Predicting marine biodiversity heatwave vulnerability at management relevant scales: A novel approach for adaptive conservation

Lead Supervisor (DoS): Dr Manuela Truebano

Second Supervisor: Professor Michael Burrows

Third Supervisor: Dr Oliver Tills

Fourth Supervisor: Professor Pippa Moore

Fifth Supervisor: Dr Fernando Lima

Sixth Supervisor: Dr Hannah Wood

Applications are invited for three 3.5 year PhD studentships with the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth. The studentships are due to start on 1 October 2025.

This project is one of nine topics being considered for an anticipated three studentships. Six topics are inviting candidates from open recruitment, with the remaining three following a different route to interview. The studentships will be allocated to the best combinations of candidate and project as they emerge from the interviews across all topics. Browse all available topics

Plymouth has been at the forefront of global marine research for more than a century, and today it is home to the largest concentration of marine researchers in the UK. Come and join our vibrant community of marine PhD students.

Heatwaves are becoming frequent and severe, with devastating consequences for human health, economies, and ecosystems. Recent record-breaking global temperatures and multiple regional heatwaves across the globe highlight the urgent need to predict the vulnerability of natural populations to heatwaves. This vulnerability is determined by the level of heat challenge, and crucially, but overlooked, the physiological sensitivity of the organisms constituting a population. These determinants vary significantly locally due to microclimates, microhabitats, and local adaptation. Yet, they are not factored into predicting heatwave impacts, identifying high- and low-risk areas, or ultimately determining conservation strategies. Fine-scale data at the regional level, and spatially explicit models to identify vulnerable areas will be paramount in ensuring the persistence of species by protecting thermal refugia and mitigating ecological traps.

This transformative studentship will pioneer approaches to predicting the impact of heatwaves on biodiversity at regional scales, identifying critical areas for conservation of rocky shore communities, using the diversity of sites across the Southwest of the UK as a model. In so doing, it will help support adaptive management of our shorelines.

Automated (imaging and computer vision) laboratory physiological tolerance screening of different populations of intertidal species will inform physiological sensitivity models. A network of temperature loggers in the Southwest of the UK will provide high-resolution population-specific temperature data, enabling simulation of heatwaves at local scales. Physiological, ecological and temperature data will be integrated via novel modelling approaches to predict mortality of intertidal species and associated changes in communities during heatwaves at different locations, to assess site-specific vulnerability at regional scales. Through an internship with Natural England, the candidate will learn what is needed to convert research outputs into policy and into a transferrable framework and methodology for application to different regions and ecosystems.

Join a multi-disciplinary team and receive training in:

Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree in an appropriate subject or a relevant Masters qualification. We’re looking for enthusiastic candidates interested in animal physiology and climate change, with strong quantitative analysis skills, and R programming.

Non-native English speakers must have an IELTS Academic score of 6.5 or above (with no less than 5.5 in any element) or equivalent.

The studentships are supported for 3.5 years and include full home or international tuition fees plus a stipend at the 2025/26 rate (to be confirmed; compare the 2024/25 UKRI rate of £19,237 per annum). The last 6 months of the four-year registration period is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ period. The studentships will only fully fund applicants with relevant qualifications.

If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Dr Manuela Truebano .

Shortlisted candidates will be informed as soon as possible after the deadline, with interviews likely to take place in the second half of March. 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 that their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.