Host organisation: 

School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton.  

Supervisor: 

Dr Jorn Cheney 

Project Summary 

Flying squirrels are amongst the simplest flyers in nature with modest specialised sensing and actuation for flight; and yet they are capable of navigating cluttered forests on moonless nights using fast non-stop flight. A skill that far exceeds our own capabilities. Their obstacle avoidance is reliant upon their visual system, which operates fuses information from slow-neural recordings to create an overall image, and fast-adaptive neurons for sensing rapid movement: in essence the fusion of a normal (frame) camera and the recently developed event camera, which senses movement at the level of the pixel. 

We will measure the gradients in visual-information richness that are available when transiting through cluttered forests, examining whether there is a disparity in the information richness provided to frame- and event-based cameras. We will examine how information richness changes at low-light levels, and whether there is an improvement if we filter the light based on the colour sensitivity of the light-sensitive rods in mammalian eyes. 

You will work in Biological Sciences with Dr Jorn Cheney. You will learn how to program and communicate with measurement equipment (the two cameras), and acquire and analyse image data and ‘event’ data. You will learn more about flight and how navigating cluttered forests with limited light has likely shaped the strange flight of gliding mammals, and you will develop knowledge on the visual ecology of forests. 

Project Aims 

Our aim is to understand what information is available in forests when moving quickly and with limited light. Our first objective though is capturing some of the first analysis of visual ecology in forests using event cameras. We’ll then analyse that data to assess what parts of forests provide that information, and how filtering the light changes those interpretations. 

Research Outcomes 

The findings will inform visual ecology, and the evolution of flight in forests. 

Required skills, knowledge and experience 

The student should enjoy programming, have taken A-level maths, and be excited about using those to inform our understanding of the relationship between the environment and the organism. 

Host organisation: 

British Antarctic Survey 

Supervisor: 

Evelyn Workman 

Project Summary 

The largest biases in surface radiation and sea surface temperature in climate models are observed over the Southern Ocean, limiting the ability of these models to predict future climate. These biases have been attributed to large uncertainties found within the modelled clouds, which are a result of uncertainties in the relative abundance of cloud forming particles over the Southern Ocean. This issue is exacerbated by a very limited number of measurements of cloud forming particles (aerosols) above the Southern Ocean.  

This project will address this problem by analysing several years transect data of aerosol measurements taken onboard two polar research vessels, RRS Sir David Attenborough (SDA) and RRS James Clark Ross (JCR), across the Southern Ocean. The analysis of these measurements will complement observations from a more recent research cruise (Southern Ocean Clouds cruise in November and December 2024) and continuous measurements taken at Rothera research station on the Antarctic Peninsula.  

This project will be based at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge and will be supervised by Dr Evelyn Workman in the Atmosphere, Ice and Climate Science team within BAS. 

This project will involve data analysis of existing shipborne aerosol datasets. There may be scope to visit the SDA when it is in port in the UK to see the setup of the aerosol instrumentation installed on the ship, however, this is dependent on when the ship’s timetable and sufficient permissions. The student will also partake in wider activities including group meetings, science team meetings and shadowing in the aerosol laboratory at BAS.  

This project aims to enhance skills in data analysis and computer programming through working with large environmental datasets, and scientific presentation and communication skills, specifically through an end-of-project presentation for the science team.  

Project Aims 

The aim of this project is to improve understanding of long-term trends in aerosol abundance and size over the Southern Ocean. This aim will be addressed through the following objectives: 

• Analysing and filtering aerosol data collected by an Optical Particle Counter (OPC) and an Aethalometer Black Carbon Monitor on board polar research vessels RRS James Clark Ross and RRS Sir David Attenborough in the Southern Ocean. 

• Plotting transects of the OPC data, to identify spatial variation in aerosol abundance as well as assessing for any trends or changes over several years. 

• Comparing the shipborne OPC observations with more recent data collected at Rothera research station on the Antarctic Peninsula, putting the aerosol data in long-term context.  

• Results will be synthesised through an end-of-project presentation and report. 

Research Outcomes 

The research outcomes of this placement are to create a processed and clean OPC dataset from the JCR and SDA over a period of several years; plot the ship transects with the OPC data; and compare the data to data measured at Rothera. The results of the work will be presented in the form of a presentation and report at the end of the placement. 

Required skills, knowledge and experience 

Programming would be helpful but not essential. Background in physical science including Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics.

Host organisation: 

School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton 

Supervisor:  

Victoria Dominguez-Almela 

Project Summary 

Freshwater ecosystems in the Republic of Congo sit within the Lower Guinea Basin, one of the world’s most biodiverse yet least studied regions. We collected samples across multiple of their rivers, seasons and trophic levels (plants, detritus, invertebrates, fish and particulate matter). This summer placement will deliver a focused research output by analysing a defined subset of these existing materials. 

The student will quantify food-web structure and trophic interactions in one river catchment by combining stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) with community and trait information. The student will gain experience in using our stable isotope facilities to extract the information and will use computer skills (R Studio) to predict food-web metrics (trophic position proxies and isotopic niche metrics). With this information, we will then test whether functional composition and diversity align with expected changes along a river gradient.  

The placement will contribute directly to an active research project with external partners (UK and international) and we expect the student to develop skills in stable isotope ecology, functional diversity analysis and scientific communication. The student will produce a short written report for our external non-academic partners, so they can also learn how different this type of communications are when compared to academic audiences. 

All data are part of an ongoing academic collaboration and outputs will be managed within standard University research practises. 

Project Aims 

The overall aim is to examine how functional diversity relates to foodweb structure within a river catchment using stable isotope ecology. The placement will begin with a defined subset of already collected and dried samples. The student will prepare these samples for stable isotope analysis and work with resulting isotope data alongside existing community and traits datasets. These analyses will then be integrated to test whether variation in functional diversity aligns with patterns of trophic organisation along the river gradient within the selected catchment. Comparison datasets from other sections of the same catchment are also available, enabling the student to place findings from the focal section  within a broader spatial context and assess consistency of patterns. 

Research Outcomes 

The placement will generate stable isotope data for a defined subset of samples, together with derived analyses. The student will produce a concise written report for non-academic partners as well as an academic poster. Results will inform wider research directions and the student will be included in any future peer-reviewed outputs. 

Required skills, knowledge and experience 

Interest in ecology and biodiversity; good at working with datasets and attention to detail; R knowledge. 

Host organisation: 

School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton 

Supervisor: 

Tina Christmann 

Project Summary 

This 8-week Research Experience Placement will evaluate the success of recent urban tree planting schemes across four reforestation sites in Eastleigh and Hedge End, delivered by Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC), an established partner of SOGES. The project will assess tree survival and growth and test the effectiveness of protective measures such as tree guards and mulch mats. EBC have some anecdotal evidence but there have not been any repeated and strategic monitoring efforts across the sites. The findings will directly inform future urban reforestation management across the borough and serve as a baseline to compare future surveys against. 

The placement is embedded within ongoing restoration ecology and urban reforestation research in the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of Southampton, linking to existing teaching and research in biodiversity, restoration, and applied ecology. The student will be supervised by the UoS lecturer Dr Tina Christmann, with additional support and practical guidance from EBC’s tree planting ranger (Alex Watts, Nick Hay) and volunteering team. 

The project combines substantial fieldwork with data analysis. The student will conduct structured tree surveys across four sites, collecting ecological data on survival, growth, and condition under different management treatments. They will also join weekly EBC volunteer sessions to gain insight into practical woodland establishment and maintenance. Field equipment, transport coordination, and access to sites will be supported by UoS and EBC. Data analysis will be conducted using existing University software and facilities. No significant intellectual property concerns are anticipated. Data will be shared between UoS and EBC for research and management purposes on the university OneDrive, with appropriate acknowledgement in any future outputs.  

The student will develop skills in ecological field methods, species identification, data management, statistical analysis, stakeholder engagement, and scientific communication. The student will produce a professional report with management recommendations for EBC. 

Project Aims 

To monitor the success of restoration tree plantings across Southampton. Specifically, to:  

1. Assess tree survival and growth across four EBC reforestation sites.
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of tree guards (protection from browsing) on survival and growth.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of mulch mats (weed suppression and moisture retention) on survival and growth.
4. Develop evidence-based management recommendations for future EBC tree planting schemes.

Research Outcomes 

The student will produce:  

1. A compiled Excel dataset of tree survival and growth across four reforestation sites.
2. A concise analytical report evaluating planting success and treatment effectiveness to date, including management recommendations for EBC.

Required skills, knowledge and experience 

Some experience in environmental fieldwork and basic quantitative data analysis (e.g. Excel or R) is desirable. The student should be organised, independent, willing to work outdoors, and confident engaging with EBC staff and volunteers. As the scheme aims to widen participation, training and support will be provided. 

Host organisation: 
Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton 

Supervisor: 
Professor Rachael James 

Project Summary 

To achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to <2 °C above the pre-industrial average, it is now clear that active removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) will also be needed in addition to rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Enhanced weathering (EW) is a CO₂ removal strategy that accelerates the natural drawdown of atmospheric CO₂ via the application of finely ground silicate minerals to croplands. If EW can be applied to around half of all global cropland, modelling suggests it could remove 0.5–2 Gt CO₂ yr⁻¹—up to 12% of what’s needed to meet the Paris targets. However, there is an urgent need to assess the wider benefits and potentially disbenefits to the environment. The successful applicant will utilize samples collected as part of an ongoing EW field trial to assess the fate of heavy metals that may be released from the applied silicate minerals: are they incorporated into secondary minerals in the soil? Do they enter the soil solution and our river systems? Do they affect the nutritional quality of crops? The placement will also offer the opportunity to test the validity of different methods for quantifying CO₂ removal. The student will be supervised by Prof. Rachael James, Dr. Xi (Helen) Chen and Dr Aled Evans. They will work in the School of Ocean and Earth Science’s world-class Geochemistry laboratories and receive hands-on training in geochemistry techniques and instrument analysis. The student will use R or Python for data processing, gaining valuable coding and data analysis skills. The student will participate in Geochemistry research group activities, including seminars given by external speakers. They will network with start-up companies working on scaling EW solutions. Analytical costs will be covered through existing grants. 

Project Aims 

The goals of this project are to: (i) Quantify concentrations of heavy metals in soils, soil waters and biomass collected from control and silicate mineral-treated plots as part of an ongoing field trial. Determine whether concentrations are significantly different between the control and treated plots. (ii) Review different methodologies for estimating soil water alkalinity fluxes, which are used to quantify CO2 removal. Use live data sets from ongoing field trials to assess the dependency of CO2 removal estimates on methodology, and the implications for issuance of carbon credits. 

Research Outcomes 

(i) Assessment of the fate of heavy metals that may be released from silicate mineral feedstocks. (ii) Assessment of the uncertainty in quantifying CO2 removal based on the methodology selected. 

Required skills, knowledge and experience 

The student should have a background in environmental science, geology, chemistry or a related field. They should be willing and able to work carefully in a laboratory environment and adhere to health and safety protocols. They should have experience of organising and interrogating data, for example using Excel, R or Python. 

Host organisation: National Oceanography Centre, Southampton 

Supervisor: Dr Mar Benavides 

Project Summary 

Marine phytoplankton absorb CO2 through photosynthesis, regulating global climate. In 70% of the global ocean surface, phytoplankton grows thanks to nitrogen provided by microbes able to fix atmospheric nitrogen called ‘diazotrophs’. Diazotrophs are subject to viral infection. Viruses can kill or reprogramme phytoplankton metabolism, releasing nutrients and altering behaviour. However, the specificity of diazotroph-virus interactions and their impact on diazotroph nitrogen supply in the ocean remain unexplored. This project will address this gap by assessing how viruses influence diazotrophs’ physiology and nitrogen fixation rates through incubation experiments of diazotroph cultures and environmental communities with virus-enriched seawater samples. The student will learn state-of-the-art microscopy, isotope tracing and bioinformatics to quantify host and virus dynamics, interaction mechanisms, and nitrogen cycling rates. Through this project, the student will actively contribute to advancing critical understanding and prediction of key biological oceanic processes under ongoing climate change conditions. 

Due to the nature and structure of the placement, it is not possible  

Centre https://noc.ac.uk 

Supervisors 

Benavides https://noc.ac.uk/n/Mar%20Benavides 

De Corte https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/303573/overview 

Martínez https://www.umces.edu/directory/joaquín-martínez-martínez 

• Supervisory arrangement

The supervisory team includes Benavides (EXPAND lead), De Corte (virus research support), and Martínez (virus specialist, Royal Society fellow at NOC). Benavides will coordinate the project. De Corte will guide lab work and sample analysis, Martínez will support discussion of results. 

• How resource demands will be met

NOC is fully equipped for this project, providing the student with access to sterile phytoplankton culture facilities, microscopes and flow cytometers, molecular facilities for DNA/RNA work and computational clusters for bioinformatic analyses. 

• Elements of the project that will incorporate elements other than computer/modelling

The student will be trained to culture phytoplankton, isolate viruses, and enrich them with stable isotopes. 

• How the project will enhance the skills of the student

The project offers a multidisciplinary set of skills integrating microbiology and bioinformatics in a biogeochemistry and oceanography background. This project has a high potential of generating enough data for a proof-of-concept publication. 

Project Aims 

1. Identify virus–diazotroph interactions: Determine which viruses infect marine diazotrophs and how specific these relationships are. 2) Assess impacts on nitrogen fixation and physiology: Evaluate how viral infection alters diazotroph metabolism, survival, and nitrogen fixation rates. 3) Understand consequences for ocean nutrient cycling: Examine how virus-driven changes in diazotrophs affect nitrogen supply, phytoplankton growth, and climate-relevant ocean processes. 

Research Outcomes 

Training in advanced microscopy and microbial culturing, isotope tracing and quantitative analysis of nitrogen fixation, and bioinformatics, data analysis, experimental design, and scientific communication skills. 

Required skills, knowledge and experience 

Background in biology, marine science, environmental science, microbiology, or a related discipline; basic laboratory skills and understanding of microbiology or ecology; some quantitative ability (e.g., statistics or data handling); interest in ocean processes, climate science, or microbial interactions; ability to follow protocols, work both independently and in a team, and communicate findings effectively. Prior experience with molecular, computational, or bioinformatics methods would be beneficial but not essential, as training will be provided.

Host organisation: National Oceanography Centre 

Supervisor: Dr Dara Farrell and Dr Emma Gregory 

Project Summary 

The Sussex Dolphin Project has monitored marine mammal populations along the southern UK coastline since 2018. Their work has highlighted important gaps in our understanding of where species occur and how their behaviour and numbers respond to changes in the ecosystem. This project will provide initial findings from 2023–2024 acoustic detections at Selsey Bill and support the development of a feasibility study to explore how marine mammals and coastal soundscapes can be monitored during kelp restoration. The work builds on the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project and related conservation initiatives within the Selsey Bill and the Hounds and Kingmere Marine Conservation Zones.  

Kelp restoration is increasingly promoted as a nature-based solution for biodiversity recovery, carbon sequestration, and coastal resilience. However, we still know relatively little about how kelp habitats affect the underwater sound environment. As kelp returns, it may change how water moves, the sounds produced by marine animals (including fish), and how sound travels through the water. These changes could alter background noise levels at different stages of recovery and may influence the abundance, and behaviour of acoustically sensitive species such as dolphins and other toothed whales, which rely on sound to navigate, find prey and communicate. Understanding how the soundscape changes before, during and after restoration is therefore important to ensure that conservation efforts deliver positive ecological outcomes.  

The student will undertake quality assurance and exploratory analysis of 2024 F-POD data from the FishIntel project to investigate seasonal patterns in marine mammal detections. This will provide hands-on experience in passive acoustic data handling, quantitative analysis, and interpretation of cetacean monitoring data. The student will also carry out a meta-analysis of acoustic monitoring approaches used in vegetated coastal systems, comparing click detection methods such as F-POD monitoring with broader soundscape analysis. Field visits to Selsey will provide site context and generate visual survey data to support interpretation of ongoing 2026 F-POD deployments.  

The project is co-supervised by Dr Dara Farrell and Dr Emma Gregory (National Oceanography Centre), with additional supervision from Thea Taylor and Dr Leigh Hickmott (Sussex Dolphin Project). It combines desk-based research, acoustic data analysis and fieldwork, providing training in marine ecology, passive acoustics and environmental data handling. 

Project Aims 

Aim:   To support the development of a feasibility framework for acoustic monitoring of kelp recovery areas in Sussex and undertake analysis of marine mammal detections recorded off the Sussex coast in 2024.       

Objectives:      Review current literature on passive acoustic monitoring in coastal kelp forests and related systems.      Compare click-detection approaches (e.g. odontocete monitoring using F-PODs) with broadband soundscape approaches for ecological assessment.      Conduct QA/QC and exploratory analysis of 2024 F-POD datasets from Selsey Bill and Kingmere MCZ.      Conduct land-based visual surveys to contribute to 2025-2026 data collection, contextualise acoustic datasets and identify environmental or anthropogenic sound sources relevant to interpretation.      Synthesise findings into recommendations for a future kelp-focused acoustic monitoring strategy. 

Research Outcomes 

A structured literature review summarising current knowledge on acoustic monitoring in kelp restoration contexts.      Initial findings of marine mammal detection distribution from the 2024 F-POD dataset from Selsey and Kingmere MCZ.      Recommended approaches for acoustic monitoring of Sussex kelp recovery areas. 

Required skills, knowledge and experience 

Knowledge of coding (any language) and basic statistics, willingness to learn. Training will be given on land-based cetacean monitoring, and support will be provided for any coding related to acoustic analysis.   

Host organisation: 

School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton 

Supervisor: 

Dr Sandra Wilks 

Project Summary 

Marwell Zoo are interested in understanding more about the microbiome of captive animals, links to welfare, and the impact of public contact. This includes increasing knowledge on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animals and in the environment. In some preliminary work, we have indications that public visitors are more involved in the appearance and transference of AMR. We would like to extend this study and sample a particular enclosure where public access is monitored and restricted.  

Within Microbiology at the School of Biological Sciences, we are developing a programme of work around microbiology with Marwell, ranging from microbiome studies of specific species through to understanding their role in the environment. This project will work alongside a current PhD student and Masters students. The study will benefit from these ongoing studies with a combination of work based at the zoo and in our microbiology laboratory on the Highfield Campus. It would offer a student opportunities in environmental sampling, working in a containment level 2 microbiology laboratory and learning standard (culture-based) and advanced (molecular and sequencing) techniques. There will be some associated costs related to the laboratory analyses. The study is innovative, providing important information on how AMR can spread within a zoo environment. In addition to the laboratory skills mentioned above, the student will gain experience in presenting data and results to stakeholders, data analysis and report writing. 

Project Aims 

The main aims of the study are: 1) to better understand the microbial community within the enclosure by analysing environmental (soil, pathways) and faecal samples; b) to understand the prevalence of key antimicrobial resistance genes within samples 

Research Outcomes 

The placement will provide important preliminary data to help us understand the prevalence of AMR genes within the zoo environment, and the impact of public visitors. In the longer term, these data will be important in developing effective animal welfare for captive animal facilities. 

Required skills, knowledge and experience 

A general knowledge of microbiology and standard microbiological techniques. General biological laboratory skills, e.g. pipetting.