Life and Death in the Deep Biosphere

Director of Studies:  Dr Hayley Manners  

2nd Supervisor:  Dr Michael Wilde  

3rd Supervisor:  Dr Paul Sutton

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

Archaea, one of three Domains of life on Earth, are an ancient form of organism that occur ubiquitously across a diverse array of environments, from oceans to extreme environments such as hot springs. A unique characteristic of Archaea is their ability to adjust the composition of their membrane lipids in response to environmental conditions, including compounds known as glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) which are comprised of 80 carbon atoms (C80) with four terminal ether groups. The widespread distribution of these lipids, and stability over geological timescales, mean GDGTs are commonly used to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions (e.g. sea surface temperature), allowing a better understanding of how climate has changed in the past, which in turn can be used to predict future change. GDGTs are also used as a proxy of microbial activity in extreme environments, which provides insight into how life survives in extreme environments, and in turn informs the search for extraterrestrial life. 

Despite their popular use, their post-depositional behaviour, including biodegradation and resultant end-products, remains poorly understood. This knowledge gap is critical for accurately applying these lipids in both paleoenvironmental reconstruction and studies of microbial activity. 

Interestingly, structurally similar compounds (C80 tetraacids), found globally in crude oils, are speculated to be diagenetic end-products from the biodegradation of specific GDGT-type compounds. The studentship will explore this research gap by investigating the link between these compounds, transforming current understanding and enhancing the robustness of their use in paleoenvironmental reconstruction and advancing our understanding of their fate in extreme environments.  

The successful applicant will be trained in the use of state-of-the-art chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques. Training in data analysis will be provided, and attendance at the Urbino Summer School in Paleoclimatology will be encouraged to support contextualisation of findings.  

We seek an enthusiastic individual with experience working in a laboratory and an appreciation of paleoclimatology and chromatographic techniques.  

Liu, X-L, Birgel, D., et al. (including Sutton, P.A.). 2016. From ether to acid: A plausible degradation pathway of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 183, 138-152.  

De Jonge, C., et al. (including Manners, H.R. & Sutton, P.A.). 2024. Interlaboratory Comparison of Branched GDGT Temperature and pH Proxies Using Soils and Lipid Extracts. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 27, e2024GC011583.  

Sutton, P.A. & Rowland, S.J. 2014. Determination of the content of C80 tetraacids in Petroleum. Energy Fuels 28 (9), 5657-5669. 

Longman, J., Manners, H.R., et al. (including Sutton, P.A.). 2024. Production and preservation of organic carbon in sub-seafloor tephra layers. Marine Chemistry 258, 104334  

Heuer, V.B, et al. (including Manners, H.R.). 2020. Temperature limits to deep subseafloor life in the Nankai Trough subduction zone. Science 370, 1230-1234. 

Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree in Chemistry, or a strong background in Chemistry from a related subject (such as Environmental Science or Geology) 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 Hayley Manners .

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.