Research in our School of Life Sciences covers a wide spectrum of biology from genes to ecosystems, and this broad-based structure provides opportunities for developing novel ideas and interdisciplinary projects. We offer supervision in all areas of staff expertise in marine biology, including: community ecology of coral reef systems tropical seagrass beds mangroves and fisheries deep sea/marine connectivity ocean acidification macronutrient cycling As a research student at Essex, you'll work at the heart of our internationally acknowledged and well-connected research community. We offer world-class supervision and training opportunities, and encourage you to engage with other researchers, professionals, practitioners and research users, where possible for example using the generous funding from Proficio to attend conferences and training courses. As a research student at Essex, you work at the heart of our internationally acknowledged, well-resourced and well-connected research community. We offer world-class supervision and training opportunities, and encourage you to engage with other researchers, professionals, practitioners, and research users, where possible - such as using the generous funding from Proficio to attend conferences and training courses. We also offer a PhD in this area. Both part-time and full-time research study are available. You can start this degree in October, January or April. We're proudly ranked 95th (10th in the UK) for promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for life below water (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025).