Bullard Labs, Department of Earth Sciences, is a vibrant hub of cutting edge research and teaching in geophysics and tectonics that is located in west Cambridge. During the 20th century, it played a pioneering role in the development of marine geophysics and the discovery of plate tectonics. Today, it consists of 10 academic staff, 20+ PhD students and ~12 postdocs, along with administrative and technical staff, and undertakes a broad range of research in seismology, geodynamics, active tectonics, Earth imaging and the climate.
This web page lists all academic staff together with PhD projects that they are offering for an October 2024 start. A variety of funding opportunities are available to prospective students through Gates Cambridge, C-Clear DTP, Cambridge Trust and Bullard’s own Girdler scholarship. Any funding you wish to be considered for can be specified in your application, which must be completed on-line via the Applicant Portal. Further details on eligibility and fees can be found here. The submission deadline is January 4th, 2024.
If you are interested in applying for any of the PhD projects listed below, please contact the relevant supervisor in the first instance.
Dr David Al-Attar
Earth’s free oscillations, post-glacial sea level change, body tides, rotational dynamics, and geophysical inverse theory. Projects include
Prof. Alex Copley
Deformation and evolution of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle from field observations, seismology, geodesy, metamorphic and igneous petrology, and numerical modelling. Projects include
Dr Sanne Cottaar
Structure and dynamics of the deep Earth, including the core-mantle boundary, from the study of seismic waves. Projects include
Dr Adriano Gualandi
Nonlinear dynamical systems, friction, earthquakes and geodesy. Projects include
Prof. Sergei Lebedev
Seismology, geophysics, seismic tomography, Earth dynamics and evolution. Projects include:
Dr Ali Mashayek
Climate Dynamics, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Marine Ecosystems, Data Science. Projects include:
Prof. Jerome Neufeld
The fluid dynamics of multiphase fluid flows and the solidification of multicomponent alloys. Projects include:
Prof. Nick Rawlinson
Seismic imaging, geophysical inverse theory, observational seismology, intraplate volcanism and lithospheric structure. Projects include:
Prof. John Rudge
Theoretical geophysics, geochemistry and petrology. Projects include:
Prof. Nicky White
Geophysics, geodynamics, tectonics, dynamic topography mantle convection, river drainage. Projects include:
- Probing the Structure of Oceanic Currents in Space and Time with Novel Technology
- How Mantle Dynamics Sculpts the Earth’s Surface and Controls Oceanography and Climate
- Exploring the Global Relationship between Carbonate Compensation Depth and Mantle Dynamics
- Expeditions to collect and study sedimentary and basaltic rock cores from seabed south of Iceland to understand plume dynamics
- Ancient Fire, Ice, Buried Landscapes and Mantle Dynamics: Probing the Carboniferous Earth System