PhD Studentship: Understanding the Retention and Treatment of Highway Runoff Pollutants within Roadside Bioretention Systems - and Implications for Design and Long-term Maintenance

Award summary

This project is part of the Water Infrastructure & Reslience (WIRe) CDT with a tax-free annual living allowance of £24,000 (increased by £300 in years 2, 3 and 4 each), a generous research training support grant + UKRI fees paid.

Overview

Significant risks posed by highway runoff to the UK water environment have been exposed by industry associations, government and environmental organisations, scientists, and media streams in recent months. The composition of road runoff, which includes road salts, heavy metals, hydrocarbons and PAHs, PFAS, PFOS, PFOA, and a suite of microplastics and tyre wear constituents, means harmful pollutants may be present in significant concentrations.

Roadside bioretention systems are routinely considered as a runoff capture mechanism. Partnership investment programmes, Ofwat funded green economic recovery investments, and DEFRA funded innovation resilience programmes are also implementing these systems at scale. However, there is very limited consistent research evidence on the efficacy of different engineered filter media and soils to capture and retain pollutants and the influence of overlying vegetation; on the likely migration of pollutants through the soil horizons with time; and on the implications of pollutant capture on long-term maintenance needs and final decommissioning. This project will monitor real-world bioretention systems, alongside controlled dosing trials at the UKCRIC National Green Infrastructure Facility, to provide an evidence base and better understand the true performance of these strategies.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: September 2025

Award duration: 4 years

Sponsor: EPSRC & HR Wallingford

Supervisors: Prof David Werner Dr Ross Stirling Newcastle University and Bridget Woods-Ballard at HR Wallingford

Eligibility criteria

Undergraduate Honours Degree (Minimum 2:1), MSc or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project. Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.

Under the 30% UKRI international recruitment policy, Newcastle will pay the international fee difference for International applicants (including EU) awarded a WIRe CDT studentship at Newcastle (limited to 1 PhD student per academic year).

Further information will be provided at application stage. 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 WRII2502 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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