PhD Position in Marine Connectivity, Climate Change Resilience, and Conservation Biology (East Africa) Université de Montpellier in France

The MESCAL project is offering a fully funded PhD position focused on marine connectivity and climate change resilience in East African marine ecosystems. The research will be conducted within an international collaboration, with the student based at both the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) in Mombasa, Kenya, and the Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation (MARBEC) research unit at Université de Montpellier, France. The project centers on larval dispersal modelling to assess the resilience of exploited marine fish populations, integrating genetic and physiological traits associated with climate resilience across networks of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along the East African coast.

Key research areas include marine connectivity, climate change resilience, conservation biology, larval dispersal, population genetics, and fish physiology. The PhD will involve fieldwork across East Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa, and will contribute to understanding how MPAs can buffer marine ecosystems against climate change by maintaining genetic and physiological diversity in fish populations. The project will use advanced ecological modelling and data analysis, with experience in R, Python, or Matlab considered highly desirable.

The position is supervised by an international team: David M. Kaplan, Christophe Lett, and Gladys Okemwa (thesis directors), with additional advisers including Bernardino Malawene, Thomas Lamy, James Mwaluma, and Barnabas Tarimo. The IRD ARTS bursary covers a stipend, health insurance, and annual travel between France and Kenya, with all research and travel costs funded by the MESCAL project. The expected start date is September 1, 2026, for a duration of three years.

Applicants must have a Master’s degree in a relevant field such as marine science, ecology, bioinformatics, oceanography, marine population dynamics, ecological modelling, statistics, or population genetics. Strong teamwork, communication skills, and proficiency in scientific English are essential. Candidates from Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa are especially encouraged to apply. The application deadline is March 10, 2026. For full details and application instructions, see the official call and contact [email protected].