PhD Student Placement - A Quantitative Review of Grey Seal Monitoring at Skomer MCZ in London

The role
This 3 month placement offers a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of marine conservation, tackling a real-world challenge that is directly influencing how one of the UK's most important grey seal populations is monitored and protected. Drawing on an exceptional 30-year dataset from Skomer Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) , you will apply advanced quantitative analysis to investigate the impact of recent monitoring changes and help distinguish genuine ecological trends from methodological effects. Your findings will have immediate relevance for statutory conservation reporting and the future management of protected Marine Sites in Wales.

Working closely with NRW specialists, you will help shape the marine monitoring by evaluating innovative approaches such as remote cameras, drones and automated image analysis.. The recommendations you develop will help secure the integrity of one of the UK's longest-running grey seal monitoring programmes and influence how evidence is gathered and used to support marine conservation going forward.

This opportunity is offered as a short-term, 3-month PhD placement and candidates should be available for the full duration of the placement.

As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Lucie Haines at .

Interviews will take place on week commencing 09/11/26 through Microsoft Teams.
About us
Skomer Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) supports one of the largest grey seal ( Halichoerus grypus ) breeding populations in southwest Britain. Grey seals are protected under the Conservation of Seals Act (1970), listed under Annex II of the Habitats Regulations (2017), and form a key feature of the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC. Monitoring data from Skomer MCZ directly informs SAC, MCZ and SSSI condition assessments, making robust long-term evidence essential.

Since 1992, NRW and The Wildlife Trust of South West Wales (WTSWW) have monitored pup production and survival using a standardised protocol combining shore access for dye-marking pups with cliff-top observations. These methods, documented in the Grey Seal Monitoring Handbook (Poole 1996b) and updated in the Skomer MCZ Grey Seal Management Plan (Alexander 2015), have produced a 30-year dataset used to assess population health.

However, in 2024, insurance restrictions removed access to Skomer Island beaches and caves. Monitoring was forced to shift to cliff-top-only methods, mirroring the approach used on the Marloes Peninsula since 2007. Eleven of sixteen Skomer sites were deemed suitable for this method. A full trial in 2025 revealed major limitations: high pup numbers at peak season, extensive movement between sites and caves, difficulty identifying new pups after a few days, and an inability to track pups reliably to weaning without marking. As a result, 2024-2025 Skomer Island data are not comparable with the long-term dataset or with mainland data, breaking continuity in the evidence base.

This presents a significant challenge for statutory reporting. NRW must determine whether observed changes reflect real biological trends or methodological artefacts, and must identify alternative metrics that remain robust under current access constraints.

This project requires two key actions: Quantitative review of long-term vs post-change data
Assess the impact of the 2024-2025 method change on detectability, pup counts and survival estimates.
Compare Skomer Island and Marloes Peninsula datasets to identify biases and uncertainties.
Determine which historic metrics remain usable and which require adjustment or replacement.
Development of a future-proof monitoring approach
Evaluate feasible methods under current access restrictions, including enhanced cliff-top protocols, remote cameras, drones and automated image analysis.
Identify alternative indicators of population health (e.g., peak pup counts, site occupancy, trend-based indices).
Produce a revised monitoring protocol suitable for SAC/MCZ/SSSI reporting.
Expected outputs include a clear assessment of data comparability, recommendations for revised metrics, and a practical monitoring protocol that maintains the integrity of long-term evidence for grey seal conservation at Skomer MCZ.
What you will do You will carry out a quantitative review of a long-term data set vs a post change data set, making an assessment of data comparability.
You will make recommendations for revised metrics and develop a practical monitoring protocol that maintains the integrity of this long term monitoring programme.
You will produce a comprehensive report to communicate your findings.
Undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post.
Be committed to Natural Resources Wales Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy , together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post.
Your qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills
In your application and interview you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method .

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) can only accept applications to the PhD student placement programme from registered students who are within their funded period. Before applying, all applicants must: Seek approval from their academic supervisor;
Confirm the method of payment with their finance department;
Confirm they can take a study break for the duration of the placement.
Sound understanding of marine monitoring techniques and report writing.
A sound understanding of statistics and experimental design.
Good communication skills with the ability to extract and present key information to a range of audiences in both written and oral forms.
Welsh Language level requirements Essential: Level A1 - Entry level
Welsh language levels

Please note if you do not meet the A1 requirement i.e., ability to understand basic phrases and ability to pronounce Welsh names correctly, then NRW offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal requirements during the course of your employment with us.
Additional Information
Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. Appointments are normally made within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.

Natural Resources Wales is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Although we hold a Skilled Worker visa sponsorship licence, it applies only to specific roles that meet both the eligibility criteria and salary requirements set out by the UK Government under the Skilled Worker visa route.
Benefits
This role will offer a range of benefits, including: Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97% (successful internal staff will remain in their current pension scheme)
28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days
generous leave entitlements for all your life needs
commitment to professional development
health and wellbeing benefits and support
weekly wellbeing hour to use as you choose
See full details for all the employee benefits you will receive.
Please keep reading
We're passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We are committed to equal opportunities, and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale and annual increments are paid each year.

We want our staff to grow professionally and personally. From leadership development to access to further and higher education courses, our staff have opportunities to expand their knowledge on variety of topics, stay current in their field and continue to learn as their career progresses.

We are a Bilingual organisation which complies with the Welsh Language Standards. Welsh language skills are considered an asset to NRW, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills.

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