Marine-Opportunities

Marine Conservation Student Theses

The A Rocha family conducts marine conservation across the globe, often with the help of students. We have opportunities for those who need to conduct research for Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. degrees. Similarly, post-doctoral projects are highly encouraged at our project sites. Note, there is NO funding for these projects. However, your project will assist in practical marine conservation and provide information and expertise needed for our local teams.

Process:

  1. Examine our Marine Conservation Programme website to discover the range of projects and locations where we work.
  2. Look through the list below to see specific projects that are of current interest. These are not the only topics available, but they reflect current country priorities.
  3. Fill in A Rocha’s volunteer form stating that you are a student and looking for a specific project in a particular location. Feel free to indicate more than one project or location. These will be forwarded to the appropriate country, where they will work with you to see whether your project is possible. Each country has its own set of requirements, including costs, and so you will need to work directly with them.

Kenya

  • Trait-based assessment of Watamu Marine National Park Biodiversity. The biodiversity of this marine park is known. The question we are interested in answering is about the relationship between these species and their habitats and the functional diversity of this park. This could be a desk-top study.
  • Assessment of the abundance, distribution, and population dynamics of the crisp pillow coral (Anomastraea irregularis).

Portugal

  • Sources of polystyrene microplastic pollution in the Alvor Estuary. Our microplastic research indicates that this is the most prevalent microplastic on beaches offshore of this estuary. We are interested in understanding potential local sources.
  • Biodiversity studies within the estuary. We know little about many taxonomic groups in the Alvor Estuary.

Florida, USA

  • Microplastic in the gut contents of Atlantic mole crabs (Emerita talpoida).
  • Feeding ecology of shorebirds and its implications for the transfer of microplastics between Atlantic beaches and the Indian River Lagoon system.