CENTA PhD Projects - October 2026 entry

The research projects below are in competition for the funding. The project with the best applicant will be awarded the funding.

Projects available at University of Warwick:

Principal Supervisors	Project
Dr Soroush Abolfathi (School of Engineering)	Modelling the effects of extreme environmental changes on contaminant transport in sub-surface porous mediaLink opens in a new window
Dr Fabrizio Alberti (School of Life Sciences)	Lifestyle transitions in entomopathogenic fungi: ecological and biochemical insights into fungal-insect interactionsLink opens in a new window
Dr Mark Barrow (Department of Chemistry)	Emerging and Sewage Contaminants within the ThamesLink opens in a new window
Dr Mark Barrow (Department of Chemistry)	Canadian oil sands: Ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry to study photooxidation effects upon diluted bitumenLink opens in a new window
Dr Mark Barrow (Department of Chemistry)	Ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry and the characterization of dissolved organic matter in talik aquifers in Quebec, CanadaLink opens in a new window
Professor Gary Bending (School of Life Sciences)	Urban eDNAscapes: mapping biodiversity using environmental DNALink opens in a new window
Professor Gary Bending (School of Life Sciences)	Global diversity and ecosystem functions of plant-microbe symbiosesLink opens in a new window
Professor Adrian Chaplin (Department of Chemistry)	Titanium catalysed photochemical decomposition of nitrous oxide
Dr Laura Lehtovirta-Morley (School of Life Sciences)	Understanding the microorganisms critical for the production of greenhouse gas nitrous oxideLink opens in a new window
Dr Laura Lehtovirta-Morley (School of Life Sciences)	Resolving missing links between nitrogen and carbon cycles: Impact of methylated amines on ammonia oxidising microorganismsLink opens in a new window
Professor Julie MacPherson (Department of Chemistry)	Detection, removal and destruction of per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from PFAS “hot-spots” in UK river systemsLink opens in a new window
Dr Michaela Mausz (School of Life Sciences)	Future oceans – how small changes affect the physiology of globally important phototrophsLink opens in a new window
Dr Ryan Mushinski (School of Life Sciences)	Linking Microbial Activity to Landscape-Scale Atmospheric ChemistryLink opens in a new window
Dr Andre Pires da Silva (School of Life Sciences)	Environmental maternal effects and intergenerational inheritanceLink opens in a new window
Dr Richard Puxty (School of Life Sciences)	How do the smallest eukaryotes fix CO2?Link opens in a new window
Dr Mojgan Rabiey (School of Life Sciences)	How do bacteriophages shape microbial communities in plant environments?Link opens in a new window
Professor Hendrik Schaefer (School of Life Sciences)	Methane degrading bacteria in tree phyllospheres – unknown agents of climate mitigation?Link opens in a new window
Professor Orkun Soyer (School of Life Sciences)	How microbes interact to enable biogeochemical cycles

Projects available at Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH):

Supervisors	Project
Dr Susheel Bhanu BusiLink opens in a new window (CEH), and Professor Gary Bending (UoW, School of Life Sciences)	Who's alive and kicking in the soil? Uncovering active microbesLink opens in a new window

Eligibility

• Check your Eligibility

Application guidance

• View the available projects and check your eligibility
• Make an initial project enquiry by contacting supervisors directly.
• Questions about the application process or eligibility can be directed to
• Complete the online application form - selecting course code P-C1PB (Life Sciences PhD); from here you will be taken through to another screen where you can select your desired project. Please enter "NERC studentship" in the Finance section and add Nikki Glover, as the scholarship contact.
• Please also complete the CENTA application form 2026Link opens in a new window and submit via email to .
• Upload a transcript from your current or previous study, a CV and any other documents that you feel would support your application (within 48 hours of submitting your online application you will receive a link allowing you to upload additional supporting documents).
• Ask your referees to submit a reference for you by 12 January 2026 at the latest. Note: when you submit your application, an email will automatically be sent to your referees requesting a reference for you. This email will contain a secure link for your referee to upload a reference for you.
• For further information about applying to Warwick see the application FAQ's page
• Application deadline - 7 January 2026 (23:59 GMT)