Program Overview

Introduction to the Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources

The Centre for Doctoral Training SuMMeR has been designed to deliver the next generation of innovative transdisciplinary engaged researchers, solution providers, and practitioners needed to support governmental and non-governmental sectors to ensure sustainable management of our marine resources.

Research Foci of CDT SuMMeR

The research foci of CDT SuMMeR will be:

• Building resilient marine and coastal social-ecological systems, including coastal protection, adaptation, nature-based solutions, marine risk, and insurance
• Delivering Net Zero and energy security through mitigation, offshore renewables, and blue carbon
• Integrating ocean and human health, focusing on marine pollution, blue health, blue food, food and nutritional security, and coastal communities
• Enabling biodiversity gains through Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), restoration, rewilding, conservation of biodiversity outside of MPAs
• Future-smart marine governance, policy, and law, including inclusive institutions, scenarios, marine spatial planning, decision support tools, modeling, marine citizenship, and human values into decision-making
• Fostering a sustainable and just blue economy through natural capital accounting, circular ocean economy, human rights, distributive justice, sustainable transitions, and financing
• Marine technology and exploration, including autonomy, monitoring, citizen science, and media/communication

Delivering Excellent and Integrated Training and Research

The CDT SuMMeR's bespoke programme leverages an excellent track-record in multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary research and training across our partnership.

Challenging Research

Research areas include:

• Resilient marine systems
• Net zero and energy security
• Ocean and human health
• Biodiversity gains
• Future-smart governance
• Sustainable Blue Economy
• Marine tech and exploration

Core Training (Years 1–2)

The core training programme includes three modules that all students will take:

1. Being Inter-disciplinary: Students will develop a clear understanding of what it means to be an interdisciplinary scientist, conceptually, methodologically, and in practice.
2. Building Evidence: Training will be provided in state-of-the-art frameworks and tools, including natural capital accounting, to develop expertise in building robust scientific evidence.
3. Delivering Impact: Students will build knowledge of how policy and governance work across the devolved administrations of the UK and will develop competence in research engagement and impact.

Advanced Training

The core training programme is enhanced through advanced optional training closely aligned with students' doctoral research in the core challenge areas outlined. This ranges from training in applied marine spatial ecology to blue health, marine economics, and law, and includes advanced methods and data analysis, such as:

• Data analysis
• Isotopes
• Biogeochemistry
• Marine spatial ecology
• Operational fisheries and aquaculture science
• Ecosystem services
• Health and wellbeing
• Marine economics
• Law

About CDT SuMMeR

CDT SuMMeR is dedicated to providing a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to the sustainable management of UK marine resources, focusing on delivering innovative solutions and fostering a community of engaged researchers and practitioners.