships and a monthly stipend. If you are applying for a PhD with a specialisation, you'll automatically be considered for funding if you are accepted into a department that already offers a research programme.

PhD in Geophysics careers

Many Geophysics PhD graduates continue to research and go on to have careers as postdoctoral researchers or in academia. Geoscience jobs like petroleum geoscience, geohazards and hydrogeology are also popular options for Geophysics PhD holders.

read more

4D seismic monitoring and surveillance of offshore CO2 storage operations

  Research Group: Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering
CO2 underground storage is an acknowledged way of offsetting the global emissions of greenhouse gases. It is a safe, mature technology and is ready for broad implementation. Read more

4D seismic inversion for pressure and saturation using machine learning

  Research Group: Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering
The interpretation and analysis of 4D or time-lapse seismic data for monitoring hydrocarbon and CO2 reservoirs is one of the most exciting and active subjects of research in the upstream energy industry. Read more

Using earthquakes to constrain stress in the Earth

The magnitude and orientation of stress in the Earth determine how the Earth deforms. It is a first-order feature that one must quantify when considering loads on the Earth’s surface, flow within the Earth’s crust and mantle, or the nucleation and rupture of earthquakes. Read more

Tidal dissipation, magmatism and mantle convection on Io

Intense magmatism and volcanism in Jupiter’s moon Io is driven by tidal heating. Magmatic segregation from the mantle and heat-piping across the crust exports the tidal heat to space, maintaining a thermal equilibrium. Read more

The starting behaviour of volcanic eruption plumes

This project will explore the factors that control the initial height of ‘starting’ volcanic plumes, and test the hypothesis that the height is related to the initial power of the eruption. Read more

The role of shear zones in Northwest Scotland for Precambrian crustal assembly and evolution

The geological mechanisms of continent formation and growth on Earth have changed significantly through time, with a global subduction-driven (mobile lid) regime having replaced a stagnant-lid tectonic regime sometime during the Mesoarchean. Read more

Tectonics, sea-level change, and submarine landsliding in the South Caspian Basin

This project aims to determine the tectonic and sea-level history within and at the margins of the South Caspian Basin, in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, and the timings of major shelf collapse within the basin interior. Read more

Solving mid mantle mysteries using seismology, geodynamics and mineral physics

The structure of the crust and near-surface of the Earth is relatively well known based on geological and geophysical observations, whereas seismological observations are needed to infer the deeper structure of our planet. Read more

Seismic noise sources and background seismicity in London

Local geology and seismic hazards are generally investigated through the analysis of seismic data. In urban environments, estimating back-ground seismicity and seismic imaging is complicated by high levels of anthropogenic seismic noise, i.e. Read more

Robustly imaging mantle upwellings under isolated oceanic islands

Mantle upwellings link the deep mantle to the surface and regulate Earth’s outgassing and internal temperature, which is a fundamental control on the atmosphere and our planet’s habitability. Read more

Multiparametric geophysics and geothermal resources

Geothermal fluids are rich in heat and can hold a wealth of valuable minerals. A key challenge is finding these fluid reservoirs and assessing important parameters such as porosity, permeability and conductivity. Read more

Filtering Results