ARIES

The University of Kent is proud to be part of the Advanced Research and Innovation in the Environmental Sciences (ARIES) Doctoral Training Partnership which is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). ARIES will equip the next generation of environmental scientists with the knowledge and tools to better understand and manage our planet by:

• Developing multiple cohorts of scientists with advanced skills and knowledge, multidisciplinary outlooks, and substantial potential to operate successfully across all postgraduate career options;
• Assembling a diverse and integrated training partnership that enables our PGRs to address priority topics in environmental sciences through cutting-edge and world-leading research;
• Training all of our PGRs to understand modern methods of data management, interrogation, analysis, and presentation; from bioinformatics to artificial intelligence;
• Ensuring our graduates engage with the interfaces between environmental science and societal needs by growing their ability to achieve non-academic impact and effective public engagement.

Themes 

ARIES  is  built  upon  scientific  excellence  within  five  overlapping  research  themes, click on a theme below for more information:  

1. Ecology and Biodiversity 
2. Marine, Atmospheric and Climate Science 
3. Geosciences, Resources and Environmental Risk 
4. Environmental Genomics and Microbiology
5. Agri-environments and Water

From the Ground Up: Comparing Community-Led and Government-Driven Marine Protection in Greece   

In a milestone achievement for marine conservation in Greece, coralligenous habitats surrounding the Fourni Island Complex, Eastern Aegean Sea, were officially designated as a protected natural formation in July 2025. This designation follows efforts by the Municipality of Fourni, the local fishing community and Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation to map black coral habitats in the region, driven by concerns over destructive trawl-fishing practices that threaten the habitats and their associated ecosystem services. The designation recognizes the 430 km² Marine Protected Area as a no-trawl zone.  

Simultaneously, Greece has announced the establishment of two new large marine parks that will meet the countries commitment to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, specifically to protect 30% of its marine area by 2030. This turning point in marine governance in Greece presents a timely opportunity to evaluate two interventions that differ in approach (community-driven vs. top-down) and scale.