PhD Studentship: Future Shellfish Fisheries in the Thames Estuary: Responses to Climate-Change Scenarios

Qualification type: PhD

Location: Essex

Funding for: UK Students, EU Students, International Students

Funding amount: UK tuition fees and a standard tax-free stipend for three years equivalent to the UKRI National Minimum Doctoral Stipend (£20,780 in 2025-26). International applicants are welcome, but will need to cover the difference between Home and International fees.

Hours: Full Time

Closes: 14 November 2025, 16:00 GMT

Application link: https://www.essex.ac.uk/Postgraduate/Research/Opportunities/future-shellfish-fisheries

Background

Climate change is threatening the livelihood of coastal communities. Marine Heat Waves (MHWs) have a direct effect on the performance of shellfish including species that are of economic value.

Surprisingly little research has quantified the effect of MHWs on future shellfish fisheries with traditionally harvested species migrating northwards while being replaced with species of Lusitanian, Mediterranean or tropical origins. Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (KEIFCA) advises and manages local fisheries to support a sustainable marine economy but this requires data to scientifically support future policies.

The project

This project will:

• close the knowledge gap on the future thermal performance of commercially harvested shellfish in the UK, and
• generate recommendations on shellfish-fishery activities under climate change.

You will combine laboratory-based research at the University of Essex with field observations along the Kent and Essex coastlines while assisting KEIFCA with developing a national role in fisheries and conservation management.

Historical data on landings and water temperature combined with future climate scenarios will assist with identifying species at risk of experiencing high-temperature environments that they have not been exposed to before and/or that are outside of their physiological limits. Short-term stress experiments and longer-term acclimation studies will generate data on growth, reproduction, metabolism, and immunological responses. This will enable forecasting shellfish performance, inform future policy development and aid with creating a vision of future UK inshore fisheries and shellfish consumption.

You will be joining the Ecology and Environmental Microbiology Group at the University of Essex while working in a supportive environment that draws on the expertise of your academic and KEIFCA-based supervisors. Modern facilities include a recently refurbished Aquatic Ecology Laboratory to house your experimental set up. Additional support is available from a team of technicians, administrators, research managers, and academics associated with this project.

While you develop your existing and gain new skills in collaborative scientific research, intersectoral communication, policy development and fisheries management, the project prepares you for a career in the national or international environmental sectors that work on conservation, environmental sustainability, fisheries management, or environmental/marine consultancy.

Funding

This project is funded by the Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority and The Fishmongers’ Company and includes:

• Full Home tuition fees for three years. International students are welcome to apply but will need to cover the difference between Home and International fees.
• An annual tax-free UKRI standard stipend (£20,780 per annum in 2025-2026).

The successful candidate will also be able to access £2,500 of Proficio funding for professional skills development and conference attendance.

Person specification

• You are passionate to learn more about sustainable fisheries under climate change, enjoy fieldwork and can lead the experimental design to contribute to meaningful and impactful research.
• You have a desire to close knowledge gaps in our understanding of the sea.
• You will have a minimum 2:1 Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant branch of environmental science, marine biology or aquatic conservation.

To apply, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above.