*DEADLINE EXTENDED: THIS POSITION WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL WE FIND A SUITABLE CANDIDATE. PLEASE CONTACT roxane.andersen@uhi.ac.uk FOR DETAILS*
FUNDING INCLUDES STIPEND, UK FEES AND RESEARCH & TRAINING COSTS
START DATE: OCTOBER 2021
We are looking for candidates for this PhD with an undergraduate degree (min. 2:1) a relevant field (e.g. mathematics, computational sciences, environmental sciences, physical geography, engineering, biological sciences) or equivalent.
ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Strong interest in modelling
- Experience of coding, programming skills
- Good written and oral communication skills
- Willing to relocate to Scottish Highlands
With the ramping up of funding for peatland restoration activities, the development of novel techniques and the rolling out of large-scale programmes through initiatives such as the Scottish Government’s Peatland ACTION programme since 2012, most of the restoration areas are still <10 years old. In recent years, the restoration techniques have been developing fast, and there is currently a gap in our understanding of how these techniques compare in cost-effectiveness, particularly over the mid to long-long term and with the added pressure from climate change.
Modelling approaches are ideally suited to investigate how blanket bogs may respond to a range of management interventions under future climate change scenarios, and to generate hypothesis about what the key drivers of those responses may be.
This project therefore aims to use two different peatland-specific process-based models to simulate short- and long-term responses of blanket bog to a range of management interventions, testing the hypothesis that degradation and restoration trajectories are non-linear and relate to feedbacks between hydrological thresholds and shifts in dominant plant functional types.
SUPERVISION TEAM
Dr Roxane Andersen – Lead supervisor, University of the Highlands and Islands
Prof Andy Baird – University of Leeds
Dr Jagadeesh Yeluripati – James Hutton Institute
Dr Andrew Duncan – University of the Highlands and Islands
