PhD Studentship: Advancing Automation in Aerial Imaging for Marine Litter Detection (CASE project with Cefas) University of East Anglia in United Kingdom

[Fully-funded ARIES studentship covering fees, maintenance stipend (£20,780 p.a. for 2025/26), and a research training and support grant (RTSG). International applicants may have the difference between 'home' and 'international' fees waived. Does not cover relocation, visa, or health surcharge costs.]

This fully-funded PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia offers an exciting opportunity to advance automation in aerial imaging for marine litter detection, in collaboration with Cefas. Marine litter poses a significant threat to ocean health and livelihoods, necessitating scalable, automated methods for data collection and analysis. The project aims to develop robust deep learning algorithms for classifying marine litter using both visible light and multispectral imaging data.

The successful candidate will join the Colour & Imaging Lab within the School of Computing Sciences, benefiting from expertise in imaging solutions and close collaboration with scientists and engineers at Cefas. The research will involve extending an existing visible light dataset by collecting new multispectral data, training and evaluating deep learning models, and ensuring robustness to varying sensor configurations and illumination conditions. The project will also explore device-independent representations and domain adaptation techniques to future-proof the developed algorithms for use with emerging imaging technologies.

Training will include imaging principles, laboratory measurement, computer vision, ArcGIS, and UAV operation, with potential for fieldwork. The studentship is ideal for candidates with a background or strong interest in environmental monitoring, artificial intelligence, computer vision, or multispectral imaging. Applicants should hold at least a UK 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or a related numerate discipline. English language proficiency (IELTS 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each category) is required.

The ARIES studentship provides full funding, including tuition fees, a maintenance stipend (£20,780 p.a. for 2025/26), and a research training and support grant. International applicants may have the difference between 'home' and 'international' fees waived, though relocation, visa, and health surcharge costs are not covered. The project is scheduled to start on 1 October 2026, with an application deadline of 7 January 2025.

For more information and to apply, visit the University of East Anglia's postgraduate research application portal. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of environmental science, computer vision, and imaging technology.