Two PhD Positions in cold-water coral habitats

Integrated ecological and geophysical mapping of cold-water coral habitats: a comparative analysis of the effect of cold-water coral habitat on megafaunal species distribution in the N Atlantic.

This project will use an extensive new archive of high definition video and multibeam sonar data generated by the Changing Oceans Expedition to examine trends in megafaunal biodiversity and map deep-sea coral habitats. A degree and ideally also an MSc in marine biology or related discipline is required. Prior experience in ecological/geophysical survey or habitat mapping is desirable. The student will join an interdisciplinary team and be prepared to join offshore deep-sea research expeditions. The project will be co-supervised by Dr Veerle Huvenne (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton). Application by covering letter and CV to j.m.roberts@hw.ac.uk

Further details available online.

Biodiversity of North Atlantic cold-water coral habitats & the development of novel automated image classification as a tool in marine taxonomy.

This project will analyse the macrofaunal biodiversity of cold-water coral habitats using samples gathered by the Changing Oceans Expedition and previous studies in the N Atlantic. The project will explore automated image analysis tools to identify marine fauna. A degree and ideally also an MSc in marine biology or related discipline is required alongside willingness to explore and learn image analysis and machine learning techniques. Prior experience in sorting and identification of marine fauna is desirable. The student will join an interdisciplinary team and be prepared to join offshore deep-sea research expeditions. The project will be co-supervised by Dr Neil Robertson (Heriot-Watt Signal & Image Processing) with advice from Dr Lea-Anne Henry (HW) and Dr Bernard Picton (Ulster Museum). Application by covering letter and CV to j.m.roberts@hw.ac.uk

Further details available online.

Projects are only open to students from the UK or European Union. Full applications required by 1 June 2013