MORE than £1m has been awarded to the University of Southampton to fund research into global marine and maritime issues.

The Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute based at the university has been awarded the money from the Leverhulme Trust that will support at least 15 PhD students who will be researching the challenges facing the maritime sector.

Professor Damon Teagle, from the SMMI and leader of the Maritime Futures initiative, described the ambition of the programme: “Our Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholars will address key global issues such as access to resources, safety and security, the effects of rising sea levels, technical advancements and autonomy, our responses to natural and human disasters, the impacts on people, and the ways people living by and from the sea understand their experiences and cultural heritage.”

English Professor Claire Jowitt and programme co-leader added: “The vision for the Maritime Futures Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholars is to develop interdisciplinary thought leaders and researchers who have a unique human-centred approach to understanding, living and working with the sea.”

The University of Southampton has world-leading excellence in a wide spectrum of marine-related disciplines, which has been brought together in the SMMI to build a unique expert community able to tackle marine and maritime challenges.

The first cohort of students will start on the programme in Autumn 2015.