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

This 4-year PhD studentship is open to both Home (UK) and international applicants. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend at the UKRI minimum rate (currently £21,805 per year) plus £1,000/annum enhancement, and a research training support grant of up to £20,000 for the full 4-year programme. This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually, the projects that receives the best applicants will be successful.

Healthy soils underpin food production, biodiversity, climate resilience and ecosystem restoration[1]. Yet the biological processes that maintain soil health occur largely out of sight, making them difficult to monitor, interpret and communicate. Soil organisms such as earthworms and microorganisms respond rapidly to environmental change and are widely used as indicators of soil condition[2]. At the same time, gardeners, land managers and communities make decisions based on their own observations and experiences of soil[3]. Emerging environmental sensing technologies offer further opportunities to detect belowground processes that are otherwise hidden. 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. To understand how different biological, technological and human sensing systems detect and interpret soil condition, and how these perspectives can be integrated to improve soil management, stewardship and public engagement.

This project is expected to start in September 2027.

Before you apply: Please contact the main project supervisor, Dr. Sharon Zytynska, to learn more about the project and discuss whether it may be suitable for you.

How to apply:

To be considered for this project you must submit a formal application through our online application portal by following the instructions provided here. Please note that you must select programme FSE PhD President’s Doctoral Scholarship:

If you already have an applicant account, use this link to open an application for FSE PhD President's Doctoral Scholarship. If you do not yet have an applicantaccount, follow the account setup instructions and then use this link to open an application for the correct programme.

When applying, please specify the full title and supervisor/s of the project, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees. You must also upload a Supporting Statement describing your motivation to apply to the project, your CV and transcripts of awarded and in-progress university qualifications. Please note late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

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. Previous research experience in soil ecology, microbiome analysis or science communication is desirable.

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