FSE PhD President's Doctoral Scholarship - Sensing Soil Health: Linking Biological Indicators and Human Perceptions

The University of Manchester; Manchester; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 23,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stipend at UKRI rate

Research training support grant

Job summary

The University of Manchester invites applications for a four-year PhD studentship funded through UKRI. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend at the UKRI minimum rate (£21,805 per year) plus £1,000 enhancement and a research training support grant of up to £20,000 for the full four-year programme.

The project focuses on sensing soil conditions across urban environments. Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, at least an upper second-class undergraduate honours degree (2:1)

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree required (2:1 or equivalent).
• Experience or exposure to soil ecology, biodiversity or environmental science preferred.
• Strong ability to communicate science to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Study soil sensing systems across biological, technological and human dimensions.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to analyze soil data and interpret results.
• Disseminate findings through reports, presentations and public engagement.

Skills

Soil ecology

Science communication

Data analysis

Education

2:1 in Environmental Science or related field

Job description

This4-yearPhDstudentshipisopentobothHome(UK)andinternationalapplicants. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend at the UKRI minimum rate (currently £21,805 per year) plus £1,000/annum enhancement,andaresearchtrainingsupportgrantofupto£20,000forthefull4-yearprogramme. This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually, the projects that receives the best applicants will be successful.

Healthysoilsunderpinfoodproduction,biodiversity,climateresilienceandecosystemrestoration[1].Yetthebiologicalprocessesthatmaintainsoilhealthoccurlargelyoutofsight,makingthemdifficulttomonitor,interpretandcommunicate.Soilorganismssuchasearthwormsandmicroorganismsrespondrapidlytoenvironmentalchangeandarewidelyusedasindicatorsofsoilcondition[2].Atthesametime,gardeners,landmanagersandcommunitiesmakedecisionsbasedontheirownobservationsandexperiencesofsoil[3].Emergingenvironmentalsensingtechnologiesofferfurtheropportunitiestodetectbelowgroundprocessesthatareotherwisehidden.However, little is known about how these different systems of sensing align, what aspects of soil condition they capture,and how they influence environmental decision-making.This project addresses the Sensing the World theme by investigating how biological , technological and human systems sense, interpret and respond to soil condition across urban environments.

Aim.

Tounderstandhowdifferentbiological,technologicalandhumansensingsystemsdetectandinterpretsoilcondition,andhowtheseperspectivescanbeintegratedtoimprovesoilmanagement,stewardshipandpublicengagement.

ThisprojectisexpectedtostartinSeptember2027.

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, at least an upper second-class undergraduate honours degree (2:1), or an equivalent qualification, in Environmental Science, Ecology, Biology, Geography or related field.Previousresearchexperienceinsoilecology,microbiomeanalysisorsciencecommunicationisdesirable.

£21,805 - please see advert