Academic Engagement

CLASS is supporting the academic community and developing the next generation of marine scientists

Berths available on CLASS expeditions

** Unfortunately there are no more berths available for 2023. CLASS ends in March 2024 but please watch this space for news of future opportunities. **

The sustained observation expeditions have berths available for students and early career researchers (ECRs) to join them and make measurements or collect samples for projects in collaboration with CLASS researchers. Following the highly successful AMT model, students and ECRs will receive support in collecting their data and samples at sea, gain experience in a range of seagoing activities and benefit from working closely with CLASS researchers.

ECRs can apply for a berth on a CLASS research cruise through one of three options:

a) A berth funded by the ECR's own project, to collect data and/or samples to carry out research that will enhance CLASS objectives.
b) A berth associated with a CLASS ECR Fellowship (see below) or a PhD with a CLASS Principal Investigator
c) A berth as a volunteer for the core science team. Some, but not all, CLASS cruises need volunteers for their core team of people who take samples and process data.

Details of 2023 CLASS cruises and deadlines for applications can be found in the Application Form. ECRs considering applying for a berth on a CLASS cruise should contact the Principal Investigator (PI) to discuss their ideas and plans first. More information, including contact details for the PI, what you need to know, and where to send your form, is given in the Application Form. Applications can be submitted at any time but there are deadlines for each cruise.

CLASS Fellowships for Early Career Researchers

CLASS has an ECR Fellowship scheme to support extended visits by graduate students or postdocs to NOC and SAMS. The purpose of CLASS ECR Fellowships is to support the career development of ECRs by enabling collaborative working with CLASS researchers, as well as access to CLASS facilities, data sets, model output and tools, and berths on CLASS cruises. The research carried out by the ECR during the Fellowship should enhance the CLASS objectives and build on the project's observations and/or modelling and/or technology development.

Applications are invited for CLASS Fellowships at NOC and SAMS. The next deadline is 14 April 2023. Please see the CLASS ECR Fellowships Application Form for more details about the scheme and how to prepare an application.

CLASS Fellowships have been awarded to the following early career researchers:

Sarah Cryer (University of Southampton), to investigate how rivers contribute to coastal ocean acidification through testing innovative new sensors and platforms for monitoring hourly changes and long-term trends in acidity.

Euan Soutter (University of Manchester), to study changes to the transport and burial of ocean carbon in seafloor sediments, and the impacts of this on communities of life on the seafloor. Euan will be analysing sediment cores collected under a previous programme and stored at the British Oceanographic Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF), based at the NOC.

Jade Hatton (University of Bristol), who will optimise a new sensor to study the role of silicon in the growth of Atlantic phytoplankton. Jade will also look at the key role played by this phytoplankton in the global carbon cycle and the Atlantic ecosystem.

Hannelore Theetaert (Flanders Marine Institute), to take measurements on a CLASS GO-SHIP cruise, to study the processes that control the uptake and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the North Atlantic.

Olmo Miguez-Salas (Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt), to collect and carry out bioturbation analysis cores at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP).

Kay Davis (Leibniz ZMT), to carry out research using novel alkalinity sensors to constrain an overlooked buffer of coastal acidification.

Leah Brinch-Iversen (Syddansk University) to investigate benthic primary productivity and nitrogen cycling in marine sediments using a novel Lab-On-Chip sensor.

Sam Diabates (Maynooth University) to analyse in-situ and remote data of the European Slope Current and its drivers from Goban Spur to the Faroe-Shetland Channel.

Théo Picard (IUEM) to try and answer the question 'Can we link the surface origin of biological particles to deep ocean particle flux at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP)'.

You can read about their experiences on the CLASS Blog.

Access to model output

CLASS model runs have enormous potential for analysis - way beyond that taking place within the Science programme. We realise that it is not always easy to know where to start in finding and analysing model output, hence CLASS will be running a summer school at the National Oceanogrpahy Centre, 10-14 July 2023, to train ECRs in model code, data and tools. More details will be released soon.

Academic Engagement

Berths available on CLASS expeditions

CLASS Fellowships for Early Career Researchers

CLASS Fellowships have been awarded to the following early career researchers:

Access to model output

Find out more by contacting us on class@noc.ac.uk

Partner Organisations

Keep in touch