World-Leading Doctoral Scholarship in Geography and Sustainable Development and Earth Sciences

Project

Groundwater—water stored within and moving in and out of permeable rock and soils—moves dynamically between the Earth’s surface and seas, and plays a major role in the global water and carbon cycle. In the polar regions, groundwater is thought to be completely isolated from the surrounding air, ocean, and ice sheets, due to an impermeable soil layer beneath the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Yet, recent geoscientific research found groundwater underlying these ice sheets to be much more pervasive and dynamic than expected (Figure 1), and could contribute up to a third of the total freshwater entering the surrounding Polar Oceans. The subsequent export of fresh meltwater from the Antarctic ice sheet to the surrounding ocean not only contributes to sea level rise, but also impacts the regional and large-scale ocean circulation in the surrounding Southern Ocean.

Figure 1: Challenging traditional viewpoints of groundwater and glacier meltwater interactions. From Chu et al. (2022).

Reconsidering how meltwater moves via both subglacial and groundwater pathways represents a significant shift in understanding how the Antarctic ice sheet interacts with the surrounding oceans. An updated view that presents a unified ice sheet-groundwater-ocean system, in turn, will further constrain the large uncertainty in future ice sheet stability and catastrophic sea level rise. In this light, the objective of this ambitious PhD project is to reshape our thinking on the interaction between ice sheets and their surrounding oceans to include the role of groundwater dynamics. To achieve this objective, the component aims of the project are to:

• Model the distribution of water exported from Antarctic outlet glaciers to surrounding embayments;
• Examine the changes that increased groundwater export has on regional ocean circulation; and
• Understand how the increased export will modulate the physical and biogeochemical dynamics of the wider Antarctic ocean.

To address these component aims, the PhD will leverage a combination of theoretical frameworks, process-based ice sheet and oceanographic models, idealised simulations, and observational datasets. The outcome of this project will be to fundamentally reframe our understanding of how meltwater is transported from ice to ocean via expansive groundwater pathways, as well as addressing a significant component of the regional water cycle that has, to date, been ignored. Through reconceptualising the feedback mechanisms linking ice sheets, melt, and ocean circulation, the PhD research will reveal  the importance of groundwater on both ice-sheet and oceanographic processes, fundamentally advancing the field of Antarctic and polar science.

The successful student will be supervised by Drs T.J. Young and Graeme MacGilchrist, who together provide complementary perspectives in glaciology and polar oceanography that guarantee effective supervision throughout the studentship. This project is uniquely multidisciplinary, and we encourage ambitious candidates who have a background in physics, mathematics, oceanography, scientific computing, physical geography, earth sciences, or other relevant disciplines to apply. We welcome interested candidates to reach out to get to know the supervisory team and gain further insight in how the project advances the candidates’ academic interests and ambitions.

Further reading

Chu W. (2022) Groundwater under Antarctica goes deep. Science 376,577-578. doi: 10.1126/science.abo1266

Gustafson CD et al. (2022) A dynamic saline groundwater system mapped beneath an Antarctic ice stream. Science 376,640-644. doi: 10.1126/science.abm3301

Liljedahl LC et al. (2021) Rapid and sensitive response of Greenland’s groundwater system to ice sheet change. Nature Geoscience 14:751-755. doi: 10.1038/s41561-021-00813-1

Siegert MJ et al. (2018) Antarctic subglacial groundwater: a concept paper on its measurement and potential influence on ice flow. Geological Society London, Special Publications 461:197-213. doi: 10.1144/SP461.8

Value of award (per year)

Full-fees award and stipend. The stipend will be paid at the current UK Research Council rate (£19,237 in 2024-2025). The stipend will be paid pro-rata to part-time students.

The scholarships do not cover any continuation, extension, or resubmission period/fees, Visa fees, Immigration Health Surcharge, IELTS fees, or costs for travel to and from the UK.

Duration of award

Up to 3.5 years (full-time) or 7.0 years (part-time). Scholarship holders will be expected to have submitted their thesis for examination by the end of that period. The award term excludes the continuation period and any extension periods.

At what stage of my course application can I apply for this scholarship?

Please apply for the scholarship after you have submitted your application for a place at St Andrews.  You do not need to wait until you have received an offer of a place before applying for the scholarship.

Additional criteria

You must have applied for a PhD programme at St Andrews.

You must not already (i) hold a doctoral degree; or (ii) be matriculated for a doctoral degree at the University of St Andrews or another institution.

As part of the scholarship application you will be required to upload a personal statement. This should serve as a cover letter for the research project application as a whole, and should include:

• An outline of your suitability for the project (project criteria can be found in the "Eligibility" and "Project Description" sections above).
• Why the project interests you.
• What you would bring to the project in terms of previous skills and expertise.
• Any ideas that you may have for the realisation of the project.

How to apply

1. Apply for admission as a doctoral student beginning in the academic year 2024-25. Please see the advice on applying for research programmes. Please apply to the School of Geography and Sustainable Development and select the programme ‘PhD Geography (Science). After submitting your PhD application, you must allow at least three working days for processing and issue of your log-in details before you can apply for the scholarship. Once you have received an email confirming your access to the My application portal: 
2. Apply for the scholarship, which is available through the World-Leading Scholarship 5: Groundwater under Antarctica application form. You can access this application through the Scholarships and funding catalogue in the Scholarships and Funding section of My application. 
• Enter the catalogue by following the instructions in the email, then choosing Scholarships and funding (under 'Useful links') and then clicking View the scholarships and funding catalogue.
• Select 2025/6 as the Academic Year and click ‘Refresh list’.
• Find the World-Leading St Andrews Doctoral Scholarship that you wish to apply for in the list of scholarships (using the filter box if necessary), click Apply and complete the application form.
• You can also use the catalogue to search and apply for other scholarships for which you are eligible. 

Scholarship application form guidance

If you are a current student at St Andrews, you can access Scholarships and Funding through MySaint. However, you should wait until after you have applied for your intended postgraduate programme before doing so, to ensure that the scholarship application is linked to that course.

Terms and conditions

Please read the University of St Andrews scholarships terms and conditions (opens in new tab) 

If you apply to this scholarship, details from your course application may be passed to the selection panel solely for the purpose of merit-based assessment. 

When will I know the outcome?

The outcome of your scholarship application will be available on View or continue my funding applications in the Scholarships and Funding section of My Application within two months of the application deadline.