Our environmental science research is multidisciplinary, including subjects ranging from biology to geography and geosciences. Supported by the global outlook and impact of the Newcastle Institute for Sustainability, you will have access to international experts, the latest facilities and a unique research support package to ensure your future success.
We offer MPhil and PhD supervision in the following subjects areas associated with environment science:
Applied and environmental biology
We conduct research on organisms and processes of commercial and environmental importance, embracing experimental approaches that encompass genomics, molecular biology, biochemistry and physiology. Our research provides evidence for the underlying molecular and physiological processes that affect animal behaviour and physiology.
Our research is driven by the desire to develop new biological systems that address health, food, energy and water security. The applied nature of our work has led to the launch of successful spin-out companies, such as Geneius. These companies offer graduate employment opportunities and make a substantial contribution to the local economy. The commercial applications that result from our research range from natural products discovery and creation of novel antimicrobials and biopesticides to sustainable methods of reducing food spoilage.
Based in the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS), our research laboratories include well-equipped molecular laboratories for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) amplification, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and facilities for the production of novel recombinant proteins, including protein engineering. Microbiological laboratories are equipped to Category 2 standard. We have the latest equipment for profiling plant leaf gas exchange and light use efficiency, high performance liquid chromatography, fluorescence and light microscopy and easy access to central facilities for confocal and electron microscopy, DNA sequencing, microarray analyses and proteomics. We also have a suite of licenced controlled environment rooms for growing transgenic plants and for housing quarantine invertebrate pests.
Applied and environmental biology research is based in the School of Biology and led by academic staff with international reputations.
Environmental change and management
We study long-term system evolution and change, developing knowledge relating to the Earth's surface and the processes that form its structure and function. We also study how human behaviour impacts on these systems and influences sustainable management.
Based in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, you will be part of an active research community of nearly 200 social science researchers. We pride our research on being the highest academic quality with an international focus, underpinned by a concern for informing public debate and contributing to public policy formulation.
Research in physical geography is supported by a number of laboratories:
-Newcastle Cosmogenic Isotope Facility
-Geomorphology Laboratory
-Chemical, paleoecology and organic chemistry laboratories
-Spatial Analysis Laboratory
We have over 90 academic and research staff and we will ensure that your project is supervised by experts in your field.
Geosciences
Geoscience research at Newcastle is focussed on:
-Biogeochemistry, with particular strength in microbial ecology, mineralogy, organic, inorganic and isotope geochemistry
-Geoenergy, reflecting a balance between fossil fuels as a critical energy resource and the move towards a lower carbon global economy
Our biogeochemistry and geoenergy research forms a strong multi-disciplinary group. We also have links to the engineering community through our work on microbial processes of significance to oil and gas production such as reservoir souring.
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