PhD in Applied Geoscience

Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University has an active and growing capacity in Applied Geoscience which sits alongside and complements its Petroleum Engineering capabilities and research. At present, the main focuses of activity are the Shell Centre for Exploration Geoscience which was opened in 2013 at our Edinburgh Campus and the NERC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Oil and Gas that Heriot-Watt leads on behalf of a consortium of 17 UK universities, 2 NERC affiliates (The British Geological Survey and the National Oceanography Centre) and 10 industry sponsors.

The Shell Centre was set up by joint agreement between the University and Royal Dutch Shell and currently supports 3 PhD and 2 PDRA positions in Applied Geoscience. The Centre’s main research themes are in regional geology, the structural development and evolution of sedimentary basins, subsurface mapping and field geology. In supporting opportunities for postgraduate research in these areas, the Shell Centre provides a key input to both academia, through publication and presentation of results, and industry by enhancing the understanding of prospective basins currently under exploration for oil and gas. Examples of recent projects include studies focusing on the tectonostratigraphic evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean, the formation and development of the Tanzanian passive continental margin and the spatial and temporal evolution of the Peri-Adriatic region.