PhD Tropical Marine Biology

Tropical ecosystems provide important resources locally and globally, and coral reefs are the most diverse of marine ecosystems threatened by human activities.

An Integrated PhD provides a route into research study if you do not have a Masters degree, or have very little research training. It enables you to spend your first year completing a full-time Masters-level qualification, followed by a full-time PhD studied over three to four years or a part-time PhD studied over six to seven years. We also offer a ‘standard' PhD in this subject which can be studied either full-time (three to four years) or part-time (six to seven years).

The first year on our Integrated PhD Tropical Marine Biology, is designed to deliver advanced tropical marine biology theory and to facilitate the development of a comprehensive range of practical and professional skills required by today's employers. As a student of our School of Life Sciences, you benefit from the breadth of research carried out by our internationally recognised academics, and engage with current research activities both in the UK and abroad. You also have the opportunity to put theory into practice and study coral reef conservation first-hand during the School's annual field trip to the Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia. (Students who join this optional expedition are subject to additional travel costs – the fee for field trips vary from year to year).

In your second year, you move into the PhD element of the course. Research in our School covers a wide spectrum of biology from genes to ecosystems, and this broad-based structure provides opportunities for developing novel ideas and interdisciplinary projects. We offer supervision in all areas of staff expertise in marine biology, including:

• community ecology of coral reef systems
• tropical seagrass beds
• mangroves and fisheries
• deep sea/marine connectivity
• ocean acidification
• macronutrient cycling

We're proudly ranked 95th (10th in the UK) for promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for life below water (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025).