Qualification Type: | PhD |
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Location: | Newcastle upon Tyne |
Funding for: | UK Students, EU Students, International Students |
Funding amount: | £17,668 |
Hours: | Full Time |
Placed On: | 9th May 2023 |
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Closes: | 5th June 2023 |
Reference: | SNES238B |
Award Summary
100% home fees covered and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £17,668 (2022-23 UKRI rate).
Overview
This PhD will analyse the impact of the monetisation of biodiversity, such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), on tree planting and maintenance decisions in non-woodland contexts such as along infrastructural linear features, on brownfield sites and as part of development. Environmental and soil testing will be used to estimate trees survival, resilience and growth potential.
BNG is a new policy that aims to embed biodiversity uplift in development and creates a market “price” for biodiversity. It uses the Biodiversity Metric which is based on the use of habitat area, condition and distinctiveness as a proxy for biodiversity. However, the monetisation of biodiversity has the potential to create perverse incentives, including for tree health and survival.
This proposal is an inquiry into the monetisation of biodiversity and its impact on tree health outside of woodlands, particularly in development contexts. The methodology will include secondary analysis of existing data such as environmental impact assessments as well as environmental sampling and social research methods for targeted case studies.
The final research design will be developed with the PhD candidate during the first year. The ideal student will be confident working with an interdisciplinary team and deploying a range of methodologies (supported with training), and have a background in environmental science, applied ecology or equivalent.
Number of awards: 1
Start date: 18th September 2023
Award duration: 3 years
Sponsor
Institute for AgriFood Research Innovations (IAFRI) & Newcastle University (NU)
Supervisors
Glyn Jones (Fera) and Elisa Lopez-Capel (NU)
Eligibility Criteria
You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant subject (e.g. biology, ecology, soil science etc.).
Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.
The studentship covers fees at the Home rate (UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status and meet the residency criteria). International applicants are welcome to apply but will be required to cover the difference between Home and International fees.
How to apply
You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal
Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.
Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:
You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:
Contact Details
For further information please contact: glyn.d.jones@fera.co.uk and include ‘IAFRI PhD’ in the email subject line.
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