PhD Studentship: Socio-ecological Synergies and Trade-offs in River Rewilding

Start date: 29/09/2025   

Studentship funding

Sponsored by the Leverhulme Trust and Cranfield University, this Connected Waters Leverhulme Doctoral Programme studentship will cover the stipend (£19,237; tax free) and fees for up to 4 years for a home (UK) student.

Fee status of eligible applicants: UK 

Duration of Award if full time preferred*:  4 years 

Duration of Award if part time preferred: Choose an item. 

1^st Supervisor: Dr Robert Grabowski    

2^nd Supervisor: TBC 

This funded PhD studentship is an exciting opportunity to conduct new social-ecological research on river rewilding. River-floodplain connection via rewilding is increasingly seen as a transformative approach to reverse declines in biodiversity. However, new research is needed to determine how social, economic, political and environmental factors influence the adoption and evaluation of rewilding approaches. The studentship covers fees and stipend for a home (UK) student with funding provided by the Leverhulme Trust through the Connected Waters Leverhulme Doctoral Programme. Options exist for PhD and Master + PhD routes for study. 

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Rivers and floodplains should be hotspots of biodiversity in the landscape, because river processes naturally create a dynamic mosaic of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. However, land drainage, intensive land use (urban and agriculture), and river engineering have separated rivers from their floodplains, causing a loss of aquatic and wetland habitats. To counter this decline, the growing rewilding movement has sought to reconnect rivers to their floodplains, through the work of beavers and stage-zero schemes. 

In this study, a PhD researcher will investigate how social, economic, political and environmental factors influence the adoption of river-floodplain rewilding approaches. The project will combine social science and ecological research to address three objectives: (i) identify and detail the drivers, enablers, and barriers to rewilding in practice; (ii) determine how the greater uncertainty of natural process driven change in rewilding approaches influence expectations for target ecological communities, restoration objective setting and monitoring plans; and (iii) assess the potential for rewilding to support increased socio-ecological resilience and adaptation to climate change.

The PhD researcher will have flexibility in the design and implementation of the project, adjusting the focus based on their interests and the latest research findings. Though, we envision that the research project will involve fieldwork within the UK, and potentially internationally, to conduct surveys, interviews and/or questionnaires, plus the analysis of existing ecological data. There is the potential to collect new ecological data (e.g. wetland vegetation, insects, aquatic macroinvertebrates), if the applicant is interested.

Entry requirement

First or second class UK honours degree or equivalent in a related discipline.

Funding

To be eligible for this funding, applicants must be classified as a home student. We require that applicants are under no restrictions regarding how long they can stay in the UK.

How to apply

For further information please contact:
Name: Dr Robert Grabowski
Email: r.c.grabowski@cranfield.ac.uk 

Please click on the ‘Apply’ button to be redirected to our website for instructions.

Keywords: rewilding; floodplains; wetlands; rivers; freshwater; ecology; rural land management; ecosystem restoration; biodiversity

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