PhD studentship: how microplastics pick up and carry heavy metals
A funded PhD at Newcastle University will study how pellets from the July Tyne spill take up and release metals left by the region's mining history, as they move through the river, estuary and sea. Applications close at midday on Tuesday 5 January 2027.
The studentship, Plastic pathways: heavy metal uptake and transport by microplastics in the environment (reference IAP-26-123), is offered through the IAPETUS Doctoral Training Partnership. It builds directly on our project's work on the spill.
Full details and how to apply on the IAPETUS website
The project
Microplastics travelling through rivers and the sea can collect heavy metals on their surfaces and release them elsewhere. The July 2026 spill put around 850 million pellets into the Tyne, a river whose sediments are still contaminated by historic lead and zinc mining.
The student will work out when and where the pellets hold on to or give up metals, and how important plastics are as a route for moving metals compared with natural particles and sediment.
What the work involves
- Fieldwork: repeated surveys of the Tyne estuary and nearby coast using international sampling standards, with extra visits after floods and storms.
- Laboratory analysis: identifying plastics by spectroscopy at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology's Microplastics Analysis Facility, and measuring trace metals at Newcastle University. Controlled experiments will test how weathering, biofilms and water chemistry change metal uptake.
- Modelling: hydrodynamic and particle-tracking modelling to reconstruct where pellets have been and what they were exposed to, checked against field samples.
Training covers fieldwork and sampling design, spectroscopy, trace-metal analysis and scientific writing. There may also be the chance to gain an RYA Safety Boat or CAA drone qualification.
Supervisors
- Dr Seb Pitman, Newcastle University (lead supervisor)
- Dr Matt Perks, Newcastle University
- Dr Rich Cross, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
The student will be based in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University.
Funding and key dates
The PhD lasts 3.5 years and is funded by UKRI through IAPETUS, which covers tuition fees at the UK (Home) rate and pays a stipend. International applicants are welcome, but IAPETUS only covers Home fees, so check the arrangements with the lead supervisor.
- 7 December 2026: international applicants must contact the lead supervisor by this date to request a sponsorship code.
- 5 January 2027, midday (UK time): application deadline.
- 18 January 2027: references must be received.
- 23 and 24 February 2027: online interviews.
Dates are from the IAPETUS competition guidance. Always check the IAPETUS website for the latest details.
Questions?
For an informal chat about the project, email Dr Seb Pitman at seb.pitman@ncl.ac.uk.
