STRESSORS: Monitoring and Assessment of Urban Nature-based Solutions

This project is part of the NERC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training, ECOWILD. For more details, and for a full list of projects offered under this programme, please visit: https://ecowild.site.hw.ac.uk/

Urban green infrastructure (UGI) and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are terms for sustainable solutions to managing urban flood risk that offer substantial co-benefits (i.e. pollution control, public amenity value and ‘eco-wilding’ biodiversity benefits). However, a lack of accepted, standardised testing methodologies for these hybridised solutions makes it difficult to determine the effectiveness of individual GI features or draw comparisons between different systems. Ensuring maximum dual-functionality of soil retention (flood prevention) and water filtration (water quality) benefits will require developing these testing methods both in-field and within a laboratory setting. Further, the ecological stressors (i.e. influence of wildlife, flora and fauna as ecosystem engineers and the influence of plants and roots on water dynamics) should be considered alongside hydrological testing. This PhD project will address this research gap by collecting, analysing and interpreting field-sampled and -monitored water quantity and quality parameters to determine multi-benefit, holistic system performance, and link this into wider biodiversity assessments of urban wetland systems. This will be combined with citizen science methodologies to underpin hydroclimatic understandings of GI ‘performance’.

The successful candidate will develop strong data collection, analysis and interpersonal skills. Core skills development within this PhD include:

·        Development and planning of environmental sensor experiments and biodiversity assessments;

·        Environmental field data collection, analysis and interpretation;

·        Analytical laboratory expertise (i.e. discrete assessments of soil and water samples, critical evaluation of multiple metrics/parameters);

·        Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for spatial analysis and visualisation of urban green infrastructure;

·        Communication of scientific findings to diverse audiences, including policymakers, community groups and academic researchers;

·        Stakeholder engagement and co-production of knowledge to ensure wider project impact and involvement;

·        Project management skills, time management and financial budgeting.

 

Supervision: 

Primary supervisor Dr Dan Green - HWU

Second supervisor Dr Scott Arthur - HWU

Stakeholder supervisor Dr Nicole Archer - British Geological Survey

Co-supervisor 1 Dr Eleanor Jew - University of York

Co-supervisor 2 Dr Oliver Moore - University of York

 

Eligibility:

This project is open to all students, whether home, EU or overseas.

The successful candidate will have at least an upper second-class (2:1) undergraduate honours degree in the relevant subject area and ideally a Masters Degree. We may also consider candidates who can demonstrate appropriate alternative learning such as experience gained in the workplace or professional qualifications.

We recognise that not every talented researcher will have had the same opportunities to advance their careers. We therefore will account for any particular circumstances that applicants disclose (e.g. parental leave, caring duties, part-time jobs to support studies, disabilities etc.) to ensure an inclusive and fair recruitment process.

 

Funding: 

This is a full scholarship which will cover tuition fees for Home students and provide an annual stipend in line with UKRI recommended levels (£19,237 in 2024-25) for the 44 months duration of the project.
Due to CDT funding rules and Institutional policies, there is a cap on the number of scholarships that can be awarded to international students. Once this limit has been reached, ECOWILD CDT scholarship will only be awarded to students who are eligible for Home fee status.

 

How to apply: 

You must apply via the ECOWILD website:  https://ecowild.site.hw.ac.uk/how-to-apply/

We will be holding ‘meet the supervisor’ events on March 25th, 26th and 27th (online) – if you can’t make these but are interested in this project, please contact the lead supervisor directly (see below for details).

Links to the scheduled ‘meet the supervisor’ events, as well as the full list of projects advertised under this CDT, can be found here: https://ecowild.site.hw.ac.uk/phd-training/

 

Enquiries:

Project specific enquiries: d.green@hw.ac.uk

General enquiries: ecowild@hw.ac.uk

 

Timeline:

The closing date for applications is 29th April and applicants must be available to start in October 2024. We expect interviews to take place beginning June 2024.