We are looking for a candidate with an interest in ecology, conservation, and marine fisheries, and strong numerical and computer coding skills.

Over a third of Scottish territorial waters are protected by fisheries exclusion zones, called Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), involving a wide range of measures to promote biodiversity, sustainability, and conservation. Building on this the Scottish Government has released a policy document [1] on a world-leading suite of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) with a target of designating a minimum of 10% of inshore waters by 2026. These HPMAs will “provide protection from all extractive, destructive or depositional activities including all fisheries, aquaculture and other infrastructure developments… (making them equivalent to ‘marine parks’)”. While such closures may have positive effects on local fish stocks and through spillover to surrounding areas, the impact on any commercial fisheries exploiting these stocks (and the impact of fisheries displacement on other stocks) is less clear. Scientists providing advice to fisheries managers  on these challenges have access to a range of spatio-temporal data from fishing vessels, such as vessel monitoring systems and electronic observation platforms [2]. However, the development of models to analyses the effectiveness of management scenarios has lagged considerably behind the availability of the data.

The successful PhD candidate will join a vibrant research community at the University of Strathclyde Marine Modelling Research Group in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. They will be mentored and supported closely by the supervisory team and will actively participate in research programmes and knowledge exchange activities. Highly motivated PhD candidates with demonstrable strong numerical and computer coding skills from various backgrounds, including mathematics, statistics, oceanography, marine ecology, or environmental sciences are invited to apply.

Further information

This is a 42 month full time CASE studentship starting in Autumn 2022. (Or 84 months part time. However, part time study is not available to those who require a visa to study in the UK). The student will be registered at the University of Strathclyde, and the project will involve a collaboration with the CASE funding partner (Marine Scotland Science), and the University of St Andrews.