Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
A fully funded PhD opportunity to participate in the world-leading research undertaken by the EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award at the University of Sheffield.
Supervised by Prof Virginia Stovin and Dr Holly Croft.
The University of Sheffield is one of the leading Russell Group universities in the UK. We carry out cutting-edge research with strong links to industry. When you enrol to do a PhD with us, you will be working with world-leading academics and have access to top of the range facilities. As a PhD student you will have the opportunity to gain skills not only to conduct research, but also to take your career to the next level, whether you want to stay in academia, go into industry or the public sector, or set up your own company. You will have access to a range of training and support services to help you excel in your studies and beyond.
Project Description
Evapotranspiration (ET) represents a key flux in urban heat & water budgets, and is a critical component in our efforts to deliver climate change resilient cities, providing urban cooling and supporting effective stormwater management. The vegetated components of urban green infrastructure - including parks, gardens, trees and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) - are key to promoting ET, and hence urban cooling. The prevalence of heat waves in recent years, with their negative implications for human comfort and health, has dramatically highlighted the need for nature-based cooling interventions, even in the UK.
This PhD will complement a current EPSRC-Funded project (QUEST-GI) which focuses on delivering novel approaches to the measurement of ET directly from urban green infrastructure (GI). The research will use mixed methods to investigate the cooling benefits associated with green infrastructure, and will benefit from a cross-Faculty collaboration, between the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering and the School of Bioscience. The research methods are expected to include: direct monitoring of ET from SuDS and GI within the city of Sheffield; analysis of remotely-sensed satellite data; and microclimate modelling tools e.g. ENVI-met. The field data will be used to gain understanding of the functional performance of different plant species within GI, and to validate city-scale satellite data estimates of ET, while the modelling work will permit the trialling of future scenarios, including the retrofitting of SuDS (primarily for stormwater management) and broader urban greening strategies. The research is expected to have an impact on Governmental decision-making through policies relating to human health, heat stress and urban greening.
The PhD student will be based in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at the University of Sheffield and supervised by Prof. Virginia Stovin and Dr. Holly Croft (School of Biosciences). The project will provide training and allow the PhD student to gain skills and experience with novel ground-based sensors, satellite analysis and environmental modelling software. The ideal candidate will have experience in computer programming, spatial analysis and/or remote sensing, with a background in environmental science desirable. Given the cross-disciplinary nature of the project, we welcome applicants from Engineering programmes and numerate graduates from the natural physical sciences including Geography, Planning, Landscape and Biosciences.
How to apply
Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to contact the project supervisors to discuss your interest in and suitability for the project prior to submitting your application.
Please refer to the EPSRC DLA webpage for detailed information about the EPSRC DLA and how to apply. Applicants must ensure that they use the correct application form linked to the EPSRC DLA webpage and must submit an application for October 2027 entry. The form is unique to the EPSRC DLA. It contains the list of advertised projects from which to select, and three questions specific to the DLA.
The application deadline is 17:00 GMT 13 January 2027.
The majority of our DLA studentships will be allocated to candidates who qualify for Home fee status, in accordance with EPSRC funding regulations which place strict limits on international recruitment.
Funding Notes
The award will fund the full tuition fee and a maintenance stipend at the UKRI rate (currently £21,805 per annum) for 3.5 years, as well as a research grant to support costs associated with the project.