Applications for fully-funded 4 year PhD studentships starting in Sept 2026 are now closed
For studentships starting in Sept 2027, projects to apply to will be advertised in Oct 2026
Below are projects that were advertised for studentships starting in Sept 2026. We are no longer accepting applications to these projects, but remain viewable to give a flavour of the types of projects across the DTP. Exception: If you have external-funding (including self-funding), these projects are still available to apply to – further information.
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The research theme encompasses the following areas. Click on the link below to be taken to these projects, or scroll though our full list of projects below.
This theme encompasses:
- anything to do with plants including plant physiology, genetics and development. It includes both model and crop species and all aspects of crop breeding, productivity, crop protection (pathogen and pest management). In addition, all aspects of soil as a major resource (ecosystem services) including soil formation, function, health and includes the impacts of agriculture on the environment and environmental protection.
- all aspects of animal welfare and productivity for farmed/managed animals. It can include environmental impacts of such livestock including water quality, as well as any concerns relating to downstream food chain issues such as microbiological safety and food quality.
- molecular research into how plants, animals, and microorganisms are affected by environmental stresses, including pathways for stress adaptation.
*CASE: These are CASE DTP studentships. As part of the programme, you will be required to undertake a placement with the CASE partner for a minimum of 3 months.
*AP: These are Standard DTP studentships with an associate partner where you will be required to spend time with each of the partners. You will be registered for your postgraduate studies at one of the partner universities of the lead supervisors.
*JD: This project is in collaboration with the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England (UWE) and subject to a joint degree award. Successful applicants will be registered at both these institutions, and graduates will be awarded a joint degree from these two institutions upon successful completion of the PhD programme.
The 'host institution' is where you will be mainly based throughout your PhD. Of note, some projects may involve fieldwork or time away from the listed host institution for e.g. time spent with others within your supervisory team, collaborating university, collaborator or on a CASE/PIPS placement.
To help you decide on your PhD project, you can gain a detailed insight into the working style of the main supervisor and the research environment you will be part of, by visiting our meet our supervisors webpage or ‘clicking’ on the supervisor listed in bold below. You can also find out more about the second supervisor by ‘clicking’ on their name below.
Plant & Microbial Systems & Models
| ID | PROJECT TITLE |
MAIN SUPERVISORY TEAM Main supervisor (bold) + second supervisor – Or equivalents |
HOST INSTITUTION (also the registered university unless otherwise stated) STUDENTSHIP TYPE |
KEYWORDS |
| 235 | Big data approaches to predicting meristem productivity and resilience under fluctuating environmental conditions |
Cardiff University Studentship type: Standard |
Plant Cell Biology, Abiotic Stress, Plant Adaptation, Predictive Biology, Imaging | |
| 302 | Biocontainment systems for engineered microbes using molecular timers |
University of Exeter (Streatham) Studentship type: Standard |
Synthetic Biology, Engineering Biology, Microbiology, Biomanufacturing, Molecular Biology | |
| 325 | Bioengineering the seagrass microbiome to enhance plant health and resilience |
Swansea University / Cardiff University Registered University: Swansea University Studentship type: Standard with Associate Partner |
Microbiology; Seagrass; Biological interactions, Metagenomics; Bioengineering | |
| 263 | Blackgrass vs. Blotch: Discovering Natural Defences Against Wheat’s Biggest Threat |
Rothamsted Research (Harpenden) Registered University: University of Exeter Studentship type: Standard |
Wheat, Blackgrass, Zymoseptoria tritici, Sustainable agriculture, Plant Pathology, Resistance | |
| 322 | Cell signalling pathways in diatoms in response to heat stress |
Marine Biological Association / University of Exeter (Streatham) Registered University: University of Exeter Studentship type: Standard with Associate Partner |
Algae, Environmental change, Cell signalling, Marine biology, Heat stress | |
| 129 | CRISPR-based epigenetic engineering of plant and fungal metabolism |
University of Exeter (Streatham) / UWE Registered University: University of Exeter Studentship type: Standard with Associate Partner |
Microbiology, Epigenetics, Plant Science, Genetic engineering, Metabolism | |
| 256 | DAFFS: Daffodil Agronomy: investigating environmental and social Factors for Future Sustainability of narcissus crops |
University of Plymouth / Rothamsted Research Registered University: University of Plymouth Studentship type: Standard with Associate Partner |
Molecular diagnostics, epidemiology, soil science, social science, spatial statistics | |
| 317 | Defending the Breach: How Plants Block Pathogen Entry at Wounds? |
University of Bristol Studentship type: Standard |
Plant Immunity, Plant–Pathogen Interactions, Wound-Triggered Immunity, Protein Engineering, Crop Disease Resistance | |
| 164 | Duplication, Diploidisation and the Rise of Grasses |
University of Bath Studentship type: Standard |
Genomics, Evolution, Plants | |
| 266 | Fighting Superweeds with Soil Microbes: Nature-Based Solutions for Blackgrass Control |
Rothamsted Research (Harpenden) Registered University: University of Bath Studentship type: Standard |
Plant-microbe interactions, Herbicide resistant blackgrass, Sustainable agriculture, Microbial biocontrol, Soil microbiome | |
| 220 | Future-proofing wheat: harnessing microbiomes and chemical signalling for climate resilience |
Rothamsted Research (Harpenden) Registered University: University of Bath Studentship type: Standard |
Chemical ecology, microbiology, molecular biology, soil science, bioinformatics | |
| 311 | Harnessing Seaweeds for Bioremediation and Rare Earth Recovery |
University of Exeter (Penryn) Studentship type: Standard |
Geology, coastal natural resource management, microbiology, marine ecology, nature-based solutions | |
| 249 | Hot potato: Exploring natural variation of photosynthetic responses to temperature in wild relatives of potato to improve potato photosynthesis in a changing climate |
University of Bristol Studentship type: Standard |
Photosynthesis, plant-environment interactions, molecular genetics, plant physiology | |
| 355 | How bacterial pathogens enter and colonise plant vasculature? |
University of Bristol Studentship type: CASE |
Microbiology, Plant Pathology, CRISPR, Plant-Microbe Interactions, Synthetic Biology | |
| 216 | Metapopulation dynamics of pollinating bees under pesticide pressure |
Swansea University / University of Bristol Registered University: Swansea University Studentship type: Standard with Associate Partner |
Ecological modelling, pollinators, conservation, ecology, networks | |
| 351 | Microbial Clues to Cardiovascular Resilience: Investigating the Gut-Heart Axis in Chimpanzees |
Cardiff University Studentship type: CASE |
Microbiome, Chimpanzee, Cardiovascular disease, Probiotics | |
| 171 | The Effect of Soil Waterlogging on Disease Resistance in Wheat. |
University of Exeter (Streatham) Studentship type: CASE |
Crop health, Zymoseptoria, Fusarium, Soil health, Climate change | |
| 276 | The Inside Story: Exploring and exploiting the cabbage stem flea beetle endosymbiont microbiome as a novel potential means of crop protection. |
Rothamsted Research (Harpenden) Registered University: University of Exeter Studentship type: Standard |
Crop protection, endosymbionts / microbiomes, cabbage stem flea beetle, molecular biology, chemical ecology | |
| 300 | Waxing lyrical: Investigating a new route to produce floral colour for successful pollination. |
University of Bath Studentship type: Standard |
Pollination, animal vision, food security, sustainable materials | |
| 217 | Will climate change worsen the problem of antibiotic resistance? |
University of Exeter (Penryn) Studentship type: Standard |
Antibiotic resistance, climate change, ecology, evolution, plasmids |
Animal Behaviour & Welfare
| ID | PROJECT TITLE |
MAIN SUPERVISORY TEAM Main supervisor (bold) + second supervisor – Or equivalents |
HOST INSTITUTION (also the registered university unless otherwise stated) STUDENTSHIP TYPE |
KEYWORDS |
| 208 | Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Gamebirds: A One Health Approach to Understanding and Mitigating the Risk of AMR Evolution and Spread through Ecosystems |
University of Exeter (Penryn) Studentship type: Standard |
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) evolution, wildlife health and disease, animal health and wellbeing, One Health, molecular biology | |
| 215 | Behaviour, Physiology, and Ecology of Antimicrobial Resistance in wild Baboons |
Swansea University / University Of Exeter Registered University: Swansea University Studentship type: Standard with Associate Partner |
Human–wildlife interactions, Social networks, Antimicrobial resistance, One Health, Stress | |
| 183 | Decoding Protist Parasites in Aquaculture with Single-Cell Sequencing |
University of Bath Studentship type: Standard |
Protist, parasite, evolution, aquaculture, bioinformatics | |
| 331 | How Photosymbiotic Algae Living with Sea Anemones Affect Their Behavior in Response to Light |
University of Bristol Studentship type: Standard |
Neural signalling, Photosynthesis, Sensorimotor Control, Symbiosis | |
| 201 | Investigating the Role of Host Microbiome Dynamics as Drivers of Wildlife Disease Using a One Health Framework |
University of Exeter (Penryn) Studentship type: CASE |
Microbiome, Mycobacterium bovis, European badger, metagenomics, social networks | |
| 323 | Is injurious pecking in laying hens socially transmitted? |
University of Bristol Studentship type: Standard |
Animal welfare, Behaviour, Chicken, Injurious pecking, Social network. | |
| 258 | Play for life: promoting play in adult farmed animals |
University of Bristol Studentship type: CASE |
Sustainable agriculture, adult livestock, play behaviour, welfare improvement, Living Lab | |
| 143 | Protecting Ant Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by Understanding Determinants of Insecticide Sensitivity |
University of Exeter (Penryn) Studentship type: CASE |
Conservation, insects, genomics | |
| 337 | Run, sleep, repeat: Regular exercise for good health and longevity. |
University of Bristol Studentship type: Standard |
Physical exercise, healthy ageing circadian rhythms, genomics, neural networks | |
| 226 | The influence of variability and information on decision-making |
University of Exeter (Streatham) Studentship type: Standard |
Behavioural rules, cognitive biases, foraging, slime moulds, modelling | |
| 286 | Using pathogen genomes to trace the dissemination of zoonotic disease via food trade networks |
University of Bristol Studentship type: CASE |
Molecular Epidemiology, Microbiology, Network Analysis, Genomics, Mathematical Modelling | |
| 298 | Using positive animal training and automation to improve dairy cattle welfare |
University of Bristol Studentship type: Standard |
Positive animal training, Positive animal welfare, Automation, Handling, Stress |
Environmental Stress Adaptation
| ID | PROJECT TITLE |
MAIN SUPERVISORY TEAM Main supervisor (bold) + second supervisor – Or equivalents |
HOST INSTITUTION (also the registered university unless otherwise stated) STUDENTSHIP TYPE |
KEYWORDS |
| 321 | Aerodynamics of flying insect capture in carnivorous pitcher plant traps |
University of Exeter (Streatham) Studentship type: Standard |
Biomechanics, carnivorous plants, insect flight, plant-insect interactions, ecology | |
| 206 | Developing thermal physiology-informed plant diversification schemes to enhance ecosystem service provision and food security in a changing climate |
University of Bristol Studentship type: CASE |
Ecosystem Services, Thermal Physiology, Conservation Ecology, Food Security, Climate Change. | |
| 265 | Does regenerative agriculture support pollinator populations? |
University of Bristol Studentship type: CASE |
Pollinators, Conservation, Ecology, Agronomy, Insects | |
| 320 | Exploring the molecular basis of thermal tolerance across diverse invertebrates: a macrophysiological approach |
Cardiff University Studentship type: Standard |
Thermal tolerance, ecology, climate change, invertebrates, metagenomics | |
| 176 | Grazing and rewilding: how do they affect biodiversity, carbon cycling and greenhouse gas emissions? |
University of Bristol Studentship type: Standard |
Cattle, conservation, species, climate change, nutrients | |
| 161 | Regulation of post-harvest stress responses by miRNAs in rocket salad |
Cardiff University Studentship type: Standard |
Epigenetics, food security, gene regulation, plant stress, postharvest biology | |
| 341 | Using single cell approaches to unravel the mechanistic basis of long term epigenetic memory |
University of Exeter (Streatham) Studentship type: CASE |
Epigenetics, ecotoxicology, water, food security, fish
|
|
| 54 | Will Global Warming Accelerate the Evolution of Antifungal Resistance? |
University of Exeter (Streatham) Studentship type: Standard |
Microbiology, Antimicrobial resistance, Thermal Adaptation, Mycology |
Other
| ID | PROJECT TITLE |
MAIN SUPERVISORY TEAM Main supervisor (bold) + second supervisor – Or equivalents |
HOST INSTITUTION (also the registered university unless otherwise stated) STUDENTSHIP TYPE |
KEYWORDS |
| 92 | Biosecure Pig-Rearing in Assam: Integrating Ecological, (Human) Behavioural and Socio-Cultural Approaches to Control African Swine Fever |
Cardiff University Studentship type: CASE |
Veterinary epidemiology, Spatial Analysis (GIS), Conservation biology, Behavioural science, Socio-cultural and community-based research | |
| 203 | Disentangling the contribution of above and belowground inputs for soil carbon storage |
University of Bristol Studentship type: CASE |
Ecology, Soil carbon, decomposition, Isotope tracing, biogeochemistry | |
| 362 | Food Safety on Informal Markets: Tracking Pathogens and Exploring Safer Meat Handling in Morocco |
University of Bristol Studentship type: Standard |
Food pathogens, microbiology, behavioural economics, global food security | |
| 242 | Investigating the Role of Early-Life Microbiome Variation in Shaping Immune Development and Vaccine Responsiveness in Livestock |
University of Bristol Studentship type: Standard |
Microbiome, immune development, livestock, vaccine efficacy, biological interactions |