European oyster reefs provide a habitat for ecologically and economically important species, improve water quality and contribute to blue carbon storage [1,2]. Due to extensive overfishing throughout Europe, by the early 1900's few oyster beds survived, with those remaining now protected and classified as threatened and/or declining. As part of a Europe-wide effort, researchers, governments, NGOs and industry are collaborating to optimize, monitoring and restore these once abundant habitats. This studentship is a fantastic and timely opportunity to contribute to global restoration efforts (UNdecadeonrestoration) by generating soundscape recordings of European native flat oyster reefs (ENFOR) and comparing their ecoacoustic reef expression [3,4] with environmental DNA (eDNA) expression [5]. The soundscape and eDNA data will be used as an indicator for (re-establishing) habitat complexity, biodiversity, ecosystem functioning [6] and inform restoration practice and conservation policy [5-8]. The focus of this PhD project is therefore of great interest to all partners and stakeholders (e.g. acoustics industry, regulators). You will gain skills/expertise in boat-based sampling joining the team in Loch Ryan and the Dornoch Firth, Scotland developing an experimental design under consideration of available resources generating the first soundscape recordings of ENFOR along a degradation gradient in Scotland, with potential opportunity of recording over old established reefs in Scandinavia