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

We have 83 Geophysics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships for UK Students

Discipline

Discipline

Geology

Location

Location

All locations

Institution

Institution

All Institutions

PhD Type

PhD Type

All PhD Types

Funding

Funding

I am a UK student


Geophysics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships for UK Students

We have 83 Geophysics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships for UK Students

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
Last chance to apply

Why do some particles have the superpower of ice nucleation?

Clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere, and thereby the planet’s climate, are strongly affected by the presence of atmospheric particles that have the special ability to nucleate ice. Read more

QUADRAT DTP: Environmental monitoring of peatlands with novel geophysical methods

This fully funded, 42-month PhD project is part of the QUADRAT Doctoral Training Partnership. Blanket bogs are important carbon sinks, which also regulate stream flow and water quality, as well as contributing to biodiversity. Read more

QUADRAT DTP: Sustainable management of fresh groundwater resources in coastal East Africa – Using lessons from the past to build future resilience to climate and environmental change

This fully funded, 42-month PhD project is part of the QUADRAT Doctoral Training Partnership. High coastal population growth rates, with associated water demand and environmental changes including climate change are putting enormous pressure on coastal groundwater resources. Read more

QUADRAT DTP: Mineral prospectivity of the Caledonide intrusions of the UK and Ireland.

This fully funded, 42-month PhD project is part of the QUADRAT Doctoral Training Partnership. The Caledonide intrusions of Britain and Ireland remain largely underexplored, with significant potential for mineral enrichments in the shallow subsurface (Deady et al, 2023). Read more

Earth’s small-scale structure – Massive datasets and machine learning

The interior of the Earth holds the record of the evolution of the planet and the imprint of ongoing processes. Lithospheric material is transported into the deep interior through subduction and then distributed throughout the mantle by convection. Read more

The Spin Deep Within: Physics of Ferropericlase in the Earth’s Lower Mantle

1. Introduction. Even though we live on the surface of the Earth, its mantle in many ways remains a mystery. In particular, there are some fundamental properties of the rocks that comprise the mantle, thousands of kilometers beneath our feet, which remain poorly understood. Read more
Last chance to apply

Developing novel methods to image the Earth’s subsurface for energy transition applications

Summary. Develop new methods to image the Earth’s subsurface. Evaluate uncertainty in those images using state-of-art techniques, and deploy these using real data to accelerate energy transition applications. Read more

Layering in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics

  Research Group: School of Mathematics
A fascinating feature of many geophysical fluid dynamical systems is their tendency to form layers or “staircases”, in which a key physical quantity, such as the density, exhibits a staircase structure with depth. Read more

The Long-Term Survival of Earth’s Magnetic Field

Background. Earth’s core has generated a magnetic field for billions of years. However, the nature of that field has varied considerably through time for reasons that are still poorly understood. Read more

Emergence of polygons on dry salt lakes

  Research Group: School of Mathematics
Dry salt lakes are scenic parts of desert landscapes which can be found all around the world, from Sua Pan in Botswana to Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia and the lakes of Death Valley in the USA. Read more

Filtering Results