Postgraduate Research
The School of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers the following research degrees:
PhD Earth and Environmental Sciences - The PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) research degree is typically 3 to 3.5 years full time and is completed upon submission of a substantial thesis of original research. You will be supported by a supervisor and second supervisor throughout your time with us. You may also have the opportunity to teach undergraduate-level work. This pattern of research allows you to focus on your doctoral thesis from the very start.
MSc(Res) Earth and Environmental Sciences - The MSc(Res) (Master of Science by Research) is a one year research based masters degree. Students will engage in a full time research project and write a dissertation. This is an excellent opportunity to spend a shorter time in a research environment either for a standalone degree or as preparation for a PhD.
Research within the School is grouped into three main themes and it is strongly recommended that you contact the named supervisor on our advertised funded projects or one of our academics if you wish to discuss an alternative project.
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We offer an MSc(Res) Earth and Environmental Sciences. The course is 1-year full time or 2-years part time. Students engage in a full time research project and write a dissertation. Current projects are listed on our dedicated MSc(Res) project webpage.
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Fully-Funded projects open for applications
Full-fully funded PhD projects open for applications are listed below. Please contact the supervisors if you have questions about the projects.
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Projects
The morphodynamics and palaeohydraulics of ancient large tropical rivers (PDF)
Supervisor: Dr Rhodri Jerrett (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: Dr Alex Whittaker (Imperial College), Dr Catherine Rose (St Andrews), Dr Robert Duller (Liverpool)
When the sky fell and the swamps Spoke: the far-field stratigraphic record of Deccan volcanism (PDF)
Supervisor: Dr Rhodri Jerrett (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: Dr Eva Stüeken (St Andrews), Dr James Barnet (St Andrews), Professor Gregory Price (Plymouth), Professor Andrea Burke (St Andrews)Deadline: 28th February 2026
Tracking basin-scale phosphorus cycling across the Great Oxidation Event
Supervisor: Dr Eva Stüeken (St Andrews)Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for all life as we know it. It’s availability controls primary productivity over geological timescales (Tyrell, 1999) and thus impacts biogeochemical fluxes, including O2 production by cyanobacteria. Phosphorus may thus have played a significant role in pacing the oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans (Dodd et al. 2025; Alcott et al. 2022). However, phosphorus concentrations in the Precambrian ocean across the Great Oxidation Event are poorly constrained with estimates ranging over five orders of magnitude (see review in Boden et al. 2024). The aim of this project is to resolve this large uncertainty with a new basin-scale approach that also accounts for phosphorus redox speciation. Reduced phosphorus has recently moved into focus as it may have been a significant constituent of the Precambrian phosphorus inventory (Baidya et al. 2025). New samples will be analysed from multiple sedimentary facies, spanning the GOE. We will use a combination of techniques for sequential extraction of phosphate and phosphite phases. The project is expected to yield new important insights into the habitability of Earth’s early oceans and the major sources and sinks of bioessential nutrients across this time period.
Deadline: 20th March 2026
IAPETUS Doctoral Training Projects
Volatile happenings on the igneous side of metamorphism
Supervisor: Dr Sami Mikhail (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: Dr Lydia Hallis (Glasgow), Dr Eva Stüeken (St Andrews), Dr Nicholas Gardiner (St Andrews)Unravelling nutrient feedbacks across the Great Oxidation Event
Supervisor: Dr Eva Stüeken (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: Professor Darren Gröcke (Durham), Aivo Lepland (Geological Survey of Norway)Formation of rare metal (Li-Ta-Sn) melts on the Precambrian Earth
Supervisor: Dr Nicholas Gardiner (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: Dr Nick Roberts (British Geological Survey), Professor Richard White (St Andrews), Dr Joshua Garber (St Andrews), Professor Tony Kemp (University of Western Australia), Professor Hugh Smithies (Geological Survey of Western Australia)Linking persistence, predictability and extremes in a changing climate
Supervisor: Dr Simon Lee (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: Dr Christopher Taylor (United Kingdom Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), Dr Michael Byrne (St Andrews), Dr Nick Dunstone (Met Office Hadley Centre)Investigating records of terrestrial precursors in the early Solar System using Cr, Ni and Zn isotope compositions of meteorites
Supervisor: Dr Robert Steele (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: Professor Kevin Burton (Durham), Dr Paul Savage (St Andrews)Tectonics, Topography, and Transport: Sediment routing systems and sinks of the Strathclyde Group, Midland Valley Scotland
Supervisor: Dr Rhodri Jerrett (St Andrews);
Co-Supervisor: Dr Amanda Owen (Glasgow), Dr Ruth Robinson (Honorary, St Andrews)Earth's Deep Time CO2 and Mass Extinctions
Supervisor: Dr Hana Jurikova (St Andrews);
Co-Supervisors: Professor Darren Mark (Glasgow), Dr James Rae (St Andrews)Quantifying Past Variations in Southern Ocean Primary Productivity from Sulfur Isotopes in Antarctic Ice Cores
Supervisor: Professor Andrea Burke (St Andrews);
Co-Supervisor: Dr Liz Thomas (British Antarctic Survey)Carbonatite exsolution from Nepheline Syenite: The Lillebukt Nepheline Syenite-Carbonatite Complex, Northern Norway
Supervisor: Professor Adrian Finch (St Andrews);
Co-Supervisor: Dr Madeleine Humphreys (Durham)Measuring the isotopic fingerprint of Greenland Ice Sheet melt
Supervisor: Dr Graeme MacGilchrist (St Andrews);
Co-Supervisors: Dr Kate Hendry (British Antarctic Survey), Dr T J Young (St Andrews), Professor Mike Meredith (British Antarctic Survey), Dr James Rae (St Andrews)The coral biomineralisation response to temperature and pH change in the Central Pacific over the last 500ka
Supervisor: Dr Nicola Allison (St Andrews);
Co-Supervisors: Dr Cees van der Land (Newcastle), Dr Xuefei Chen (Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Professor Jody Webster (Sydney)
TARGET Mineral Resources Projects
Tracing the origin of the Brandberg West tungsten-tin deposit, Namibia
Supervisor: Dr Nicholas Gardiner (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: A/Professor Jens Andersen (Camborne School of Mines), Professor Laurence Robb (Oxford)Tracing the genesis of rare metal (Li-Ta-Sn) Archean pegmatites
Supervisor: Dr Nicholas Gardiner (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: Dr Nick Roberts & Dr Kathryn Goodenough (British Geological Survey); Dr Joshua Garber (St Andrews);
Collaborators: Professor Tony Kemp (Western Australia), Professor Hugh Smithies (Geological Survey of Western Australia)Testing the Convection Hypothesis; Assessing the Structural Controls on Mineralisation in the Younger Giant Dykes, Southeast Greenland
Supervisor: Dr William McCarthy (St Andrews);
Co-supervisors: Professor Sandra Piaxolo (Leeds), Dr Zoja Vukmanovic (East Anglia), Professor Richards Bates (St Andrews), Dr Damon Stanwell-Smith -
If you are interested in PhD study at St Andrews, you must contact the academic responsible for supervising your target project to discuss your suitability, qualifications, and funding potential. Applications should not be submitted without first contacting a potential supervisor.
Successful applicants will be provided with a primary and secondary supervisor or mentor. You can expect to form a close working relationship with your supervisors, meeting regularly throughout your time in the School. Supervisors are responsible for overseeing both your research and your broader career development.
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Applicants must contact the main supervisor named on the project or a member of the academic staff before submitting an application.
Academic
The School requires a 2.1 or above UK undergraduate Honours degree (or overseas equivalent).
Supporting documents
The following documents are mandatory:
- CV or résumé - this should include your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date.
- Academic transcript(s) along with certified degree certificates if available.
- Two signed academic references – these should not be provided by your proposed supervisor(s).
- Personal/motivational statement – maximum 1,000 words, include why you have chosen St Andrews and the particular project. Also explain how your current study and future career plans fit with the project. The selection committee and external funding bodies put great emphasis on this statement, so it is important it clearly applies to your chosen project. If you apply to more than one project, provide a personal statement for each.
- English language certificate if applicable (see below)
- A sample of written work.
The School does not require a research proposal.
English language proficiency
Non-native English speaking applicants must attain an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 minimum in individual elements. TOEFL (iBT) with a score of 100 may also be accepted. For further information, see English language requirements and In-sessional English language services.
Apply now
Further details of entry requirements, application procedures and to apply can be found on the postgraduate application page.