Dr M Steinke
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Scientific background: Microscopic plastic beads, fragments and fibres, collectively termed microplastics (<5 mm) are widespread and abundant pollutants within our oceans, highlighted as contaminants of global environmental and economic concern by governments and international agencies across the world. These microscopic plastic fragments have been identified in the water column and sediments of marine and freshwater ecosystems across the globe.
Owing to their small size and abundance, microplastics are readily consumed by marine organisms. In recent laboratory studies on small marine animals at the base of the pelagic food web (zooplankton) we have shown that microplastic ingestion leads to reduced growth, survival and reproduction. Our most recent field studies confirm that zooplankton collected from local sites in the Western English Channel http://www.westernchannelobservatory.org.uk/ contain microplastics.
Aim: The aim of this PhD is to investigate the ingestion of microplastics by marine biota, including the wider implications for the marine ecosystem and human wellbeing.
Methods: This PhD will investigate the spatial and temporal overlap between microplastics and pelagic organisms in the marine environment and therefore the probability of encounter. Factors affecting the bioavailability of microplastics to pelagic marine organisms will be determined as will the potential of an organism to ingest microplastics. This is of particular importance for determining the wider impacts of microplastics on the marine food web and potential levels of contamination in organisms intended for human consumption.
Using laboratory facilities and field based sampling you will address the following questions:
• Are interactions between microplastics and marine life more likely in coastal areas?
• Does the type, size or colour of microplastics affect bioavailability?
• Are aged microplastics more readily ingested than new plastics?
• Does the developmental stage of an organism affect its potential for microplastic ingestion?
• What are the broader implications of microplastics for the marine ecosystem and human wellbeing?
Person specification: We seek an enthusiastic student with excellent attention to detail and a keen interest in the marine environment. The student will join a dynamic group predominantly based at PML under the supervision of Dr Pennie Lindeque and Dr Nicola Beaumont. Together with partners from Plymouth University (Prof. Richard Thompson), University of Essex (Dr. Michael Steinke) and DEFRA (Dr. Tarquin Dorrington) the supervisory team provides a world leading group in marine biology and plastics. Candidates are encouraged to contact the lead supervisor Dr Pennie Lindeque ([Email Address Removed]) for further information.
Funding Notes
This project has been shortlisted for funding by the EnvEast NERC Doctoral Training Partnership, comprising the Universities of East Anglia, Essex and Kent, with twenty other research partners.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview day on the 14th or 15th February 2017.
Funding
Successful candidates who meet RCUK’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a NERC studentship. In most cases, UK and EU nationals who have been resident in the UK for 3 years are eligible for a full award. In 2016/17, the stipend was £14,296
For further information, please visit www.enveast.ac.uk/apply.