Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor:  Ryan Pereira (Heriot Watt University)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Chris Spray (Tweed Forum Dundee University)
Co-Supervisor 1: Oliver Moore (York University)
Co-Supervisor 2: Alan MacDonald (BGS)

Project Description: The 3D structure of riparian zones in river systems act as critical transition spaces where terrestrial carbon is mobilised, transformed, and either stabilised or exported downstream. These environments control the quality and reactivity of organic matter (OM), regulating whether carbon is respired back to the atmosphere, bound into sediments, or transported downstream. The interlinked processes determine the overall ecosystem health. However, changing climate and increasing land use pressures are tipping this balance.

Wetlands, including riparian zones, are hydrological bottlenecks that control terrestrial ‘allochthonous’ OM supply to the aquatic environment, with flood pulses and drying events altering the balance of terrestrial versus aquatic OM sources. This demonstrates that the functioning of inland waters is governed not only by source availability but also by the timing and intensity of hydrological events and interactions with groundwater that impact OM cycling in the connective ‘tissues’ of riparian zones. Furthermore, climate extremes can trigger abrupt ecosystem transformation, with increasing temperatures and rainfall causing a surge of terrestrial OM and metals, particularly iron and manganese, to be transported through riparian zones. Consequently, this can transform carbon sinks to sources, illustrating the vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems to stressor interactions and the centrality of OM–metal linkages in determining carbon fate.

The core aim of this project is to determine how the reactivity of riparian-derived DOM is shaped by the combined effects of hydrological variability, nutrient enrichment, and rising temperatures, and how interactions with iron and manganese influence the stability and turnover of this OM. To achieve this aim, the project adopts a transect-based design, sampling along gradients of saturation, drying, and connectivity within the Tweed catchment. These transects in combination with advanced molecular characterisation and laboratory incubation experiments will provide a spatially structured and systematic framework to examine how stressors modulate OM reactivity for downstream microbial communities.

What do you need to know: How do riparian zones transform from carbon sinks to sources under climate extremes? This PhD tackles urgent, unresolved questions about how organic matter reactivity is shaped by hydrological and geological variability, nutrient enrichment, and metal interactions. You’ll explore the tipping points where carbon fate shifts, using real-world catchments and cutting-edge molecular tools. Supported by a supervisory team with expertise in carbon biogeochemistry, hydrogeology, metal-organic interactions, and policy translation, this project offers a rare opportunity to investigate the mechanisms driving ecosystem vulnerability to generate insights that could shape future land and water management.

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
The student may gain hands-on experience in advanced molecular techniques for organic matter characterisation, hydrological and groundwater modelling, metal-organic interactions, wet chemistry experiments and highly novel methods such as synchrotron-based radiation techniques. Fieldwork across riparian zones will also build skills in ecosystem monitoring and natural flood management assessment. Training will span analytical chemistry, data interpretation, and science-to-policy translation. With access to leading labs, real-world datasets, and interdisciplinary mentorship, the student could emerge with a robust skillset to tackle pressing questions in carbon cycling, ecosystem resilience, and environmental restoration.

Why is the project novel? 
This project is novel in its mechanistic focus on how riparian-derived organic matter (OM) reactivity is affected by multiple stressors such as hydrological and geological variability, nutrient enrichment, and interactions with iron and manganese. While riparian zones are known carbon regulators, the role of metal–OM linkages in tipping carbon sinks into sources under climate stress remains poorly understood. By integrating spatially structured transects with molecular characterisation and incubation experiments, the project moves beyond descriptive studies to uncover the processes driving carbon fate. This approach offers new insight into how natural flood management interventions intersect with biogeochemical feedbacks in vulnerable freshwater ecosystems.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
Managing carbon is central to tackling climate change, yet we still lack the tools to understand how carbon behaves under environmental stress. This project addresses the urgent challenge of predicting how riparian zones act as key interfaces between land and water and respond to climate extremes and land use pressures. By uncovering how organic matter reactivity shifts under multiple stressors, this research aims to integrate carbon and water mitigation into natural flood management strategies and restoration efforts. These findings could help policymakers and practitioners ensure that interventions truly enhance ecosystem resilience and contribute to long-term climate mitigation.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Frances Orton (Heriot Watt University)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Graeme Shaw (Natural England)
Co-Supervisor 1: Heidrun Feuchtmayr (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 2: Theodore Henry (Heriot-Watt University)

Project Description: This project will comprise site selection and optimisation of techniques. For the site selection objective, the work can be split into 3 distinct sampling seasons, which will take part in the Spring of 2027, 2028 and 2029. As ponds are highly heterogenous, initially (2027), a variety of ‘reference’ pond types will be selected, with regards to pollution pressure, in order to collect baseline data on amphibian and freshwater mollusc diversity (eDNA) under ‘non-polluted’ conditions. These ‘reference’ ponds will comprise ephemeral and permanent water bodies with assumptions for low pollution pressure estimated by surrounding land classifications (e.g., unimproved grassland, native woodland). The geographic scope of the ponds will be limited to Southern Scotland and Northern England, aligning with the location of the partner Institutes. Moving into the second field season (2028), the site selection will be broadend to include ponds with predicted pollution pressure – confirmed via chemical analysis – with ‘polluted’ ponds matched by geography & pond type with the previously identified ‘reference’ ponds. In this second field seaosn, in addition to diversity monitoring (eDNA), biomarker responses of representative amphibians and freshwater molluscs will be carried out. In the final field season (2029), depending on the initial two field seasons, either a mesocosm approach or further site selection will be carried out, with a greater focus on either ephemeral or permanent ponds to provide more in-depth profiling for one of these broad pond types.

Outwith field sampling timeframes, laboratory analyses of eDNA and oxidative stress/deotoxification responses will be carried out in the laboratory.

What do you need to know:
This exciting project aims to investigate both community and individual level responses of amphibians and freshwater molluscs (comprising the most highly threatened vertebrate and invertebrate taxa, respectively) to environmental stressors. In this project, we will work with our partners – Natural England – to identify candidate ponds by analysing data already collected as part of the National Capital Ecosystem Assessment monitoring programme (water quality, amphibian/mollusc diversity). In selected ponds, we will investigate the combined effects of pollutant mixtures and heat waves using field-based and mesocosm approaches. Responses of both communities and ecotoxicological biomarkers (e.g., oxidative stress, detoxification) to these stressors will be assessed. 

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
The student will learn how to design and carry out fieldwork in ponds/wetlands, as well as biochemical (oxidative stress) and molecular skills (eDNA, real-time quantitative PCR). The supervisor team will encourage the student to communicate scientific outcomes at seminars, meetings and showcase days.
With the supervisory team across two institutes (Heriot-Watt University, UKCEH) and a governmental department (Natural England), the student will have the opportunity to harness various course offers beyond ECOWILD and expand skills according to needs and interests, e.g., science to policy dissemination, course on scientific writing, project management, R training, fieldwork first aid or data visualisation.

Why is the project novel? 
Although there are good data on river water quality and how this relates to invertebrate diversity in the UK and Europe, similar data are scarce for ponds/wetlands. Similarly, there are some good data on amphibian diversity in ponds, however, individual response data for wild amphibians are scarce (as is diversity data for UK ponds/wetlands). In this project, we will add to the diversity data for ponds in the UK – aligning with nationally significant monitoring project methodology to allow comparison and incorporation between data sets – and investigate the impacts on pollutant mixtures and heat waves on these communities. Further, we will produce novel data on biomarker responses in sensitive taxa across a range of pond types, with differing stressor intensities and combinations.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
Biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate, with freshwater taxa particularly impacted. These taxa are experiencing various different environmental stressor simultaneously (and sequentially), with pollution only second to habitat loss in driving observed declines. Amphibians and freshwater molluscs are at the forefront of the biodiversity crisis, together comprising the most highly threatened phyla globally (> 40% of species threatened with extinction). This project will help to shed light on the potential causes of these declines, and how ubiquitous stressors interact to drive responses in wild organisms.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Theodore Henry (Heriot Watt University)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Isabella Gosetto (Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC))
Co-Supervisor 1: Teresa Fernandes (Heriot Watt University)
Co-Supervisor 2: Alistair Boxall (University of York)
Co-Supervisor 3: Gisela Umbuzeiro (Faculdade de Technologia)

Project Description: This project will build on our foundation of knowledge of the ecotoxicology of P. hawaiensis from the development of the model (laboratory husbandry and testing, molecular biology, pathology, and behaviour) and responses to chemical toxicants (metals, natural and anthropogenic particles, and PAHs) to incorporate the critically important aspect of substance-particle interactions and consideration of application of science in policy or conservation advice. Our focus in the laboratory will be on investigating how particles (select natural colloids, plastic particles, and engineered nanoparticles) interact with toxicants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dissolved metals) and influence their bioavailability via sorption/desorption reactions and the effects of changes in salinity on these processes.  Our purpose-built particle dispersion chamber enables particles to remain suspended in the aqueous phase and manipulation of toxicant concentrations, application of UV light (for photo-induction), at the same time toxicological responses are measured in model aquatic organisms.  The model organism for this research is the circumtropical estuarine amphipod Parhyale hawaiensis which has emerged as a particularly useful organism for laboratory research with direct relevance to critically important aquatic ecosystems (e.g., mangrove wetlands).  Bioavailability of toxicants will be assessed by a combination of methods that include changes in target gene expression, immunotoxicology (blood cells), and behavioural ecotoxicology.  Opportunities will be available for field investigations to be conducted in either Brazil or Malaysia in which the project supervisors have existing research collaborations. 
The student to be selected for this project will need to have some experience in both laboratory and field research with some aptitude for both molecular biology and behavioural toxicology.  An interest in physical and analytical chemistry will be useful as will be an appreciation for the importance of tropical aquatic environments.  The student will become part of an established international team of researchers investigating ecotoxicology of tropical aquatic ecosystems.

What do you need to know:
The aquatic toxicity of substances is controlled largely by factors that influence their bioavailability and among the most important of these are interactions with particles. Toxic substances sorb and desorb to particles in the aqueous phase and undergo transformation reactions mediated by photoactivation and microbial processes.  As particles with sorbed toxicants are transported to river mouths and mangrove wetlands, rapid changes in salinity can alter toxicant-particle associations and affect toxicant bioavailability.  Our established tropical amphipod model Parhyale hawaiensis and purpose-built particle-toxicant dispersion test chambers enable investigations into these critically important and understudied questions of environmental toxicology.  The lead supervisor has existing research projects and long-term research collaborations with colleagues working with this model organism within mangrove ecosystems, which will provide access to these sites for field investigations.

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
The student will develop expertise in particle-substance interactions, assessment of toxicant bioavailability and toxicity, and ecotoxicology methods at multiple levels of biological organization including molecular biology (gene expression analyses), tissue (histopathology), and whole organism (behavioural toxicity). The student will also be able to develop competence in physical chemistry including aqueous-phase particles and analytical chemistry.  The main project supervisor has long established research collaborations with supervisor in Brazil (Prof GA Umbuzeiro) and a joint academic appointment at the University of Campinas (Campinas, Brazil), and close partnerships with colleagues in Malaysia in which some research opportunities in tropical ecotoxicology will be available.

Why is the project novel?
The importance of particle-substance interactions on the bioavailability of toxicants to aquatic organisms are recognised as among the most critical and poorly understood areas of ecotoxicology.  Our previous research has demonstrated the influence aqueous-phase particles on toxicant bioavailability, toxicant decomposition, and toxicant photo-induction and degradation/decomposition.  This project will employ state-of-the-art techniques to enhance understanding of particle-toxicant interactions relevant to mangrove wetlands which are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world. The project will inform ecological protection and identify areas of interest for international conventions such as Ramsar and UN Environment Programme for tackling pollution in mangroves.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
Mangrove ecosystems face mounting threats from the triple planetary crises of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. Particle-toxicant interactions result in complex scenarios in which toxicants are transformed and traditional ecotoxicity tests that do not include the influence of particles on toxicant bioavailability have limited ability to predict toxicity.  This project will move forward understanding of particle-toxicant interactions and enhance knowledge of multiple factors that affect toxicity in a critically important relevant model organism of mangrove ecosystems. Findings will inform environmental policy, enhance risk assessment frameworks, and support conservation strategies for mangroves, critical buffers against climate impacts and biodiversity decline.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Alistair Lyndon (Heriot Watt University)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Carol Hume (NatureScot)
Co-Supervisor 1: Alasdair O’Dell (University of the Highlands and Islands/ Scottish Association for Marine Science)
Co-Supervisor 2: Mark Hartl (Heriot Watt University)
Co-Supervisor 3: Clayton Magill (Heriot Watt University)
Co-Supervisor 4: Stewart Owen (Astra-Zeneca)

Project Description: This project aims to fill knowledge gaps around the factors which have led to the decline of blue mussels in the NE Atlantic area and more specifically  in Scotland and the UK.  The role of simultaneous multiple stressors will be assessed from historical data and tested by using in situ (field) and laboratory analyses of wild and reseeded mussels.  This addresses questions around the persistence, resilience and dynamism of natural mussel populations and habitats (sedimentary beds versus rocky shores), as well as informing best practice for prediction of optimal locations for restoration efforts, which are increasingly being undertaken to enhance ecosystem services (water filtration, prey provision), biodiversity and human food security.  The student would be involved in mussel surveys (including coordination with community group partners), mapping, historical data collation and analysis, mussel health evaluation (e.g. bacteria; parasites), tissue analyses and exposure to selected multistressors.  Ground-truthing of field sites would also be done in order to predict conditions for use in the lab and also to select sites best suited to restoration efforts.  GIS will be use to map locations where this work will take place and to evaluate proposed approaches.  The student would be part of a wide group of wetland and marine students at Heriot-Watt (across the Institute of Life & Earth Sciences and The Lyell Centre) and UHI (SAMS).  Opportunities for academic career development such as demonstrating to undergraduate and postgraduate classes and attendance at meetings and conferences would be strongly encouraged.

What do you need to know:
Blue mussels are declining globally despite previously being ubiquitous and abundant in marine shore habitats. Reasons for decline are likely multi-factorial, hence the focus here on multi-stressors, including physical disturbance, harvesting, predation, disease, contaminants and climate change.  Populations in close proximity can vary in health, but larval production often remains good, enabling juvenile collection and planting out in threatened areas. This will allow testing of reasons for observed impacts and effective restoration.  The supervisory team draws together key skills giving a new perspective on this topic, combining unique expertise in mussel distribution patterns, population trends and community engagement (HWU; SAMS UHI), population survey, conservation and restoration licencing (NS), stressor impact measurement (HWU), analytical chemical analysis (HWU Lyell) and in-vivo toxicity testing (Astra-Zeneca).

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
Work involved will include testing of different approaches for spat capture and redeployment, analysis of source and receiving environmental variables (chemicals, physical variables, habitat features), analysis of body condition and disease status and coordination with community groups in relation to surveying, collection and redeployment of mussels.  Skills to be developed will include mussel collection and husbandry, field measurements of biotic and abiotic stressors, chemical analytical techniques, statistical analyses, GIS mapping, networking and communication with agency and stakeholder groups.

Why is the project novel? 

There is much data on individual contaminant levels in blue mussels, this species having been a standard biomonitoring species for several decades. Paradoxically, this information hasn’t been applied to mussel population health assessment.  This project will use existing information to provide baselines for focussed studies on relevant stressor combinations.  Other novel aspects include using historical archive and community records to identify mussel restoration areas, coordination of community groups to oversee survey and restoration and integration new restoration techniques with time-series health monitoring and chemical status of reseeded mussels. The combination of expertise in mussel population assessment, distribution mapping (HWU, SAMS), community survey coordination and engagement (HWU, NS), ecotoxicology (HWU, SAMS, Astra-Zeneca) and restoration (HWU, NS) provides a unique blend of relevant experience.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
Blue mussels have shown a dramatic recent decline in abundance across their range for which reasons are unknown. Mussels provide key ecological roles as water filters and sediment depositors, linking the water column with the seabed.  They are also a key prey species for crustaceans and birds and provide a food source for humans.  Understanding reasons for changes in mussel abundance and distribution is essential to design and develop successful restoration efforts, so as to optimise conservation efforts and to inform assessment of increased risks to ecosystem function and human food security.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Mark Hartl (Heriot Watt University)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Pierre Josso (BGS)
Co-Supervisor 1: Helena Reinardy (Scottish Association for Marine Science)
Co-Supervisor 2: Clayton Magill (Heriot Watt University)
Co-Supervisor 3: Ted Henry (Heriot Watt University)

Project Description: The project will examine the impact of exposure of the amphipod Parhyale hawaiensis to environmentally relevant pollutant mixtures with different climate change-related physical drivers under a multi-stressor regime. Climate change is driving changes in the aquatic environment, particularly transitional waters such as wetlands, estuaries and intertidal systems. These include rising temperatures, fluctuating salinities, pH shifts and dissolved oxygen concentrations. These physical drivers will affect the physico-chemical properties of chemical pollutants influencing their behaviour in the aquatic environment and their bioavailability for exposed organisms. With the exception of spill events or point source discharge, environmental contaminants often occur in concentrations unlikely to induce an acute response. The changing conditions, however, are likely to impact the ability of chronically exposed organisms to respond to resulting oxidative stress and the multi-stressor approach will uncover potentiating effects of combinations of stressors at otherwise benign concentrations. The project will optimise for P. hawaiensis well-established oxidative stress biomarker endpoints, including catalase (CAT), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), Reduced Glutathione (GSH), oxidised Glutathione (GSSG), GSH:GSSG and Glutathione Reductase (GR) as well as a comparison of different DNA damage techniques (Comet assay vs Fast Micromethod). The antioxidant response to a range of environmental contaminants and contaminant mixtures – as characterized through ‘hypenated’ techniques, including gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) – will be assessed under varied physical drivers. With the optimisation of these antioxidant biomarkers currently lacking for Parhyale, ecotoxicological biomarker baselines will be generated and compared to the response sensitivity of the species to pollution in a climate-driven multi-stressor environment.

What do you need to know:
This is a laboratory based experimental project with the aim to optimise a range of ecotoxicological biomarker assays for Parhyale hawaiensis,to assess the sensitivity of the species to multi-stressor exposure.
The student will have a biology background, preferably with hands-on laboratory, hypothesis generating and statistical analytical experience, as well as a passion for experimentation. Particularly desirable is experience in aquatic invertebrate husbandry and an understanding of carbonate chemistry.
Collectively, the proposed supervisory team is highly experienced in the fields of ecotoxicology and environmental impact, particularly in the use of Parhyale hawaiensis and ecotoxicological assessment together with biomarker design and optimisation across a range of organisms and aquatic environments, as well as analytical chemistry.

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
The student will be based at Heriot-Watt (HWU) and integrated in  vibrant ecotoxicology teams at HWU and SAMS, and develop skills in experimental design, data management and statistical analysis, hands-on handling and husbandry of the established colonies of P. hawaiensis (HWU), ecotoxicological biomarker techniques (HWU and SAMS) and chemical analysis (HWU and BGS).

Why is the project novel? 
The novelty of the project lies in understanding the responses of intertidal amphipods to multi-stressors, which are still quite unknown, particularly the stressor of acidification. Ocean acidification is well known, but intertidal fluctuations are relatively understudied, and the variance and extremes are totally different from open ocean acidification. Intertidal species are usually very well adapted to extreme conditions, but molecular and biochemical mechanisms of stress resilience under multi-stressor exposure are less understood. 
 
What real-life challenge does it address? 
We are currently in a biodiversity crisis often a result of multi-stressor exposure, which is set to intensify with the effects of progressing climate change. Optimising the proposed biomarker endpoints for Parhyale, which are far more sensitive than conventional endpoints such as mortality or behaviour, and more economic to achieve than gene expression and associated bioinformatics, could be further developed and future-proofed for use in conservation strategies and management of coastal systems, in order to better link ecotoxicology methods to real-world contaminant situations in a climate change-related multi-stressor context.

Funding: This project is available to home and overseas students. International candidates may apply but if successful, will need to demonstrate that they have co-funding to cover the difference between home and international fees to be eligible. The difference in fees varies by programme. The current difference for 2025/26 academic year is approximately £20,000 per year.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Sandhya Patidar (Heriot-Watt University)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Rob Collins (The Rivers Trust)
Co-Supervisor 1: Cedric Laize (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 2: Michael Hutchins (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)

Project Description: This PhD project investigates the synergistic effects of multiple environmental stressors on estuarine hydro-ecological resilience—the capacity of estuaries to withstand and recover from disturbances while sustaining critical ecosystem functions and services. Estuaries provide essential resources for human well-being, yet they are increasingly vulnerable to interacting pressures from climate change, water-quality degradation, over-abstraction, and habitat alteration driven by anthropogenic activities. These stressors rarely act in isolation; their combined effects can amplify ecological degradation in non-linear and poorly understood ways.
The project aims to address this key research gap by developing physics-informed, data-driven models capable of predicting how multiple stressors interact to influence estuarine conditions. Using a combination of multivariate statistical and machine-learning approaches—including covariance and correlation analyses, principal component analysis, and surrogate model development—the research will identify dominant stressor interactions that control water-quality and ecological responses. Historical and near-real-time datasets will be integrated to capture both long-term shifts and short-term dynamics in estuarine systems.
Validated models will then be applied to scenario analyses to evaluate potential management and mitigation strategies, such as assessing water-quality deterioration under drought conditions or the compounded effects of abstraction and pollution. The outcomes will provide a framework for more adaptive and resilient estuarine management under climate and anthropogenic pressures.
The PhD student will be based at Heriot-Watt University (HWU) within an interdisciplinary research environment that bridges hydrology, ecology, and data science. They will receive advanced training in computational modelling, statistical analysis, and environmental systems thinking, with opportunities for collaboration and short research placements with partner organisations. This experience will equip the student with both technical and professional skills essential for a career in environmental modelling, sustainable water management, and policy-relevant research.

What do you need to know:
This PhD project explores how multiple stressors—such as climate change, pollution, and habitat loss—interact to affect estuarine hydro-ecological resilience. While individual stressor effects are known, their combined and often non-linear impacts remain poorly understood. The student will develop and apply integrated data-driven and modelling approaches to predict these synergistic effects and support adaptive management. The supervisory team offers complementary expertise: Dr Sandhya Patidar (data science and statistical modelling, HWU), Dr Cédric Laizé and Dr Michael Hutchins (hydro-ecological and water-quality modelling, UKCEH), with external collaboration from Dr Rob Collins (The Rivers Trust) and stakeholders at SEPA and RSPB.

What expertise and skills will the student develop?
The student will develop strong interdisciplinary expertise combining data science (statistical, time-series, and machine learning methods) with hydro-ecology and water quality modelling to assess climate and multi-stressor impacts. They will gain advanced programming skills in R and Python for processing diverse hydro-ecological, water quality, and climate datasets, and learn to integrate data-driven and physics-based models. The project will strengthen critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication abilities, while providing experience in stakeholder engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration. The student will also build professional skills through conference presentations, publications, seminars, and outreach activities that enhance their academic and research profile.

Why is the project novel?  
This project is novel in its integrated, multi-stressor approach to understanding estuarine resilience. Unlike prior studies focusing on single factors, it combines data-driven analytics and physics-based modelling to examine the synergistic effects of interacting stressors using diverse environmental datasets. The project will develop innovative diagnostic tools to capture long-term trends, short-term fluctuations, and scenario-based impacts under varying conditions. By engaging with partners and stakeholders, it will co-design risk mitigation and management strategies, enhancing the practical relevance of outcomes. This holistic framework will generate new scientific and policy insights to support sustainable estuarine conservation and climate resilience.

What real-life challenge does it address?
Estuaries face escalating pressures from pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change, with multiple stressors often interacting in complex, unpredictable ways. This uncertainty hampers the development of effective risk mitigation and restoration strategies. The project addresses this real-world challenge by advancing data-driven modelling to understand how estuarine systems respond to cumulative stressors and to predict future impacts. These predictive tools will support evidence-based decision-making for estuarine protection, resilience, and sustainable management. A key challenge lies in bridging science and practice—ensuring that research outcomes are aligned with the needs of policymakers, environmental managers, and coastal communities who depend on these vital ecosystems.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: M. Glória Pereira (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Suzane Qassim (Natural England)
Co-Supervisor 1: Clyton Magill (Heriot Watt University)
Co-Supervisor 2: Claudia Carraro (Zoological Society of London)
 
Project Description: Eurasian beavers are semi-aquatic herbivorous rodents which became extinct in England around the 16th Century. Populations are beginning to return within some catchments in England and the DRAHS programme (an Institute of Zoology – Natural England partnership) has been set up to enable pathological investigations, tissue sample archiving, and background data collation from beaver carcasses.
This PhD will tap into this established program – and begin to build a holistic understanding of the exposure and impacts of a mixture of chemical pollutants (i.e., heavy metals, POPs, emerging pollutants) and disease agents (infectious agents, e.g., viruses, bacteria; non-infectious agents, e.g., nutrient deficiencies) within beavers, to inform future recovery. Likewise, it will help identify potential threats to other biota in the context of a One Health approach. Beavers represent a priority species for recovery and a ‘new’ semi-aquatic herbivorous biomonitoring sentinel.
This project will involve targeted and non-targeted chemical analysis of new and archived sample tissues (using a variety of tissue types) – employing techniques including ICP-OES/MS for inorganics and GC-FID/MS, GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS for organics (e.g., POPs, agrochemicals, emerging pollutants). State of the art instruments and facilities for such analysis exist within the host institutes (UKCEH, HWU). Natural England have already initiated some initial analysis with other stakeholder (using the UKCEH led WILDCOMS network; https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/wildcoms).
In terms of disease detection, the PhD student will work with the DRAHS group which currently delivers all beaver post-mortem examinations, diagnostic pathology, and sample archiving. The wider stakeholder group (i.e., the Environment Agency) will also facilitate access to other potentially valuable metadata such as relevant catchment water quality.
The PhD can begin to explore a range of questions, potentially including:

– Are there spatial (i.e., catchment) or temporal differences in disease presence and/or chemical pollution levels that could impact on beaver population recovery?
– What are the priority chemical substances of concern within (beaver created) wetlands in England?
– Is there a link between levels of chemicals and pathological findings in the beavers?
– What is the risk from disease transmission between beavers and other biota?
– Are there new chemical indicators that could be further developed and reported on (in future) to inform environmental policy?

What do you need to know:
Eurasian beavers are semi-aquatic herbivorous rodents. Beaver populations, previously extinct, are beginning to return within some English catchments. A disease surveillance programme has been set up to enable the collection of samples and data from beavers found dead. This work will inform the further development of a terrestrial chemical biomonitoring programme.
 The PhD will begin to build a holistic understanding of the exposure and impacts of chemical pollutants and disease agents on beavers, to inform future recovery of this species, potential threats to other biota and develop a One Health paradigm. The project will benefit from supervision by a highly multidisciplinary team including experts in wildlife health, ecology, environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, environmental management and policy. 

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
The student will develop expertise in analytical chemistry, the diagnosis of disease, chemical fate and biomonitoring, statistical analyses, policy and regulation – all within the context of a broader ecological understanding of freshwater ecosystems and wildlife health.
They will benefit from the opportunity to work with project supervisors at Natural England (expertise in ecotoxicology and mammal ecology), at the Institute of Zoology (Disease Risk Analysis and Health Surveillance; DRAHS) and with several academic partners (biogeochemists/wildlife toxicologists).

Why is the project novel?  
Beavers represent a novel ‘biomonitoring’ sentinel species, due to their lower-level trophic position and ecological habit. Ongoing beaver monitoring now provides a unique opportunity to investigate pollutants within the wetlands (and thus catchments) within which they reside, concomitant with changes in beaver health detected through disease surveillance, with implications for river and wider ecosystem health.    
 
What real-life challenge does it address? 
There is a gap in understanding the impacts of chemical substances on lower trophic level wildlife. Current biomonitoring has focused on apex predators as sentinels. Investigating the impacts of multiple stressors on beavers will provide information relevant to the future recovery of this species and shed light on potential emerging chemical threats to a wider range of biota. From a One Health perspective, the presence of disease agents and/or pollutants within beavers and their habitat is relevant to beavers as well as environmental-animal-ecosystem health more broadly. Like any other biomonitoring species (e.g., raptors, marine mammals) beavers can act as sentinels – and help create one part of a ‘chemical effects’ based early warning system.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Richard Cross (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Geoff Hilton (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust)
Co-Supervisor 1: Annette Burden (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 2: Joe Taylor (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 3: Frances Orton (Heriot Watt University)
 
Project Description: This project is a unique opportunity to integrate new monitoring approaches to understand the emergent provision of ecosystem services whilst gaining insights into potential interacting stressors of pollution, pathogens and antimicrobial resistance as saltmarsh ecosystems are restored through managed realignment of the coastline. Restored saltmarshes represent an opportunity for significant accumulation of carbon, but these same processes may lead to the rapid accumulation of pollutants along with the influx of sediments into the newly established intertidal zones. Plastic litter and microplastics are concentrated in coastal zones and may well rapidly accumulate in restored saltmarshes. These not only present a pollutant threat in their own right to the newly establishing communities that take root in these restored saltmarshes, but there is emerging evidence that plastic (and microplastics) may act as reservoirs or preferential substrates for pathogenic bacteria to thrive, including the potential to carry and transfer antimicrobial resistance genes. The project will test the hypothesis that significant and rapid accumulation of plastics in restored saltmarshes may lead to interactions between these multiple stressors, increasing the cumulative risks. This will be looked at in newly realigned saltmarsh habitat, as well as the opportunity to sample a chronosequence of sites reflecting various time points since restoration, and differing estuarine contexts giving insights into potential differences over time and space. Alongside state-of-the-art monitoring methods utilising molecular ecology and analytical chemistry, ecosystem service provision will be monitored, for example with onsite eddy covariance to measure greenhouse gas flux, establishing a baseline from which trends over time can be investigated.

What do you need to know:
This project will be the first of its kind to integrate monitoring of both multiple stressors and ecosystem services in restored saltmarsh ecosystems, right from the beginning of the managed realignment of a new coastal saltmarsh. Focused on microplastics and their potential to serve as a reservoir for pathogens and antimicrobial resistance, and together acting as potential multiple stressors in restored saltmarsh systems, the supervisory team brings access to the state-of-the-art microplastics analysis facility at UKCEH as well as expertise in molecular ecology, environmental microbiology, saltmarsh restoration, and multiple stressor impacts.
The team collectively spans disciplines from microplastics and microbial source monitoring and tracking, as well as interactions of these multiple stressors, to blue carbon and habitat restoration. This offers the student an exceptional opportunity to work at the interface of environmental chemistry, ecology, and genomics. The student will also benefit from access to UKCEH’s high-performance sequencing and analytical infrastructure, as well as collaborations with restoration practitioners and conservation organisations involved in saltmarsh restoration schemes. This combination of facilities, expertise, and stakeholder partnerships provides an ideal environment to deliver an ambitious, interdisciplinary project with strong scientific and applied outcomes.

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
The student will become experts in saltmarsh ecosystems and their biogeochemical and ecological functioning. They will learn about different approaches and designs to saltmarsh restoration and develop new methods for combined monitoring and integration of data across multiple stressors and assessment of the provision of ecosystem services. The student will gain hands on experience in field sampling, vibrational spectroscopy for plastic analysis, molecular ecology techniques, and multi-stressor statistical approaches.
The student will be able to apply their research findings to real-world restoration scenarios by working with the WWT, who manage, design and construct saltmarshes. They will also have the opportunity to work with WWT policy and communication teams, gaining valuable experience in translating scientific evidence into practical recommendations for habitat restoration, management, and policy engagement.

Why is the project novel? 
 The timing of this project provides a unique opportunity to investigate the accumulation of microplastics as new saltmarsh develops, as it coincides with restoration of saltmarsh along the coastline.  Through a unique combination of monitoring approaches, utilising the latest vibrational spectroscopy and molecular ecology techniques, the project will explore and evaluate the role of plastics (including microplastics) acting as a reservoir for pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in these emerging systems, in addition to quantifying key ecosystem services. It will therefore provide the first comprehensive framework for evaluating both the benefits and potential unintended consequences of large-scale coastal restoration schemes.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
This project directly addresses the real-world challenge of how to restore coastal habitats in ways that maximise ecological and climate benefits while minimising new environmental risks. It will evaluate the trade-offs between the benefits of saltmarsh restoration for a range of ecosystem services (carbon storage, biodiversity, flood protection), and the potential introduction of new stressors through sediment-borne contaminants and microbes. In doing so, it responds to an urgent policy and management need to understand the sustainability of nature-based solutions under the pressures of pollution, climate change, and coastal development. The findings will provide evidence to guide coastal restoration design, management, and national blue carbon accounting frameworks, ensuring that restoration interventions remain both effective and safe.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Michael Bonsall (Oxford University)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Louise Lavictoire (Freshwater Biological Association)
Co-Supervisor 1: Chris Huntingford (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 2: Hope Klug (University of Tennessee)
 
Project Description: Aquatic ecosystems are subjected to multiple stressors, which often include increased sedimentation (due to urban development-associated run-offs), which can disrupt species behaviours, and increase temperatures due to heat-island effects and global warming, which can alter life-histories and ecological interactions. The current research will explore the effect of altered sedimentation and temperature profiles, as well as the interaction between temperature and sedimentation, on ecological drivers (e.g., behaviours, parasitism, ecology) in freshwater sunfish, common indicator species found throughout wetlands in southeastern USA.
With this focus on wetlands, the project will explore the interaction between sunfish and freshwater mussels, which depend upon fish hosts for a parasitic larval phase of their life cycle. Sunfish are widespread across eastern and central USA and act as hosts for a range of freshwater mussel species, have complex reproductive behaviours (involving alternative male mating strategies and paternal care) and are impacted by sedimentation and temperature changes. Freshwater mussels are important ecological engineers, indicators of habitat quality, and are an incredibly diverse group (~ 300 species in the US), but are highly threatened (with over 70% endangered or of special concern).
This PhD project will expand understanding of this system and its ecological drivers in wetland ecosystems in SE USA under environmental perturbation/change. The project will use a combination of field surveys, mesocosm experiments, and mathematical modelling to explore the effects of multiple stressors (increased sedimentation and temperature) on:

1) The distribution and abundance of parasitism on sunfish by mussels,
2) Consequences of parasitism for fish reproductive behaviours,
3) Associated downstream population and community level impacts.

Through this project, together with colleagues in Tennessee, at the Freshwater Biological Association and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, the student will have opportunities to develop their skills in ecological fieldwork, experimental design and modelling in freshwater wetland ecology.

What do you need to know:
Aquatic ecosystems are subjected to multiple stressors, often including increased sedimentation (due to urban and agricultural run-offs), which can disrupt species behaviours, and increase temperatures due to heat-island effects and global warming, which can alter life-histories and ecological interactions. This research project will explore the effect of altered sedimentation and temperature, as well as their interaction, on ecological drivers (e.g., behaviours, parasitism, ecology) in freshwater sunfish, common indicator species found throughout wetlands in southeastern USA. The multidisciplinary supervisory team has expertise in freshwater ecology and conservation, behavioural ecology, climate change, mathematical biology and is ideally placed to support the project. 

What expertise and skills will the student develop?
As this PhD programme is focused on understanding the impacts of multiple environmental stressors in flooded wetland ecosystems, in this project the student will gain expertise and skills in the use of field surveys in diverse scrub/shrub, swamp and/or marsh wetlands to understand freshwater ecology, mesocosm experimental design, implementation and analyses, and mathematical modelling approaches.

Why is the project novel?  
Southeastern US wetlands are highly diverse (characterized by bottomland hardwoods, forested riparian zones, swamps, bogs and fens) supporting an amazingly unique and level of species endemism. This project is novel in that it will focus on the drivers of diversity across scales of organisation: at the level of species interactions and the underlying alterations to behaviours in wetland habitats challenged by multiple stressors (increased environmental warming and sedimentation). The project will blend field surveys and mescosms and ‘artificial wetland’ experiments together with behavioural studies and the added-value from mathematical modelling to understand stressor impacts on wetlands ecology, dynamics and resilience.

What real-life challenge does it address?
Through the last decade, the loss of southeastern US wetlands, through multiple factors, has accelerated by 50% and between 2019 & 2019, over 2700km2 of wetlands have been lost. These habitats support high levels of freshwater species, rich species diversity and unique levels of species endemism. Working at the interface of freshwater conservation, community and behavioural ecology, this project will address the challenge of how multiple stressors impact these wetland habitats supporting evidence-based management, advice and policy on the conservation and restoration of southeastern US wetlands.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Tim Barraclough (University of Oxford)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Louise Lavictoire (Freshwater Biological Association)
Co-Supervisor 1: Victoria Pritchard (University of the Highlands and Islands)
Co-Supervisor 2: Michelle Jackson (University of Oxford)
 
Project Description: Many fish species naturally use temporary water in floodplains for reproduction and feeding, especially during summer flooding. Floodplain connectivity regulates the ability of fish to exploit these resources and move among permanent water bodies, thus influencing population size and gene flow. However, connectivity and use of floodplains by fish is greatly impaired in the UK by river engineering. This interacts with other anthropogenic stressors and floodplain management to impact the resilience of these communities. For example, management of river drainage could reduce flooding or fish survival of floods, whereas floodplain restoration and increased summer flooding due to climate change could increase use of floodplains. In turn, these changes in connectivity will shape the ability of populations to adapt to long-term climate-driven habitat changes. Similarly, greater connectivity potentially allows the influx of more pollutants from the surrounding landscape, but also changes the ability of fish populations to adapt to these pollutants
 The student will assess the importance of floodplain dispersal for target UK fish species by using isotopic analysis to investigate habitat and diet, and making genomic estimates of dispersal, connectivity, local adaptation, and historical population sizes. Beyond a static measure for the present, they will use historical scale collections at the Freshwater Biological Association, CEH and the Environment Agency. The project will (a) examine how multiple stressors (loss of connectivity, climate change, pollution) have impacted floodplain-using fish species across time, (b) investigate how these impacts differ among natural, impacted and restored floodplain systems, (c) ask how they shape genomic variation, focusing on the potential for adaptation to specific stressors and (d) forecast future connectivity and adaptive resilience. The results will inform future floodplain management in the context of the multiple interacting anthropogenic stressors.
The student will help shape the research direction, and gain skills in floodplain surveys, isotope analysis, genomics, statistical modelling and forecasting, and practical landscape management, working with the multi-institutional supervisory team.

What do you need to know:
Many fish use temporary water bodies in floodplains for feeding and reproduction. However, across the globe floodplain use has been greatly impaired by river engineering, reducing the connectivity among water bodies. This impacts the response of fish populations to many other anthropogenic stressors. In this project you will explore whether use of UK floodplains by fish and the resulting connectivity among local populations has changed over time and across natural/impacted/restored systems. You will forecast the effects of connectivity on adaptive resilience to climate impacts and pollution, by combining isotopic and genomic analyses of contemporary and historical fish samples with climate data to inform statistical models. You will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team with expertise in historical ecology and genomics, freshwater ecosystems and species recovery planning.

What expertise and skills will the student develop?
The student will learn eco-evolutionary theory concerning how connections of populations across landscapes influence ecological and adaptive resilience to stressors. They will learn experimental techniques of isotope analysis and genomics for reconstructing past changes in habitat use (specifically floodplain areas), population size and connectivity, and changes in genes underlying pollution tolerance. Historical data on climate and floodplain management held by FBA and other organisations, and future projections of climate and management changes, will be integrated into statistical models, bringing general skills integrating multiple datasets and modelling. Through stakeholder engagement, they will learn how scientific research informs species recovery plans and landscape management.

Why is the project novel?  
Previous projects have used historical fish scale collections to investigate long-term genetic changes, but we are unaware of any previous attempt to quantify the impact of connectivity at the landscape scale. Similarly, there is a large body of literature on use of floodplains by fish in mainland Europe, and more limited work in the UK (Peirson et al. 2008 DOI:10.2478/v10104-009-0028-6; Bolland et al. 2008 Environment Agency report SC030215), but we are unaware of previous work using isotope approaches to estimate flood plain use, or genomics to quantify connectivity. Some earlier studies address the latter with small genetic marker sets, but these cannot reveal how floodplain fragmentation interacts with selection to shape adaptation to other stressors.

What real-life challenge does it address?
Floodplain connectivity continues to decline globally, and this has serious and unpredictable impacts on species that use on floodplains for part of their life history. Downstream effects can include disruption of entire freshwater ecological communities and loss of human food resources. The project addresses how changes in the connectivity of populations within a floodplain interact with other anthropogenic stressors such as pollution and climate impacts to shape the adaptive resilience of UK fish species. It will therefore provide novel data to inform floodplain management and restoration.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Mike Daniels (University of the Highlands and Islands)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Colin McClean (Cairngorm National Park Authority)
Co-Supervisor 1: Darragh Hare (University of Oxford)
Co-Supervisor 2: Roxane Andersen (University of the Highlands and Islands)
Co-Supervisor 3: Michelle Jackson (University of Oxford)
 
Project Description: The student will collect data on the impacts of deer and climate on peatlands within the Flow Country and Cairngorm National Park. They will identify gaps, design and collect relevant data such as deer counts, dung data and trampling indices to assess deer impacts; and dip wells, meteorological data, fire data and vegetation data to assess climate impacts. Interventions e.g. deer culling, deer fencing and deployment of novel deer deterrents; peatland restoration and raising water tables etc. will be assessed.
 The student will use a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods from social and behavioural sciences to collect data from peatland managers and policy makers on key issues around sustainable management of deer and climate impacts on peatlands. Current attitudes, conflicts, barriers and opportunities will be assessed alongside incentives, regulation and culture. The student will produce draft best practice guidance and policy recommendations and test them among multiple stakeholder groups.
The project will seek to address the following questions:
What is the relationship between deer and climate impacts on peatland condition with or without intervention?
Which intervention methods do land managers and the general public in Scotland find acceptable when managing deer on peatland in the face of changing climate, and why?
What infrastructure and social capital needs to be put in place to support sustainable deer management on peatlands in line with adaptation to climate change?
The student will engage with relevant stakeholder bodies throughout the project –to ensure maximum policy buy in and impact. Stakeholders to include: Scottish Government, NatureScot, Scottish Forestry, CNPA, LLTNPA, RSPB, IUCN. The PhD student will also engage with Deer Management Groups, The Common Ground Forum, Wild Deer Best Practice and the IUCN Peatland Programme.

What do you need to know:
Peatlands are a vital national resource subject to multiple stressors, including climate change and deer damage. This project aims to make a real-world difference to reducing deer and climate change impacts on peatlands in the Flow Country World Heritage site and the Cairngorm National Park in Scotland. The project will use ecological and social science to better understand impacts and barriers to more sustainable land management choices. It will draft and develop science-based, stakeholder-supported best practice guidance to drive practical solutions to multiple stressors on peatlands. The supervisory team spans disciplines, universities, and sectors, with expertise in deer management, conservation conflicts, peatland and land management, and ecological theory, providing a unique support network for the student to bridge basic and applied science to help tackle real-world problems.

What expertise and skills will the student develop?
The project will enable the student to develop expertise and skills across: field ecology, multiple stressor theory, conservation conflict analysis and management, social-ecological systems theory, data collection and analysis, and statistics. Moreover, the student will learn practical skills in peatland management, peatland restoration, deer management, land management, and climate change mitigation. The student will be embedded in established scientific and practitioner networks and will have opportunities to engage meaningfully with decisions through stakeholder fora. This engagement will allow the student to hone communication skills for multiple audiences from practitioners through to policy makers. The broad range of scientific and communication skills developed will provide a strong platform for career development long term.

Why is the project novel?  
The project is novel in blending theories and methods from the ecological and social sciences with policy and practice to address a real-world wetland conservation challenge in the context of multiple stressors. The project will bring together a new interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral  supervisory team positioned to deliver a high impact project working across two outstanding landscape areas, producing policy relevant outputs to reduce multiple stressors on peatlands. Peatlands, deer management, and climate change are all high on the policy agenda in Scotland. This project is at the interface of all three at a crucial time as policy seeks to address biodiversity collapse and climate change.

What real-life challenge does it address?
Healthy peatlands play a vital role in carbon storage and combating the effects of climate change, and in maintaining water quality and biodiversity. Many peatlands are in poor condition and are under pressure from the individual and combined effects of climate change and deer impacts, resulting in fire, extreme rainfall events, trampling and erosion. Understanding the nature and interaction of these impacts is key in managing these national carbon stores, water reservoirs and biodiversity hotspots. However, how to move towards more sustainable peatland management is socially and politically contested. Developing practical and policy solutions for land managers and policy makers based on robust ecological and social evidence offers an opportunity to make a real-life difference.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Jennifer Graham (University of the Highlands and Islands/ Scottish Association for Marine Science)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Barbara (Bee) Berx (Scottish Government Marine Directorate)
Co-Supervisor 1: Michael Burrows (University of the Highlands and Islands / Scottish Association for Marine Science)
Co-Supervisor 2: Tim Szewczyk (University of the Highlands and Islands / Scottish Association for Marine Science)
Co-Supervisor 3: Oliver Andrews (University of York)
Co-Supervisor 4: Peter Robins (Bangor University)

Project Description: This project aims to support future management of intertidal environments, through improved prediction of multiple and compounding climate stressors. The student will focus initially on understanding the combined stressors of temperature variability and desiccation, and how this varies between locations with different coastal topography, tidal cycles, wave exposure and other characteristics. To assess the performance of existing ocean and climate models, the student will have access to existing intertidal temperature logger data. New observations will then be targeted to explore the influence of stressors in different locations (or on different species), enabling the student to gain experience planning and conducting fieldwork. Working towards improved predictions of future climate, they will then be supported to develop a new intertidal forecast model, gaining skills in numerical and statistical model analysis as well machine learning techniques.
Based at SAMS-UHI, the student will join a cohort of ~30 postgraduate research students. Regular supervisory meetings, both in-person and online with remote supervisors, will provide training, guidance and support throughout project. They will be provided with various training opportunities including bitesize sessions regarding effective communication, teaching to teach etc., and will have access to taught courses hosted as part of the SAMS-UHI undergraduate programme if required.
Working with both academic supervisors and stakeholder partners, the student will be encouraged to engage with wider national and international networks. This project represents a new collaboration between SAMS, York, Bangor and Scottish Government, providing a direct route for research outputs into advice and policy across the UK. The project is timely, coinciding with publication of the UK’s Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA4), and the next generation of regional ocean climate projections. Working closely with stakeholder partners, the student will have the opportunity to engage with this community and international networks, to help inform future climate policy advice.

What do you need to know:
This study aims to improve understanding of one of the most stressed and vulnerable habitats on Earth – the intertidal zone. Intertidal species are threatened by compounding stressors of warming seas, rising sea levels, and changing storm patterns. We rely on models to predict future climate, on land and in the ocean. However, these models struggle to represent complex processes that are fundamental to intertidal habitats. Supported by a multidisciplinary supervisory team, with expertise in physical and ecological processes, using both models and observations, this project will improve future projections, enabling improved management of intertidal habitats under climate change.

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
This project provides an exciting opportunity to develop a unique technical skill set that includes both observational sampling (field work) as well as coding for big data analysis and coastal climate modelling. The student will develop interdisciplinary expertise, including but not limited to:
Coastal ocean dynamics
Land-ocean-atmosphere interactions. 
Interacting climate extremes
Ecology of coastal habitats
Science communication and outreach
There will opportunities to plan and conduct field work, considering sampling locations exposed to different stressors. The student will also develop modelling skills, including numerical and statistical model analysis as well as machine learning approaches.

Why is the project novel?  
This project provides a novel approach to climate projections that are targeted for sustainable management of intertidal habitats. Multidisciplinary methods will combine observational data sampling and analysis as well as both physical and ecological models (including machine learning techniques). The project is timely in that it will coincide with publication of the UK’s Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA4), as well as the next generation of regional ocean climate projections. Working closely with stakeholder partners, the student will then be able to engage with this community, as well as international networks, to help inform future climate policy advice.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
Climate change poses many threats to intertidal habitats, combining impacts from the atmosphere, ocean and land surface. To support sustainable management of these environments, including effective restoration of degraded habitats, we rely on climate model projections to inform future survival of intertidal species, for example based on known temperature limits and projected future trends. This project will improve predictions of future changes and climate extremes, through targeted observations and modelling in this complex environment. Working closely with stakeholder partners, the results will be communicated to relevant partners and policy makers, to help sustainable management of these valuable coastal habitats.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Neil James (University of the Highlands and Islands)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Peter Gilbert (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)
Co-Supervisor 1: Lydia Niemi (University of the Highlands and Islands)
Co-Supervisor 2: Richard Cross (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 3: Elizabeth Masden (University of the Highlands and Islands)
 
Project Description: The project will investigate how wildfowl mediate the transport of microplastics, pesticides, and heavy metals into wetlands in the Flow Country and adjacent Caithness peatland landscapes. The student will conduct field sampling of guano across representative upland peatland lochans and lowland agricultural wetlands, capturing variation in species (dabbling ducks, geese, gulls, and terns) and site type.
The study targets wetland mosaics including peatland pools, loch margins, and adjacent wet grasslands, focusing on the roost–forage interfaces where waterfowl commute daily between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. For gulls and terns that forage at sea but roost inland, the project will also examine potential marine-to-freshwater transfer of microplastics and associated contaminants. Comparing these pathways will provide new insight into how differing foraging ecologies influence pollutant movement across ecosystem boundaries.
Laboratory analyses will quantify microplastics (with UKCEH), heavy metals, and pesticide residues (at ERI-UHI) in guano, water, and sediment samples. These data will underpin statistical and mechanistic models of pollutant flux between birds, water, and sediments, allowing estimation of contaminant inputs under contrasting land-use and species scenarios. Citizen-science tools and semi-automated image analysis will support wider monitoring and public engagement.
The student experience includes transdisciplinary fieldwork, lab-based contaminant analysis, ecological modelling, and collaboration with stakeholders and citizen scientists. Training will provide transferable skills in ecological modelling, ornithological survey methods, environmental chemistry, data science, and wetland management, preparing the student for careers in environmental research, policy, and conservation.
The study system comprises wetland complexes across the Flow Country and Caithness peatlands, including fen and bog pools, shallow loch margins, and wet grasslands that support large numbers of wintering and breeding waterfowl, particularly greylag geese that commute daily between aquatic and terrestrial components.

What do you need to know:
This PhD offers a unique opportunity to uncover how birds link land and water by transporting pollutants through Scotland’s most extensive peatland–wetland landscapes. The student will investigate how waterfowl, gulls & terns, transfer microplastics, pesticides and metals between feeding and roosting sites, revealing hidden pathways that connect ecosystems and influence water quality. Working at the interface of ecology, chemistry and environmental policy, they will gain advanced skills in field research, analytical science and modelling, while contributing directly to national efforts to safeguard wetland biodiversity and meet emerging challenges in contaminant management.

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
The student will gain hands-on experience in wetland ecology, avian fieldwork, and contaminant monitoring. Training includes collection and analysis of guano for microplastics (via UKCEH), pesticides and heavy metals (in-house labs ERI-UHI), and application of semi-automated image analysis. Skills in ecological modelling, GIS, data management, and citizen-science coordination will be developed engaging with established platforms. The supervisory team combines expertise in ornithology, wetland ecology, contaminant analysis, analytical chemistry, and ecological modelling, providing a strong foundation for transdisciplinary training. 

Why is the project novel?  
Birds are known to interact with plastics, heavy metals and pesticides, but no study has systematically quantified avian-mediated pollutant fluxes in Scottish wetlands. This project will investigate how migratory and resident waterfowl influence the input, distribution and persistence of contaminants of regulatory and ecotoxicological concern. By combining guano analyses with detailed habitat, site, and avian ecological data, it will quantify pollutant loads and chemical signatures, assess spatial variation across upland peatland and lowland agricultural wetlands, and model pollutant fluxes between birds, water and sediments, providing novel insight for management and conservation policy in wetland ecosystems.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
Wetlands face increasing pressures from diffuse pollution, including plastics, pesticides, and heavy metals. Understanding how waterfowl and gulls/terns contribute to contaminant transfer will inform wetland management, biodiversity conservation, and water quality policies. Outputs will support conservation partners in designing cost-effective monitoring and mitigation strategies, aligning with EU directives and Scottish environmental targets for priority contaminants.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Roxane Andersen (University of the Highlands and Islands)
Stakeholder Supervisor: David Douglas (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)
Co-Supervisor 1: Hannah Clilverd (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 2: Colin Beale (University of York)
 
Project Description: In the 1970s-80s, large areas of Scottish peatlands were planted with blocks of non-native conifers, including 67,000 ha in the Flow Country – a site of global significance. Over the last 25 years, large-scale “forest-to-bog” restoration has already taken place over thousands of hectares. While some plantations will continue to be removed from the landscape, others are being or will be re-stocked. Importantly, their legacy persists in the form of self-seeded stands of conifers establishing within some restoration areas and beyond the fenced-off boundaries, encroaching on adjacent open habitat mosaics. There, they are likely to cause drying of peat and trigger shifts in species assemblages, disrupting ecosystem processes and functions.
However, the scale of the problem and the extent of these changes are still mostly unknown. How the spread on non-native conifers might interact with changes in grazing regimes or with the increased frequency of droughts and heatwaves brought about by climate change is even less well understood. This project seeks to fill this critical gap in knowledge, addressing the overarching hypothesis that the establishment of non-native conifers on open habitats triggers non-linear, spatially heterogenous impacts moving the ecosystems towards less resilient states and eco-hydrological tipping points.
The project will combine field-mapping, spatial data products and management datasets to estimate where and when non-native conifer plantation have been spreading in relation to weather, landscape and land management factors. In parallel the project will gather and compare high- resolution hydrological monitoring and species surveys (vegetation, birds) on a subset of sites with and without non-native conifers.
The student will experience field work in the world’s only UNESCO peatland World Heritage Site and gain expertise in applied ecology, spatial ecology and landscape-scale processes. The student will have direct contact with landowners, practitioners and key organisations interfacing with science and policy, making it a very applied project.

What do you need to know:
This project will be based in the UHI’s Environmental Research Institute in Thurso and will include field work in the Flow Country of northern Scotland, the largest and most intact blanket bog landscape in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised among other things for its globally important bird assemblage. The research will gather empirical evidence how non-native conifers spreading out of plantations and onto adjacent open habitats affect plant and bird communities and hydrology. This is an applied conservation project of high policy relevance. This project brings together a highly experienced supervisory team with expertise in peatland science, ornithology, hydrological modelling, applied ecology and conservation.

What expertise and skills will the student develop?
This project will combine GIS-based mapping and spatial data processing with advanced field-based ecological surveying (vegetation, birds) and hydrological data collections (in situ and based on remote-sensing tools). As well as dedicated training in the relevant field techniques, the student will be trained in a range of data wrangling and advanced statistical techniques in R. The student will also develop a range of transferable skills such as evidence synthesis, scientific writing, presentation to a range of audiences, including local landowner groups and communities. The student will be well-equipped for a career in academia, research, environmental consultancy or land-based management and policy.

Why is the project novel?  
This project will generate the first empirical datasets on eco-hydrological impacts of self-seeded non-native conifer stands in the Flow Country, which has been highlighted as a critical gap in knowledge by recent evidence syntheses. By combining empirical data gathering of birds, plants and hydrology at the local (site) scale and mapping at the larger scale (landscape, Scotland), the project will reveal the true extent of the problem for the first time. By relating rates of spread to recent climate extremes, it will also begin to explore how the compounding effects of land use and climate change may exacerbate it.

What real-life challenge does it address?
Peatland protection and restoration are now seen globally as a key “low hanging fruit” in the fight against climate change and biodiversity losses, echoed in the UK by ambitious peatland restoration targets and dedicated restoration programmes. There is also robust and well-accepted evidence that non-native conifer plantations on peatland causes biodiversity losses across a range of taxa both within and outside plantations and leads to net losses of carbon to the atmosphere over decadal timescales. This project will support efforts to understand what happens when the same non-native conifer spread outside of the plantations, documenting their impacts now and scoping out what they might be in the future. In doing so, the project will help assess the likely trade-offs between costs and effects and help identify potential solutions.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Bernd Hänfling (University of the Highlands and Islands)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Sarah Henshall (Cairngorms National Park Authority)
Co-Supervisor 1: Frances Orton (Heriot Watt University)
Co-Supervisor 2: Cédric Laizé (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)

Project Description: Background
Riparian ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots that underpin river health, water quality, and flood regulation. Across the UK, these systems are increasingly degraded by multiple, interacting stressors that compromise their ecological integrity and resilience. Hydrological alteration from river regulation, drainage, and abstraction has reduced floodplain connectivity, while nutrient enrichment from agriculture and wastewater drives eutrophication and vegetation homogenisation. Historic channel modification and ongoing land-use intensification have simplified physical habitat structure and increased sediment and pollutant delivery. Invasive non-native species, such as Himalayan balsam, further destabilise riparian zones, and climate change amplifies these pressures through more frequent droughts and floods. Together, these stressors cause biodiversity loss, functional decline, and reduced ecosystem service delivery. River restoration programmes, such as those led by the Cairngorms National Park Authority, offer potential solutions, but their effectiveness must be robustly evaluated.

Aims and Objectives
This project aims to understand how multiple stressors shape the physical condition and biodiversity of riparian wetlands and to identify indicators of resilience and recovery. Specifically, it will:
Quantify physical and chemical stressor gradients across riparian sites.
Assess biodiversity patterns across trophic levels using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding.
Link stressor intensity, habitat condition, and biological structure to identify key drivers of degradation.
Develop and validate eDNA-based indicators of ecological condition for monitoring and restoration.
Integrate multi-stressor and biodiversity data into a predictive framework for resilient landscape design.

Research Approach
The project will combine hydrogeomorphic assessment, field surveys, and eDNA metabarcoding to assess riparian condition.
Physical habitat will be characterised using industry standard methodologies (e.g. RHS), combined with remote sensing and GIS analysis of connectivity, channel complexity and land use. eDNA from water samples will provide multi-taxa biodiversity profiles, including invasive species detection (e.g. alpine newt, signal crayfish). Multivariate modelling will link stressor data with eDNA metrics to identify thresholds, indicator taxa, and resilience patterns. The outcome will be a scalable, eDNA-informed framework for monitoring and guiding riparian restoration across UK landscapes.

What do you need to know:
This project combines field ecology, spatial analysis, and cutting-edge molecular techniques to assess how multiple stressors influence riparian wetland biodiversity and resilience. The student will work across disciplines, linking physical habitat assessments, environmental DNA (eDNA) based biodiversity assessments, and environmental data analysis, to develop innovative monitoring tools for restoration and policy application. The supervisory team provides exceptional expertise and complementary strengths: Bernd Hänfling (UHI) in eDNA and aquatic biodiversity; Frances Orton (HWU) in freshwater and amphibian ecology; Cédric Laizé (UKCEH) in environmental modelling and stressor analysis; and Sally MacKenzie (CNPA) in applied conservation and restoration management, ensuring comprehensive scientific, technical, and applied guidance throughout the project. 

What expertise and skills will the student develop?
 The student will develop a broad and interdisciplinary skill set spanning field ecology, molecular biology, spatial data analysis, and environmental management. They will gain hands-on experience in riparian and wetland field surveys, including River Habitat Survey (RHS) and hydrogeomorphic assessments, alongside advanced training in eDNA sampling, laboratory processing, and metabarcoding bioinformatics. Analytical skills will include multivariate statistics, geographic information system (GIS), and modelling of stressor–biodiversity relationships. Through collaboration with ECOWILD partners, the student will also develop science–policy communication, project management, and stakeholder engagement capabilities. Together, these skills will prepare the student for leadership roles in environmental research, conservation, and evidence-based ecosystem management across academia, government, or applied sectors.

Why is the project novel?
This project is novel in integrating environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches with physical habitat assessments to quantify the impacts of multiple, interacting stressors on riparian wetlands. While most studies address single pressures or use traditional biodiversity surveys, the project applies multi-taxa eDNA metabarcoding to capture comprehensive biodiversity responses across trophic levels. By combining eDNA data with physical habitat and stressor metrics, the project will identify molecular indicators of ecological condition and resilience. This integrated, scalable framework represents a step-change in how riparian ecosystem health is monitored, providing an innovative tool for evidence-based restoration and policy implementation in UK wetlands. 

What real-life challenge does it address?
This project addresses urgent, real-life challenges in providing the evidence basis for managing and restoring riparian wetlands that are increasingly degraded by multiple, interacting human pressures, including altered hydrology, nutrient enrichment, habitat modification, and climate change. These stressors undermine biodiversity, water quality, and flood regulation, yet are difficult to monitor and manage effectively. Current assessment methods are often labour-intensive, fragmented, and limited in scope. By developing an eDNA-based, multi-stressor monitoring framework, the project provides a powerful new approach for detecting ecological change, guiding nature recovery and restoration efforts, and supporting UK policy goals on water quality, biodiversity net gain, and climate resilience.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Jason Snape (University of York)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Chris Jones (Northumbrian Water Group (member of UKWIR))
Co-Supervisor 1: Isobel Stanton (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 2: Russell Davenport (University of Newcastle)
Co-Supervisor 3: John Wilkinson (University of York)

Project Description: The significance of natural and engineered wetlands as reservoirs for the evolution, selection, enrichment and removal of AMR and ARGs is understudied, as is the impact of temperature and rainfall. This project will examine the impact of multi stressor effects (temperature, precipitation, chemical mixtures and gradients) on AMR, microbial species, populations and communities in natural and engineered wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide (Figure 1).  The objectives of this project are to:
Use microbiological and molecular methods to quantify changes in the diversity and relative abundance of ARGs, and their host bacteria, over a 18-month period in natural and engineered wetlands; with increased sampling frequencies at high temperatures and periods of high or low rainfall. Does the abundance of resistant enteric bacteria increase at higher temperatures and periods of low rainfall?
Compare the ARG burden, type and microbial hosts between natural and engineered wetlands and their dynamics with changes in temperature and rainfall.
Explore the spatial variability of ARGs, their hosts, and chemical exposure within engineered wetlands (trickling filter beds and reedbeds) where significant chemical gradients exist. Is resistance greatest at the top of the trickling filter and reedbeds where the highest chemical concentrations and complexity exist?  Are resistant enteric bacteria dominant at the top of these engineered wetlands? What impact does temperature and rainfall have?
Determine whether engineered reedbeds reduce the environmental burden of ARGs and antibiotics.
Investigate how these multiple stressors impact ecosystem services (e.g. nitrogen and phosphorus removal) provided by the natural and engineered wetlands.
The student will have access to state of the art full-scale and pilot wastewater treatment facilities, engineered wetlands for enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal, molecular biology, analytical chemistry and microbiology facilities. This student will have a balance of field and laboratory work on an issue of global significance. 

What do you need to know:
Do want to conduct research on issue of global significance?  Do you want to shape environmental and public health policy that will help protect life?  Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a ‘super wicked’ problem; it’s deeply complex, multifaceted, and ‘resistant’ to straightforward solutions.  AMR arises from a tangled web of causes from the overuse of antibiotics in humans and animals, poor infection control, lack of basic sanitation in many developing economies, and pollution from production and patient use.  This research project will quantify in AMRs, microbial ecology and chemical exposure dynamics across chemical gradients, within natural and engineered wetlands, and identify the impact that temperature and rainfall events have on these dynamics. The supervisory team provide global leadership in this field helping to shape European policy and National AMR action plans.

What expertise and skills will the student develop?
In addition to the core ECOWILD training (e.g., field work design, digital awareness, commercialisation and entrepreneurial skills, responsible research and innovation, ethics, reproducibility, research integrity, open research methodology, communication skills etc.), the successful candidate will be trained in (i) relevant and reliable experimental design to support regulatory decision-making, (ii) microbiological culturing, (iii) microbial metagenomics, (iv) molecular techniques such as quantitative PCR, (v) bioinformatics and (vi) analytical chemistry. The student will also be exposed to different stakeholder perspectives and taught how to negotiate effectively to build trust and create a positive impact.

Why is the project novel?  
Natural and engineered wetlands are an understudied reservoir for the presence of AMR and resistance genes.  Engineered wetlands treating domestic wastewaters have a chemical gradient that drives microbial ecology. The abundance and type of resistance genes and their hosts will change within the wetlands; with highest levels of resistance nearer the top of the engineered wetlands compared to the bottom, and across the natural wetlands. These wetlands are open to the impact of seasonal variation in temperatures and precipitation. The impact this has on the abundance and types of resistance genes and their hosts, are unknown e.g., do human-derived resistant enteric bacteria dominate in summer? 

What real-life challenge does it address?
AMR is one of the top global public health threats, with 1.27 million deaths directly attributable to bacterial AMR in 2019. In addition, the World Bank estimates that AMR will result in $1 trillion additional healthcare costs by 2050. Engineered and natural environments have been implicated in the evolution, enrichment and dissemination of AMR, including co-evolution of AMR in the presence of multiple stressors. This project will assess the significance of natural and engineered wetlands as a reservoir for the selection and mitigation of AMR and the impact of variations in chemical exposure, temperature and rainfall.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Roland Gehrels (York University)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Stewart Angus (NatureScot)
Co-Supervisor 1: Hannah Mossman (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust)
Co-Supervisor 2: Roxane Andersen (University of the Highlands and Islands)
Co-Supervisor 3: Ed Garrett (University of York)
 
Project Description: Coastal saltmarshes in the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland are among the most ecologically valuable and geographically vulnerable habitats in the UK. These high-latitude wetlands support rare plant communities and biodiversity, while providing essential services such as coastal protection, carbon storage and flood mitigation.
This PhD project investigates how multiple interacting environmental stressors, particularly sea-level rise, nutrient loads, salinity shifts, sedimentation and storm-driven erosion, shape the structure, function and vulnerability of coastal saltmarsh ecosystems in Scotland’s Northern and Western Isles. The project will use foraminifera, microscopic shelled organisms that are highly sensitive to environmental gradients, as indicators of tidal elevation and past sea-level change. The project will also use diatoms (microscopic algae) as indicators of salinity and nutrient loads. Despite their importance, the ecology of foraminifera and diatoms in these high-latitude saltmarshes remains entirely unstudied.
The overriding hypothesis is that interacting stressors produce non-linear, spatially variable impacts on foraminiferal and diatom assemblages, altering vertical zonation, and the ability of saltmarsh systems to record environmental change. The hypothesis will be tested in two phases.
In Phase 1, the student will conduct field surveys to establish modern foraminiferal and diatom zonation in relation to tidal elevation, nutrients, salinity, grain size and storm disturbance. This will test the hypothesis that assemblages are shaped by multiple co-occurring stressors and will lead to the development of a statistical transfer function for reconstructing past sea levels.
In Phase 2, the student will analyse sediment cores from selected marshes to reconstruct relative sea-level change over the last 1,000–2,000 years. This phase tests whether past environmental changes are reflected in microfossil records and explores saltmarsh resilience through time.
The student will gain expertise in ecological sampling, micropalaeontology, sedimentology and geochronology, as well as training in statistical modelling and science communication. They will join an interdisciplinary supervisory team with strengths in sea-level change, coastal and peatland ecology, and environmental management. Through this work, the student will contribute to better ecological monitoring, more accurate sea-level predictions and evidence-based coastal adaptation strategies for climate resilience.

What do you need to know:
This project explores how environmental stressors, particularly sea-level rise, affect the biodiversity and resilience of Scotland’s saltmarshes through the study of foraminifera and diatoms. It involves fieldwork in coastal wetlands, lab-based microfossil analysis and environmental modelling. The supervisory team combines expertise in micropalaeontology, coastal ecology, sea-level reconstruction, peatland science and environmental change. The team has extensive experience working in wetland environments and has established links with conservation agencies, providing both academic and practical support to ensure the student is well-positioned to succeed.

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
The student will gain advanced skills in field sampling, micropalaeontological analysis and sediment core processing. They will be trained in multivariate statistical techniques and develop a region-specific transfer function for sea-level reconstruction. Additional skills include dGPS surveying, radionuclide dating interpretation (e.g., radiocarbon, Pb-210) and the integration of palaeoecological data with environmental monitoring. The student will also build capabilities in transferable skills such as scientific writing, presentation and engagement with stakeholders. These skills will equip the student for careers in academia, research, environmental consultancy or coastal and climate change policy and management.

Why is the project novel?  
This project will generate the first ecological datasets for foraminifera and diatoms in the saltmarshes of Scotland’s Northern and Western Isles, a region critical for sea-level science yet largely unstudied. By applying multiple stressor theory to a high-latitude coastal ecosystem, it moves beyond traditional sea-level reconstruction to assess ecological vulnerability under climate-driven change. The integration of microfaunal/floral ecology with stratigraphic and modelling approaches is novel both methodologically and geographically. It addresses a key knowledge gap in glacio-isostatic adjustment models and supports future wetland management, offering an original contribution to both palaeoenvironmental and coastal science.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
Coastal wetlands are on the front line of climate change, facing sea-level rise, increased storm surges and habitat loss. This project directly supports efforts to understand and predict the resilience of vulnerable ecosystems, providing evidence to inform coastal adaptation strategies and biodiversity conservation. By improving our ability to reconstruct past sea-level changes in a glacio-isostatically sensitive region, the project also contributes to more accurate forecasts of future sea-level rise. Its outcomes will be relevant for climate modelling, policy-making and coastal resilience planning in the Scottish islands.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Mark Hodson (University of York)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Erin Corbett (JNCC)
Co-Supervisor 1: Frances Orton (Heriot Watt University)
Co-Supervisor 2: Jacky Chaplow (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 3: Jackie Mosely (University of York)
Co-Supervisor 4: John Wilkinson (University of York)
 
Project Description: Floodplain soils accumulate a wide range of organic and inorganic contaminants from a variety of sources such as runoff from higher relief areas, deposition from flood water, and direct application of agrochemicals and biosolids. This makes floodplain soils an ideal natural laboratory to assess mixture toxicity. Mixture toxicity is the guilty secret of environmental ecotoxicology. The majority of studies, including those on which current regulation is based, are conducted on single chemicals. However, the environment, and organisms in it, are exposed to mixtures of chemicals and there is a growing recognition that the ecotoxicological impact of chemicals depends on the other chemicals present.
Initially you will assess the extent of current publicly available documented contaminant concentrations and associated environmental data at floodplain sites located around the country. You will then use this survey to plan a sampling campaign taking soil samples from a substantial number of floodplain sites. You will analyse these for organic and inorganic contaminants together with soil properties that are known to impact the availability and toxicity of these contaminants, such as pH, texture and organic matter content and established indicators of soil health, such as earthworm populations and microbial activity. Next you will use modelling and statistical analysis to determine the relative importance of contaminants and their interactions on soil health indicators, together with the moderating effects of other environmental stressors such as pH and local climate impacts. Finally, you will consider the effect of environmental factors that are predicted to be affected by climate change, such as temperature, organic matter turn over time and the frequency and duration of floods and droughts which are known to impact on the fate and behaviour of chemicals in the environment to determine how the impacts of mixture toxicity may be altered in predicted future climates.

What do you need to know:
You will develop the skills necessary to interrogate existing databases to extract relevant data on floodplain soils and identify potential field sites for sampling. You will sample and analyse soils from these sites for properties such as pH, organic content and texture and use state of the art analytical methods to determine the concentrations of organic and inorganic contaminants that are present. You will assess the soils using emerging indicators of soil health and then develop statistical and modelling skills to disentangle the interactions of chemicals together with other soil properties in contributing to toxicity of the chemical mixtures and soil health. In addition the likely impacts of climate change on any relationships that emerge will be modelled using publicly available data (e.g. met office long-term trends).

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
You will develop the skills necessary to interrogate existing databases to extract relevant data on floodplain soils and identify potential field sites for sampling. You will sample and analyse soils from these sites for properties such as pH, organic content and texture and use state of the art analytical methods to determine the concentrations of organic and inorganic contaminants that are present. You will assess the soils using emerging indicators of soil health and then develop statistical and modelling skills to disentangle the interactions of chemicals together with other soil properties in contributing to toxicity of the chemical mixtures and soil health. In addition the likely impacts of climate change on any relationships that emerge will be modelled using publicly available data (e.g. met office long-term trends).

Why is the project novel?  
Mixture toxicity is the guilty secret of environmental ecotoxicology. The majority of studies, including those based on current regulation, are conducted on single chemicals. However, the environment, and organisms in it, are exposed to mixtures of chemicals. There is growing recognition that the impacts of chemicals depend on other chemicals present, however, the emerging science of mixture toxicity is largely laboratory based. Floodplains are natural sites of contaminant accumulation, through the application of chemicals to land and deposition from flood waters; they represent a novel and unique field laboratory to investigate the impacts of mixture toxicity on soil health. Further, while there are numerous laboratory based studies that have reported on interactive effects of chemical mixtures with climate warming, modelling for potential interactions of chemical mixtures, physico-chemical properties and climate change are rarely undertaken.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
Environmental legislation considers individual chemicals yet environmental exposure is to mixtures of chemicals. Furthermore the impact of chemicals on the environment varies depending on the combination of chemicals present. This project will both generate informative datasets on the co-occurrence of contaminants on floodplains but also provide insights into how these impact soil health indicators such as microbial activity and earthwork populations. In addition, our climate is changing and our use of, and the behaviour of, chemicals in the environment will change with it. This project will consider how the impacts of chemical mixtures and other physicochemical characteristics will change with predicted climate change.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Alistair Boxall (University of York)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Rosie Lennon (Natural England)
Co-Supervisor 1: Sam Harrison (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 2: Jenny Dunn (University of Keele)
 
Project Description: There is increasing investment in treatment wetlands by UK water companies to mitigate ongoing water pollution issues. Although these sites provide new habitat for wildlife and have the potential to improve biodiversity, little attention has been paid to the potential negative impacts on wetland wildlife species resulting from exposure to the chemicals and pathogens that will be released to them. In the UK, many protected bird species rely on wetlands at crucial times of the year, both for breeding and over-wintering purposes so could be particularly vulnerable to the combined effects of these toxic and disease pressures. This project will use a range of field-monitoring, modelling and analytical approaches to understand the potential impacts of chemicals and pathogens in treatment wetlands on free-living birds.
The student will start by identifying groups of chemicals and pathogenic organisms likely to be present in treatment wetlands and identifying suitable treatment wetland sites and control sites for monitoring. Seasonal monitoring of water, soil, plants and invertebrates will be used to explore the levels of chemicals and pathogens in the different matrices. Observational studies will explore how different bird species interact with the wetland environment. Monitoring results will be used alongside bird behavioural and dietary information to develop and apply a model for estimating exposure to chemicals and pathogens and the subsequent impacts on bird health. Non-lethal sampling of birds will be used produce data on blood chemical levels, immune function and pathogen prevalence allowing the exposure and effect model to be evaluated.
Finally, the student will have the opportunity to translate findings to site-specific or stakeholder-specific recommendations as part of the ongoing collaboration between Natural England and the water sector, as well as working with ornithology specialists to make recommendations in relation to protected species or national species reintroduction projects (e.g., common crane, corncrake).

What do you need to know:
The student will join a world-leading group exploring the environmental risks of chemicals and explore how exposure to mixtures of chemicals and pathogens in treatment wetlands impacts vulnerable bird species. The student will investigate seasonal exposure to chemical pollutants and avian pathogens using field monitoring, analytical chemistry and molecular biology methodologies. Exposure and effects modelling will be used to understand risks to bird health. The project benefits from expertise in environmental chemistry, avian ecology, avian disease, and environmental policy. The project findings will inform policy and guide conservation recommendations for water companies and Natural England, helping to protect wetland biodiversity.s


What expertise and skills will the student develop?
This project provides a unique opportunity for the student to gain an advanced and interdisciplinary skillset. Core skills will be developed in avian ecotoxicology and ecology. The student will gain hands-on experience of environmental monitoring and cutting-edge analytical techniques for chemicals and pathogens. The student will develop quantitative skills, including experience of developing and applying spatial exposure and effects modelling tools. The student will develop strong stakeholder management abilities, enabling them to translate their scientific research into policy and practice.

Why is the project novel?
This project addresses a critical, yet largely ignored, knowledge gap: the dual risk of chemical pollutants and avian pathogens to protected bird species within new UK treatment wetlands. While investment in treatment wetlands is increasing, current research focuses mainly on nutrient and bacterial removal, neglecting the crucial ecotoxicological and disease risks to the wildlife they attract. The novelty lies in the truly interdisciplinary approach that will be taken, integrating avian ecology, wildlife ecotoxicology, analytical chemistry, pathology, and spatial exposure modelling to provide the first integrated risk assessment which will lead to direct policy-relevant recommendations.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
The UK water industry is making large investments into treatment wetlands to meet regulatory targets for cleaner water. The challenge is that these new wetlands, while providing habitat, could be a hot-spot of chemical/microbial pollution and thus pose a health risk to the vulnerable and protected wetland bird species that they attract. The project’s goal is to resolve this dilemma by providing the scientific evidence needed by water companies and conservation bodies (like Natural England) to manage these sites safely, ensuring that infrastructure investment for water quality does not inadvertently lead to biodiversity decline.

Supervisory Team:

Lead Supervisor: Ben Keane (University of York)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Rachael Cooney (Yorkshire Water (member of UKWIR))
Co-Supervisor 1: Sam Robinson (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 2: Jason Snape (University of York)
Co-Supervisor 3: James Chong (University of York)
 
Project Description: Engineered wetlands treating domestic wastewaters have a chemical gradient that drives microbial ecology and spatial differences in biogeochemistry, nutrient cycling and gaseous emissions.  The GHG dynamics of these systems are understudied and it is not known whether they are a potential sink or source of global GHG emissions.  The student will have an impact-focused research project that will (i) determine the GHG footprint of engineered reedbeds relative to natural wetlands, (ii) describe the extent to which reed beds may be a source of sink or GHGs during their lifecycle, (iii) evaluate the impact that temperature and rainfall have on GHG emissions, and (iv) describe possible interventions to minimise GHG emissions and maximise CO₂ sequestration. The objectives of this project are to:

Deploy an in-situ Skyline automated flux chamber system on natural and engineered wetlands to measure spatial and temporal differences in GHGs.  This will focus on established natural and engineered wetlands, and those being established from scratch.
Use microbiological and molecular methods to quantify changes in the diversity and  function of bacteria and archaea responsible for carbon and nitrogen cycling (e.g. methanogens, nitrifiers, denitrifiers etc.) over a 18-month period in natural and engineered wetlands; with increased sampling frequencies at high temperatures and periods of high or low rainfall to see if changes in microbial community structure and function impact GHG formation or sequestration.
Determine whether engineered wetlands are a sink or source of GHGs and strategies to maximize CO₂ sequestration and minimise GHG emissions.

The student will have access to engineered wetlands for enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal (including some under construction and establishment), molecular biology, in situ analytical chemistry for GHG emissions, ex situ analytical chemistry for pollution and nutrient analysis, and microbiology facilities. This student will have a balance of field and laboratory work on an issue of global significance. 

What do you need to know:
Do want to conduct research on issue of global significance?  Do you want to shape policy that will help mitigate the impact of climate change?  Climate change is a complex issue with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions arising from anthropogenic and biogenic sources.  Engineered wetlands are being increasingly used to remove chemical pollution and nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from treated and untreated wastewaters. The GHG dynamics of these systems are understudied and it is not known whether they are a sink or source of global GHG emissions.  This research project will (i) quantify GHG flux across the spatial chemical gradients within natural and engineered wetlands, and (ii) identify the impact that seasonal impacts have on the GHG chemistry and microbial ecology dynamics.  The supervisory team provide global leadership in measuring GHG flux in the natural environment and microbial ecology that underpins the biogeochemical cycles for carbon and nitrogen.

What expertise and skills will the student develop? 
In addition to the core ECOWILD training (e.g., field work design, digital awareness, commercialisation and entrepreneurial skills, responsible research and innovation, ethics, reproducibility, research integrity, open research methodology, communication skills etc.), the successful candidate will be trained in (i) relevant and reliable experimental design to support regulatory decision-making, (ii) deploying approaches to measure GHG chemistry and flux in situ, (iii) microbiological culturing, (iii) microbial metagenomics, (iv) molecular techniques such as quantitative PCR, (v) bioinformatics and (vi) analytical chemistry. The student will also be exposed to different stakeholder perspectives and taught how to negotiate effectively to build trust and create a positive impact.

Why is the project novel?  
Engineered wetlands are being increasingly used to remove chemical pollution and nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from treated and untreated wastewaters. Engineered wetlands treating domestic wastewaters have a chemical gradient that drives microbial ecology and spatial differences in biogeochemistry, nutrient cycling and gaseous emissions.  The GHG dynamics of these systems, from anthropogenic and biogenic sources, are understudied and it is not known whether they are a potential sink or source of global GHG emissions.  This research project will (i) quantify greenhouse gas flux (CO2 sequestration, N2O formation and methanogenesis), microbial ecology (focused on nitrogen cycle and methanogenesis) and chemical exposure dynamics across the spatial chemical gradients, within natural and engineered wetlands, and (ii) identify the impact that seasonal impacts (e.g. temperature and rainfall events) have on the GHG chemistry and microbial ecology dynamics.  Opportunities will also be explored to maximise CO2 sequestration whilst limiting biogenic sources of N2O and CH4.

What real-life challenge does it address? 
Measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in engineered wetlands addresses the real-life challenge of determining whether these multifunctional systems, designed to improve water quality, also act as net sources or sinks of GHGs like methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (NO). This understanding is crucial for designing sustainable management strategies for treating wetlands and for accurately quantifying their impact on global warming targets, as if not properly managed they may emit more GHGs per unit area than natural wetlands.