PhD Studentship: Unravelling the Effects of Fertilization on Grassland Plant-microbe Ecological Networks: 125 Years of the Palace Leas Experiment

Award summary

100% Home fees covered, and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £19,237 (2024-25 UKRI rate). Additional consumable funds of £2200pa  

Overview

Are you Interested in integrating state-of-the-art skills in soil and plant science, molecular biology and network ecology using one of the world’s oldest grassland experiments? Linked to the England Ecosystem Survey (ESS), are you up for the challenge of finding the potential of grassland soils to combat climate change and re-carbonisation? You will use the Palace Leas meadow hay plots, established in 1896, to examine the long-term effects of manure and/or fertilizer treatments on the soil microbiome and plant-microbe interactions. By merging advances in DNA-metabarcoding with network ecology it will address these outstanding questions: 1) What are the long-term effects of manure and fertiliser treatment on soil structure, microbiome and plant-microbe interactions? 2) Do changes to the ecological network structures affect ecological processes and yield? 3) What are the main biotic/abiotic drivers of yield increases over the past century?

You will receive training in i) Soil measurements/ecology; ii) Python language/bioinformatics; iii) Metabarcoding; iv) Network construction and analysis; and the potential for v) Transcriptomics as part of an interdisciplinary team using fundamental science to tackle pressing global needs.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: January 2025

Award duration: 3 Years

Sponsor: IAFRI 

Supervisors:

Prof. Darren Evans (Newcastle), Dr. Rati Bell (Fera Science Ltd), Dr. Sharon Zytynska (Liverpool) and Dr. Alison Bennett (Ohio State) 

Eligibility criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in Biology/Molecular biology, Ecology, Microbiology or similar. Numerate applicants from a mathematical/computer science background are also encouraged to apply.  

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.  

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: 8020F
• Research area Biological Sciences
• Select PhD Biology (Full-Time) 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 into the application form
• The studentship code SNES277a in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
• When prompted regarding 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.

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section please upload:

• Your CV

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.

Contact details: darren.evans@newcastle.ac.uk

Advert information