PhD Studentship: Raman Spectroscopy for Early On-Farm Diagnosis of Nephrocalcinosis (Kidney Stone Disease) - The #1 Issue of Concern for Salmon and Trout Aquaculture

Overview

This PhD studentship focuses on developing Raman spectroscopy for the early, on-farm diagnosis of nephrocalcinosis, commonly known as kidney stone disease, in trout and salmon aquaculture. Nephrocalcinosis is a major concern for trout and salmon producers, driven by factors such as elevated dissolved CO2 in intensive production, water chemistry variables, digestion processes, and specific diet ingredients. A primary barrier to improving fish welfare and productivity is the lack of cost-effective, early diagnostic methods for this condition.

The project investigates coherent Raman scattering microscopy as a label-free method to diagnose and quantify calcium-based mineral deposits in animal tissues without fixation or staining. Machine learning will be utilized to process complex spectral image data into actionable outputs for the industry, allowing for automated classification and quantification of mineral deposits. The research involves working with fish tissue samples obtained from UK producers including the British Trout Association, Kames, MOWI, and Cooke Aquaculture Scotland, as well as conducting in vivo experiments at the Aquatic Resources Facility in Biosciences at Exeter.

What you get

The position provides funding for university fees along with an annual stipend of £21,805 for the 2026/7 academic year.

Key dates

The closing date for applications is 2026-12-08.