From Catch to Kitchen: Learning from Recreational Fishers to Diversify Seafood Choices (BARKR_UEA_SENSSC26)
Key Details
- Application deadline
- The deadline for submitting your application for SENSS funding on HEIApply is 12:00 GMT on Monday 16 February 2026. No extensions to this deadline will be permitted.
- Funding type
- Competition funded project (Students worldwide)
- Location
- UEA
- Start date
- 1 October 2026
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Welcome to Norwich
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Description
Primary supervisor - Dr Rosalind Bark
This fully funded PhD offers an exciting opportunity to address a pressing sustainability challenge: how to diversify fish consumption. The UK is an Island nation and UK fishermen land a wide diversity of species, but most of these are exported. This is because the UK public consume a very narrow range of fish species, most of which are imported. This trade mismatch is consequential; consumers are vulnerable to external shocks (climate, price volatility, war), emissions associated with fishing are higher, and small, local fisheries and the communities that rely on them are declining. Researching this topic and designing interventions is both timely and critical.
In contrast to the UK public, recreational anglers catch and eat more seafood and a much wider range of species. Therefore, understanding their preferences, including for fish preparation and cooking, offers a unique opportunity to explore and design interventions, including science communication, to diversify the fish consumption habits of the wider UK public towards a healthier and more sustainable seafood diet.
The PhD, through combining fisheries science and social sciences with strong collaborative partnerships between the University of East Anglia (UEA), the Centre for Economic and Social Research for the Global Environment (CERGE), the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas (CCSUS), and the Marine Biological Association (MBA), the successful PhD candidate will gain relevant skills and their research will make a real world impact on UK policy.
PhD applicants from a wide range of backgrounds are encouraged to apply (e.g., marine sciences, environmental economics, environmental sciences). In this interdisciplinary PhD you will explore how social, cultural and regional factors shape attitudes toward seafood consumption and how targeted interventions, based on understanding of fisheries and science communication can encourage dietary shifts towards more diverse, nutritious, and sustainable fish choices. Training will be provided in fisheries science, advanced data analysis, R coding, science communication, and social science research methods
How to apply
To be considered for this funding, you must first apply to SENSS for this collaborative studentship. Please read the SENSS Collaborative Studentship Application Guidance Notes before completing our online application form. The Guidance Notes are available here.
If your application is successful, you will need to make a separate application for a place to study at the University of East Anglia, your host University. You will be provided with a link with information on how to make your application to the University of East Anglia once you have been offered a SENSS studentship.
The deadline for submitting your application for SENSS funding on HEIApply is 12:00 GMT on Monday 16 February 2026. No extensions to this deadline will be permitted.
References
Coulthard, S., .. Stewart, B.D., et al. (2025). Recognising and protecting the national benefit of sustainable fisheries in the UK. Fish and Fisheries, 26(4), 561-576. Dixon, M., Grilli, G., Stewart, B.D., Bark, R.H., Ferrini, S. (2024). The importance of rebuilding trust in fisheries governance in post-Brexit England. Marine Policy, 161, 106034. Grilli, G., ... Bark, R.H., … Ferrini, S. (2025). Encouraging new seafood strategies at the University of East Anglia: canteen experiments. Briefing Paper No. 1, Pyramids of Life: Working with Nature for a Sustainable Future.
Jennings, S. …. Hyder, K. et al. (2016) ‘Aquatic food security: insights into challenges and solutions from an analysis of interactions between fisheries, aquaculture, food safety, human health, fish and human welfare, economy and environment’, Fish and Fisheries, 17(4), pp. 893–938.
Pita, P., ... Hyder, K., et al., (2025) Staying hooked: effective science engagement and communication in recreational fisheries. Frontiers in Marine Science, 12, 1589544
Entry requirements
PhD applicants from a wide range of backgrounds are encouraged to apply, e.g., marine sciences, environmental economics, environmental sciences.
To apply for a Masters plus PhD (+4.5-year award), you will need: qualifications or professional experience equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree (Honours). To apply for a PhD only (+3.5-year award), you will need: qualifications or professional experience equivalent to a Masters degree, or a Masters degree and already have the research skills needed to successfully complete your research project.