Research projects
- Research area
Accelerate consent and support environmental sustainability
- Institution
University of Hull
- Research project
Understanding the effects of offshore wind development on marine benthic communities
- Lead supervisor
Dr Krysia Mazik (Lecturer in Marine Biology, University of Hull)
- PhD Student
- Supervisory Team
Dr Bryony Caswell (Lecturer – Geology, University of Hull)
Dr Andrew Richardson, Marine Science Experimental Officer, University of Hull
Dr James Strong, National Oceanography Centre
Project Description:
This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience, a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. This project is further supported by industry supervision from Equinor. The successful applicant will undertake six-months of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research. The project is part of a PhD Research Cluster, Understanding environmental impacts and consequences.
This project aims to maximise use of existing data sets provided by offshore windfarm operators, coupled with new, targeted high resolution data collection, to better understand the effects of offshore wind farm development on the structure and function of marine benthic communities. It aims to investigate ecological change with a view to contributing to the understanding of what Marine Net Gain could potentially mean.
The proposed scale of offshore development poses a significant threat to the marine environment in the form of physical disturbance. This has the potential to alter the structure and function of seabed (benthic) communities which, in turn, influences wider ecosystem processes (Dannheim et al., 2020). Overall, the impacts (potentially positive or negative) of offshore wind energy development are poorly understood, particularly with respect to ecological function and in relation to Floating Offshore Wind. The consenting process for offshore wind remains conservative since coastal and shelf seas support diverse benthic communities that play very important roles in wider ecosystem function through their high productivity, role in nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration and influence on sedimentary processes.
In terrestrial and intertidal environments, developers are legally obliged to improve the quality of natural habitats under the principle of Biodiversity Net Gain. That is, they must leave the environment in a measurably better state than it was prior to development. The application of this principle in the marine environment, known in England as ‘Marine Net Gain’ (Government response – GOV.UK) is more challenging, due the dynamic nature of the marine environment, and the principles by which it can be incorporated into policy are currently under development (Edwards-Jones et al., 2024). In particular, Marine Net Gain may potentially expand on Biodiversity Net Gain by incorporating the concept of wider Environmental Net Gain (wider environmental benefits that may underpin biodiversity, including carbon sequestration) (Defra, 2022). Ultimately, developers will be expected to deliver on Marine Net Gain but guidance to facilitate this is not currently available.
The scale and speed of offshore development necessitates a better understanding of the impact of offshore wind, and potential for ecological enhancement, to inform the offshore wind energy sector, regulatory bodies, scientific community and, in particular, development of the principles of Marine Net Gain.
Training & Skills
You will benefit from a taught programme, giving you a broad understanding of the breadth and depth of current and emerging offshore wind sector needs. This begins with an intensive six-month programme at the University of Hull for the new student intake, drawing on the expertise and facilities of all four academic partners. It is supplemented by Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which is embedded throughout your 4-year research scholarship.
The student will be trained in offshore survey design and survey techniques (and associated health & safety); species identification from video footage and from physical samples, using taxonomic keys; sedimentology, GIS, statistical analysis and will also gain an understanding of the offshore regulatory framework. The student will be required to complete training in Personal Survival Techniques (via the Humber Offshore Training Association) and will be required to pass a medical in order to work offshore (ENG1 certificate).
Entry requirements
If you have received or expect to achieve before starting your PhD programme a First-class Honours degree, or a 2:1 Honours degree and a Masters, or a Distinction at Masters level a degree (or the international equivalents) in environmental science, marine biology or bioscience, with a strong ecology/marine science component, we would like to hear from you.
Industry support
Equinor has expertise in consenting and biodiversity initiatives spanning numerous departments across group level, including Norway. There will be opportunities to connect and collaborate with group experts and knowledgeable persons from across the business who can offer technical guidance and direction, representing an additional source of support beyond that to be provided by the industrial supervisor. Depending on interest from the PhD student, there could be opportunities to spend time in different departments (national and international) if there is interest from the student.
If you have an queries about the research project please contact Dr Krysia Mazik via K.Mazik@hull.ac.uk. You may also address enquiries about the CDT to auracdt@hull.ac.uk.
Watch our short video to hear from Aura CDT students, academics and industry partners:
Funding
The CDT is funded by the EPSRC, allowing us to provide scholarships that cover fees plus a stipend set at the UKRI nationally agreed rates. These have been set by UKRI as £20,780 per annum at 2025/26 rates and will increase in line with the EPSRC guidelines for the subsequent years (subject to progress).
Eligibility
Our funded Doctoral Scholarships are available to UK Students. The advertised CDT scholarships in this current recruitment round are available to Home (UK) Students only as the CDT has reached the annual cap, set by the funding council (UKRI EPSRC), on international student recruitment for the 2025 intake. To be considered a Home student, and therefore eligible for a full award, a student must have no restrictions on how long they can stay in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the scholarship (with some further constraint regarding residence for education).
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
The CDT is committed to generating a diverse and inclusive training programme and is looking to attract applicants from all backgrounds. We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for home fee status candidates who identify as Black or Black mixed or Asian or Asian mixed if they meet the programme entry requirements. This positive action is to support recruitment of these under-represented ethnic groups to our programme and is an opt in process.
How to apply
Please ensure that you familiarise yourself with the Aura CDT website before you apply to give you a good understanding of what a CDT is, our CDT’s research focus and the training and continuing professional development programme that runs alongside the CDT. The Frequently asked questions page and Candidate resources page are essential reading prior to applying.
Applications are open until Friday 9 May 2025
Applications to this project are made via the University of Hull admissions system. If you have not applied to the University of Hull before, you will need to set up an account to enable you to track the progress of your application and upload supporting documents.
Follow the appropriate link to apply for this CDT project at the University of Hull:
With your application, you need to upload copies of the following supporting evidence:
- Complete transcripts (and final degree certificate(s) where possible). If your qualification documents are not in English, you will need to supply copies of your original language documents as well as their official translation into English.
- Your Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- A completed Supplementary Application Form (upload when asked to add a Research proposal).
Please download the Supplementary Application Form here.
Ensure you complete all sections of the Supplementary Application Form in font and size Calibri 11pt, specify the research project you are applying for.
Uploading the form
When you have completed the form, please save it as a pdf format and labelled as follows:
Last name_first name PhD application form
Upload the form as part of your application documents through the University of Hull student application portal, when asked to add a Research Proposal. The Form replaces the Research Proposal and so you do not need to add a Research Proposal. Please do not send your form directly to the Offshore Wind CDT.
Interviews will be held online with an interview panel comprising of project supervisory team members from the host university where the project is based. Where the project involves external supervisors from university partners or industry sponsors then representatives from these partners may form part of the interview panel and your supplementary application form will be shared with them (with the guaranteed interview scheme section removed). Interviews will take place during early and mid-June.
If you have an queries about the research project please contact Dr Krysia Mazik via K.Mazik@hull.ac.uk. You may also address enquiries about the CDT to auracdt@hull.ac.uk.
