PhD Studentship: Building Natural Resilience to Floods and Drought Using Green Infrastructure

Start date: 29/09/2025    

Studentship funding 

Sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society through 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

1^st Supervisor: Dr Lynda Deeks    

2^nd Supervisor: Dr Andrea Momblanch     

This PhD studentship offers a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with the Royal Horticultural Society to develop understanding and evaluate how the ‘green infrastructure’ benefits of gardens can be improved to increase society’s resilience to floods and droughts. 

This exciting PhD, in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), will aim to use a combination of data analysis, monitoring and modelling to develop an improved understanding of the water balance of domestic gardens and evaluate how the ‘green infrastructure’ benefits of gardens can be improved to increase society’s resilience to floods and droughts.  The PhD has the following outline objectives:

1. To design, install and monitor site-based measurements of the components of garden water balances;
2. To parameterise, calibrate and validate an appropriate numerical model to simulate the hydrological behaviour of gardens;
3. To combine data analysis, modelling and remote sensing approaches with land-use classification information to develop an up-scaled spatial analysis of the contribution of UK domestic gardens to the nation’s water balance;
4. To provide recommendations on how domestic gardeners can manage rainwater in their gardens to optimise rainwater storage and resilience to floods and droughts. 

This PhD is expected to provide improved understanding of the hydrological impacts and natural capital benefits of the UK’s gardens and horticultural sector. Continuing Cranfield’s collaboration with the RHS, it will also disseminate new knowledge on water dynamics within domestic gardens, and recommendations on ways of improving the efficiency of water use in gardens and adapting to climate change.

Entry requirements

Applicants should have a first or second class UK honours degree or equivalent in a related discipline. This PhD will suit a student interested in ecosystems services and with a passion for finding natural solutions to environmental problems impacting society. A background in hydrology, physical geography, environmental science or similar would be desirable, given the monitoring and modelling components. However, depending on the student’s background, training will be available at Cranfield University in understanding soils, modelling, GIS and remote sensing. This will be augmented, as required, by bespoke training in soil and vegetation monitoring by the RHS Environmental Horticulture team.

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 Lynda Deeks
Email: l.k.deeks@cranfield.ac.uk

To apply please click above 'Apply' Button

Keywords: freshwater, ecology, green infrastructure, flooding, droughts, hydrology, soil, data analysis, monitoring, modelling, industry collaboration, training, fully funded, PhD

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