Anthropogenic impacts on growth and protein metabolism in the European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax

Director of Studies:  Dr Keiron Fraser  

2nd Supervisor:  Dr Benjamin Ciotti  

3rd Supervisor: Professor Simon Lamarre, Université de Moncton, Canada

Applications are invited for a 3.5 years PhD studentship. The studentship will start on 1 October 2025 

Pollution of coastal waters by sewage is currently of major concern. However, little is known about the biological impact on critical functions in animals such as growth, particularly in combination with other stressors such as human-induced ocean warming. Growth is essential in all animals, allowing animals to reach a threshold size for reproduction and occupy adult ecological niches. Soft tissue growth in animals is essentially achieved by the synthesis and retention of proteins, an energetically expensive process, typically accounting for between 25 and 40% of the energy required by an animal. This study will make the first detailed analysis of how sewage pollution and warming seas are likely to affect protein metabolism and growth during the critical juvenile stage of development, in a species of substantial socioeconomic importance in the UK, European seabass.  

The project will expose fish to four water temperatures and to sewage pollution levels that are regularly detected in UK coastal waters that fail safe bathing standards (Escherichia coli >500 cfu/100ml; Intestinal enterococci >185 cfu/100ml). Experimental water temperatures will range from current UK summer temperatures to temperatures that seabass are likely to experience in the UK in the next few decades. Fish will be individually maintained in recirculating seawater aquarium and fed daily. At the end of the experiments, growth, protein synthesis and protein degradation will be measured.  

In parallel, field-based measurements will be made of protein degradation pathways in wild fish at times of high and low sea temperature, in concert with measurements of seawater sewage contamination, to better understand how the detailed lab studies relate to fish living in the wild.  

You will receive broad training in field-based fish sampling techniques, fish husbandry and a range of cutting-edge methods to measure protein synthesis utilising a deuterium-labelled phenylalanine flooding dose in Plymouth, as well as a range of advanced methods to measure protein degradation pathways, during a training visit to Canada.  

We seek an enthusiastic individual with a degree in marine biology, biology, biochemistry or a related subject and preferably a UK valid driving licence.  

Fraser, KPP, Peck, LS, Clarke MS, Clarke, A, Hill SL (2022). Life in the freezer: protein metabolism in Antarctic fish. R. Soc. Open Sci. 9: 211272  

Fraser KPP, Rogers, AD (2007). Protein metabolism in marine animals: the underlying mechanism of growth. Adv. Mar. Biol. 52: 268-362  

Cassidy, AA & Lamarre, SG (2019). Activation of oxygen-responsive pathways is associated with altered protein metabolism in Arctic char exposed to hypoxia. J. Exp. Biol. 222: jeb203901.  

Cienfuegos, IA, Ciotti, BJ, Billington, RA, Sutton, PA, Lamarre, SG, Fraser, KPP (2024) Life in the margins: the effect of immersion/emersion and tidal cycle on the North Atlantic limpet Patella vulgata protein synthesis rates. J. Comp. Physiol. B. DOI: 10.1007/s00360-024-01582-0

Ciotti BJ, Targett TE, Nash RDM, Batty RS, Burrows MT, Geffen AJ (2010). Development, validation and field application of an RNA-based growth index in juvenile plaice Pleuronectes platessa. J Fish Biol. 77 (10):2181-2209 

Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree in Earth, Environmental, or Biological Science or a relevant Masters qualification.  

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme, IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in each component test area) or equivalent.  

Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded ARIES studentship of fees, maintenance stipend (£19,237 p.a. for 2024/25) and research costs.  

A limited number of ARIES studentships are available to International applicants. Please note however that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK. 

NB: The studentship is supported for 3.5 years of the four-year registration period. The subsequent 6 months of registration is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ period. 

ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, and transgender status. Projects have been developed with consideration of a safe, inclusive, and appropriate research and fieldwork environment. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, with equal weighting given to experience and potential. 

For further information, please visit www.aries-dtp.ac.uk.

If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact  Dr Keiron Fraser .

Please see our apply for a postgraduate research programme page for a list of supporting documents to upload with your application. 

For more information on the admissions process generally, please visit our Apply for a postgraduate research programme page or contact the Doctoral College .

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview after the deadline. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications.  Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.