The Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial has announced the creation of five new PhD scholarships in the field of ocean research.
The scholarships are supported by the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation to honour the memory of Kristian Gerhard Jebsen, and will be awarded to postgraduate students demonstrating exceptional academic merit.
Global warming is a critical issue that our generation must face. The Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation is pleased to be able to contribute to a better understanding of the polar regions and the dynamics at play in the oceans. This knowledge is essential to our efforts to halt and mitigate climate change.”
– Kristian Jebsen
The donation, providing funding for five full four-year studentships and which will be known as the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Scholarships, represents a major gift to the College.
Recipients will study the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet, ocean-atmosphere interactions, and marine ecology, all with a focus on oceans in the Polar Regions, with potential to generate societal, business and policy impacts.
Understanding the role oceans play in the climate system is important in furthering knowledge of global warming and its potential impact. Melting of ice sheets in Polar Regions is contributing to sea level rise, and increasing ocean acidification due to absorption of CO2, along with rising temperatures, affects the health of the ocean.
Researchers at Imperial are already working in many of these areas, and the scholarships will accelerate Oceans research at the College and forge new multidisciplinary relationships between academics in the departments of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Life Sciences, and Physics.
Speaking about the donation, Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, Director of the Grantham Institute said:
“We’re delighted that the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation has chosen to support oceans research at Imperial through the Grantham Institute for Climate Change. Their generosity will support further important research, which sits at the heart of the Institute’s mission to drive forward climate change related research and translate this into real world impact.”
The deadline for applications is 15 January 2014. Find out more information about how to apply on the Grantham Institute website.
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Emma Critchley
The Grantham Institute for Climate Change
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Email: press.office@imperial.ac.uk
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