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School of the Environment and Life Sciences

Explore the teaching and research activities taking place with our School of the Environment and Life Sciences

In the School of the Environment and Life Sciences, we study how our planet works, how it's changing and what we can do about it. From finding new ways to combat climate change to our pioneering research into plastic-eating enzymes, we're turning our expertise into action.

We cover all aspects of biological and environmental science, from developmental biology and epigenetics, molecular biophysics, marine biology and applied environmental research, to palaeontology, geology, geotechnical engineering and geography.

Our academics are experts within their fields and conduct impactful research and innovation that informs our relevant and engaging teaching. We're committed to teaching our students through practical lessons and fieldwork, so they can learn from our experts, first-hand.

Teaching

We emphasise personalised study and high levels of interaction and collaboration between lecturers and students. Our research activities frequently inform our teaching, and our graduates develop the ability to apply the skills they learn during their study.

We provide high levels of student support and guidance in a nurturing environment. Our researchers and teaching staff share their passion and excitement for research to inspire the scientists of the future.

Learning on location

Students learn on residential fieldwork trips to Malta, Berlin, the Jurassic Coast, Somerset and the Isle of Wight. Self-funded trips to Lapland in Finland, Portugal, Malaysia, and Hong Kong are also available. We've also developed study exchange opportunities with universities in Spain, France, Australia and Canada.

Our students run tests and simulations in the same labs used by our research staff. We love guiding students to get to grips with exciting practical techniques including gamma spectrometry, crystal growth, low temperature physics and environmental monitoring. 

Student integration

Cooperation and working with students actively shapes our teaching and assessment. Staff operate an open door policy, so students can look for guidance and support whenever they need it, and we encourage them to build networks and study groups with peers during their time at Portsmouth.  

We work closely with the Students' Union Student Voice representatives to get regular feedback from students. We also run mid-term staff and student meetings to check in on how we're doing. 

Employability

We have strong links with industry and often undertake site visits and invite industry experts as guest speakers. All of our courses within the School of the Environment and Life Sciences offer the opportunity to undertake a placement year in industry or to study abroad.

Many of our courses are accredited by relevant professional bodies, so employers know that our students are highly skilled and job ready. Accreditation bodies include the Royal Society of Biology, Palaeontology Society, Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES), Royal Geographical Society, the Geological Society and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IMMM).

Our teaching areas

Explore the undergraduate and postgraduate degrees we offer within the following areas.

Biological sciences courses

Get a deep knowledge of the natural world on our biological sciences courses, learning how to harness the earth and combat biological threats to humanity.

Biological science model on display in a lab
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Earth sciences courses

Study the planet we live on – how it was formed, how to manage disasters and solve the world's pressing problems on one of our Earth Sciences degrees.

Student and tutor examining rocks on coast
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Geography and environmental science courses

Explore the scientific processes and physical structures of the natural world, and our effect on them, on one of our Geography and Environmental Science degree courses.

Geography students on university trip to Sicily
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Research

Our research in environment and life sciences aims to provide solutions to complex global challenges. It makes a positive impact at the local, national and international level.

The Research Excellence Framework 2021 rated Units of Assessment that include our research areas - Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, and Geography and Environmental Studies.

Within Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, more than 80% of our research was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour. 100% of our impact case studies were rated as outstanding or very considerable in terms of their reach and significance.

Across Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences and Geography and Environmental Studies, our research was rated as having impact that was outstanding or very considerable in terms of its reach and significance. Our impact case studies evidenced societal benefits in areas such as water quality monitoring, management of the Chernobyl exclusion zone and improving the wellbeing of international women migrants and their families in Indonesia.

Working with researchers across the globe, we have developed techniques that address the growing issue of plastics and how to deal with their negative impact on the environment. This research lead to our Centre for Enzyme Innovation being awarded £5.8 million for its research into plastic eating enzymes.

Partnerships and funding

We work with a wide range of organisations to help solve environmental and societal challenges, and work towards achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. These important partnerships include local to international companies, government agencies, NGOs and charities.

Our research is funded by research bodies including the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Royal Society, European Commission, Economic and Social Research Council, and The Leverhulme Trust.

Our research centres

Much of our exceptional research takes place within the following cross-disciplinary research centres.

Centre for Enzyme Innovation

At the Centre for Enzyme Innovation, we are working to solve one of the most pressing environmental issues facing our planet.

 

Plastics bottles - Centre for Enzyme Innovation
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Institute of Life Sciences and Healthcare

We're exploring disciplinary boundaries to discover, understand and develop knowledge for the benefit of the environment and humankind.

Close up of a gloved hand and some petri dishes
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Centre for Blue Governance

We're committed to the protection, restoration and sustainable governance of our aquatic environments

blue governance
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European Xenopus Resource Centre (EXRC)

Discover the world’s largest Xenopus research facility and access different Xenopus specific resources, including antibodies, wild-type strains, DNA resources and egg extracts.

Marine research tanks
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Centre for Applied Geosciences

At the Centre for Applied Geosciences, we're investigating natural and manmade hazards and geo-heritage conservation.

Mountain view
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Heritage Hub

The Heritage Hub brings together researchers and professionals from across the university to tackle key issues in heritage and heritage conservation locally, nationally and internationally.

Royal Garrison Church in Old Portsmouth
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Our research groups

Explore the work we're doing across our research groups.

Biophysics and Molecular Genetics Research Group

We're studying biomolecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins to allow us to tackle issues such as disease, pollution and energy.

Enzyme structure, courtesy of Centre for Enzyme Innovation, Portsmouth
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Ecology and Evolution Research Group

We're expanding knowledge of the diversity of the living world, from molecules to ecosystems, and creating a basis for assessing and reversing the extinction of species.

Image by Tony Lee from Pixabay.
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Marine Biology Research Group

We're researching key environmental issues in marine science such as climate change, biodiversity loss, habitat degradation and ocean acidification.

School of fish swimming in deep ocean
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Crustal Evolution and Tectonics Research Group

We're addressing fundamental questions about the Earth's systems, such as when plate tectonics began operating and how changes in the style and rate of plate movement can be documented through time.

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Environmental Processes and Impacts Research Group

We're looking at the Earth's changing environment and the influence of human activity on climate and ecosystems.

Pollution from factory rising into a dark grey sky
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Palaeontology and Environmental Change Research Group

We're exploring how fossil records can help us understand past climates and environments, and effectively predict and model climate change and its impact on the Earth’s ecosystems.

Rock sample for school of earth and environmental sciences
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Risk Reduction and Resilience Research Group

Discover how our research manages risk and is seeking more effective ways to build resilience.

Wooden debris
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Our research projects

  • Water quality monitoring in the Kishon River catchment using Chemcatcher passive sampler

    We developed an improved passive water sampler, used to monitor water quality across the globe. The creation and uptake of the Chemcatcher has lead to the development of national and international standards for the use of passive samplers. It's been used to measure levels of pharmaceutical pollutants all the way to radioactivity in water after the Fukushima nuclear incident.

    This project involved deployment and analysis of Chemcatcher passive samplers in the Kishon river catchment, Israel. Screening and quantification for pesticides and pharmaceuticals.

  • The wildlife at Chernobyl

    We've assessed the radiosensitivity of animals in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and created sustainable ways to develop the area, including the creation of Atomik vodka.

Facilities

We have a wide range of state-of-the-art facilities within the School of the Environment and Life Sciences (ELS). The videos below showcase these facilities under the two former schools that combined to become ELS.

School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences facilities

Discover the facilities available within the School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences.

James Darling: Here in the school, we have a wide range of outstanding research facilities which allow us to really tackle major challenges and problems in Earth and environmental sciences.

 Some examples of those facilities include the Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis Unit, where we have specialist, high resolution microscopes and facilities for studying materials at great detail.

 We have laboratories like the rock mechanics laboratory, soil mechanics, environmental chemistry laboratories, including specialist computing facilities for remote sensing.

 The laboratory facilities we have are essential to the research that we do, and they allow us to really understand how different materials have formed and evolved through time.

 They allow us to monitor environmental processes and try and use that data to predict how the earth may change in the future.

 Something we're really proud of in this school is that we train all of our students from undergraduate through to Master’s and postgraduate students on how to not only use the instruments but how to interpret data from them as well.

 We do work very closely with many companies who come and use our facilities or support projects using these facilities.

 Because we have equipment that's really quite unique and specialised, companies can come to us with a problem and we can use our expertise and our facilities to help them solve that problem.

 So it's very exciting for the research students to work on problems which have that very clear application in the real world.

 The MRes and PhD students get a really hands-on, really exciting, dynamic environment to work in.

 They're treated in the same way that staff are in terms of the training they receive, using a lot of world-class facilities, and that's part of our ambition to train our students to become leaders in solving environmental and societal challenges and equipping them with the tools they need to do that.

School of Biological Sciences facilities

Discover the facilities available within the School of Biological Sciences.

Video with no dialogue, showing the facilities within the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Portsmouth: School of Biological Sciences, Experimental Aquarium Rooms, Seawater System for Research and Offshore Research.

Our staff

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Michelle Sarah Hale Portrait

Dr Michelle Hale

Head of School

Michelle.Hale@port.ac.uk

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

Faculty of Science and Health

PhD Supervisor

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Carol Ekinsmyth Portrait

Dr Carol Ekinsmyth

Associate Head (Students)

Carol.Ekinsmyth@port.ac.uk

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

Faculty of Science and Health

PhD Supervisor

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Frank Schubert Portrait

Dr Frank Schubert

Associate Head (Research and Innovation)

Frank.Schubert@port.ac.uk

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

Faculty of Science and Health

PhD Supervisor

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Garry Scarlett Portrait

Dr Garry Scarlett

Associate Head (Academic)

Garry.Scarlett@port.ac.uk

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

Faculty of Science and Health

PhD Supervisor

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Andrew David Gibson Portrait

Dr Andy Gibson

Associate Head (Global Engagement and Education Partnerships)

Andy.Gibson@port.ac.uk

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

Faculty of Science and Health

PhD Supervisor

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Francoise Cabada-Blanco Portrait

Dr Fran Cabada-Blanco

Programme Lead (Post Graduate Taught)

Francoise.Cabada-Blanco@port.ac.uk

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

Faculty of Science and Health

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Sarah Reynolds Portrait

Dr Sarah Reynolds

Programme Lead (Environmental & Life Sciences)

sarah.reynolds@port.ac.uk

PhD Supervisor

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ELS news and blogs

Latest news

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Juliette Gudknecht

Portsmouth PhD student advocates for disabled voices in education at UNESCO event

10 December 2024

Portsmouth PhD student advocates for disabled voices in education at UNESCO event

A reminder of home for students meeting Pompey players on campus

9 December 2024

A reminder of home for students meeting Pompey players on campus
Group of people working around a whiteboard

Researcher awarded £270k to unpack how people interact in groups

9 December 2024

Researcher awarded £270k to unpack how people interact in groups

Students collaborate with the Army to hone leadership skills

9 December 2024

Students collaborate with the Army to hone leadership skills
Minor Setback, Major Comeback panel answering questions

Apprentice winner, Google director, CEO, and surgeon inspire students on how to overcome setbacks at university event

5 December 2024

Apprentice winner, Google director, CEO, and surgeon inspire students on how to overcome setbacks at university event

Latest blogs

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Jaguar's pink car concept promotional image

Why Jaguar is taking such a big risk with its rebrand and pink concept car

Jason Sit

Why Jaguar is taking such a big risk with its rebrand and pink concept car
Student Case Studies, Open Day, 1st December 2018

Learning a foreign language​

Learning a foreign language​
Snow unsplash image

Victorian Christmases were both thrifty and indulgent – try these DIY projects and yours could be too

Victorian Christmases were both thrifty and indulgent – try these DIY projects and yours could be too
putin

Introducing the Oreshnik missile: Vladimir Putin’s not-so-secret weapon

Matthew Powell

Introducing the Oreshnik missile: Vladimir Putin’s not-so-secret weapon
plastic bottles

Global plastic pollution talks have stalled – but a treaty is possible if countries can agree on these three things

Steve Fletcher

Global plastic pollution talks have stalled – but a treaty is possible if countries can agree on these three things

Explore our faculty

Explore the other schools and departments that make up our Faculty of Science and Health.

Faculty of Science and Health

Explore the Faculty of Science and Health at the University of Portsmouth, and learn more about the teaching and research activities that take place within the Faculty's different departments and schools.

Dental nurses treating patient
Read more about the Faculty

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

In the School of the Environment and Life Sciences, we're addressing the most pressing issues impacting people's quality of life around the world.

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School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Through our teaching and research, the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences strives to find new ways to help those with debilitating illnesses and diseases.

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School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences

Discover the School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences, where we're exploring health and exercise science, sport science, and the impact of psychology.

21/10/21.Sports Scholars 2021..All Rights Reserved - Helen Yates- T: +44 (0)7790805960.Local copyright law applies to all print & online usage. Fees charged will comply with standard space rates and usage for that country, region or state.
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School of Dental, Health and Care Professions

Discover the School of Dental, Health and Care Professions' commitment to the health and care sector through innovative teaching and research activities.

Dental therapy students
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Contact us

To get in touch, please contact our Faculty office.

+44 (0)23 9284 2994

sci-enquiries@port.ac.uk