PhD Studentship: Soil Carbon and Soil Health Through Landscape Transition

Scientific background:

Nature-based solutions (NBS) delivered through land-use change can create new habitats, enhance biodiversity, and increase carbon sequestration at landscape scales. Your research will build upon the UKRI OpenLAND project (£4m - 2024-27 - https://tyndall.ac.uk/projects/openland/) to provide new insights into the molecular and ecological mechanisms through which NBS influence soil carbon and microbiome

Research methodology 

In this project, you will assess soil carbon stocks, carbon stability, and soil microbiome responses during landscape transition. Beyond the rolling program of ARIES cohort training, you will receive research specific training in i) dry combustion and thermogravimetric analysis to quantify carbon flows, carbon quality, soil carbon stocks and their entrained energy, and ii) molecular ecology techniques including eDNA extraction, amplification, and sequencing to characterise soil microbial communities as well as habitat classification for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). By integrating these approaches, you will investigate how changes in vegetation and land use alter the quantity, quality, and energy value of carbon entering soils, and how these shifts influence microbial community structure and function. Your research seeks to evidence, yet unknown, linkages that connect below ground and above ground BNG.  

Training:

This CASE studentship is aligned with active Landscape Recovery projects, providing a unique opportunity to conduct research within real-world environmental restoration programmes. The Wendling Beck Nature Recovery Project (https://www.wendlingbeck.org/, partners in the OpenLAND) and are providing CASE support for this studentship. Through placements with organisations working at the forefront of landscape recovery, you will gain practical experience and direct exposure to the challenges and opportunities associated with large-scale habitat creation and ecosystem restoration. These experiences will deliver further training and enhance your future employability.  

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic individual who is excited by both field and laboratory research

Person specification:

Applicants should have a strong interest in soil science, ecology, environmental change, microbiology, and ideally possess experience in the assessment of environmental media (soils, sediments, water, or related materials), microbiome profiling and bioinformatics. A willingness to work across disciplinary boundaries and engage with both fundamental science and applied environmental challenges would be highly advantageous. 

Funding details

ARIES studentships are subject to UKRI terms and conditions. Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded studentship, which covers fees, maintenance stipend (£21,805 p.a. for 2026/27) and a research training and support grant (RTSG). A limited number of studentships are available for international applicants, with the difference between 'home' and 'international' fees being waived by the registering university. Please note, however, that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK, such as visa costs or the health surcharge.