Welcome to INSPIRE – the Interdisciplinary Southampton Partnership for Investigators Researching the Environment.

INSPIRE students presenting their work

On 10 Oct 2018, NERC announced INSPIRE as one of the successful bids for the next round of its Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs). INSPIRE will receive funds for 16 studentships per year over each of the next five years, an increase from the 15 per year awarded to SPITFIRE (its predecessor).

INSPIRE is equipping environmental scientists to excel in their chosen field, to thrive in interdisciplinary research teams, to apply cutting edge technology to environmental research, and to act as ambassadors of global environmental issues to industry and society.

We are training students in research, professional and transferable skills within world-leading research teams to enable them to develop as future leaders. The main scientific themes of INSPIRE are:

  1. Oceans and climate
  2. The dynamic Earth
  3. Interaction of organisms with the global environment.

Projects for the sixth round of INSPIRE recruitment (September 2024 start) will be uploaded in October on the PhD Projects tab.

About EDI

The INSPIRE DTP, the University of Southampton and NOCS are committed to promoting best practices for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in all our activities, for our students, staff and supervisors, from recruitment through to graduation. We work closely with our DTP and other partners and across the University to monitor best practice and share experiences and expertise, aiming to create an inclusive research community, recognise structural barriers and privileges, and continuously improve equality and equity in all aspects of scientific research and education.