PhD Studentship: Rooted in Resilience: Optimising the Plant-Soil System for Flood-Resilient Rain Gardens

Award Summary

This studentship provides a tax-free annual living allowance of £25,726 plus a research training support grant of £20,000 and 100% fees paid.

Overview

Climate change is driving more intense storms, putting urban drainage systems under pressure. Rain gardens (vegetated basins that manage stormwater) are a key sustainable solution, but their long-term performance often suffers due to generic design approaches that overlook plant ecology. This PhD project will transform rain garden design by linking plant traits to hydrological and ecological outcomes, ensuring resilience under alternating drought and flood stress.

Working with the Royal Horticultural Society and Robert Bray Associates, you will combine field studies of mature rain gardens with controlled experiments to assess how traits such as canopy interception, transpiration, and rooting depth influence stormwater retention, soil evolution, and biodiversity. Using these insights, you will develop a classification system and decision-support framework to guide practitioners in selecting plants and designing rain gardens tailored to site conditions and climate adaptation goals.

This research offers real-world impact, reducing flood risk, enhancing urban green infrastructure, and shaping future design standards. Ideal for candidates passionate about sustainability, plant science, and nature-based engineering innovation.

This PhD studentship is part of the Water Infrastructure & Resilience (WIRe) CDT funded by EPSRC and the Royal Horticultural Society.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: 28^th September 2026

Award duration: 4 years

Sponsor: EPSRC and RHS research into water use of garden plants / RHS and Robert Bray Associates

Supervisors: Dr Ross Stirling and at Newcastle University with (Dr Mark Gush and Dr Nicholas Cryer) from the Royal Horticultural Society alongside Kevin Barton of Robert Bray Associates

Eligibility criteria:

An MEng/MSc in a relevant subject or First or upper second class UG degree (2:1). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.

Home and international applicants (inc. EU) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. 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.  

International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme. 

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:  

• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8209F 
• Select ‘PhD Water Infrastructure & Resilience (WIRe)' as the programme of study 

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form  
• The studentship code WRII2601 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal. 

Contact details: justine.easten@ncl.ac.uk

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