About the Project
Not a single river in England currently achieves good chemical status. We now know what is polluting rivers: metals from old mines, tyre-wear chemicals from roads, pharmaceuticals and veterinary medicines. What we don't yet know is the optimum way to fix these problems. This PhD puts you at the heart of that challenge. Working with Yorkshire Water, other actors such as the Environment Agency and researchers at York and Sheffield, you will combine environmental modelling, optimisation and…
decision science to work out which combinations of solutions, deployed where, will deliver the biggest gains for river health. Your work could help shape a national strategy for tackling chemical pollution in the UK's rivers. The project is part of the NERC-funded ECOSOLUTIONS Doctoral Focal Award.
Project details:
A recent research programme (ECOMIX), led by York, has built a detailed picture of chemical pollution in Yorkshire's rivers. It has produced a high-resolution exposure model and dashboard that pinpoints which chemicals pose a risk and where. Turning that picture into action is the next challenge. Each chemical has different sources and behaviour. The potential fixes range from replacing chemicals at source and better stewardship to nature-based systems and advanced treatment. Each fix has different costs, effectiveness and practicality depending on the chemical and the location. No framework yet exists to identify which combinations of interventions, deployed where, will most reduce the overall risk from chemical mixtures.
In this PhD project you will build that framework, using Yorkshire's rivers as a living case study. In the project, you will:
- use existing data and models, to prioritise the chemicals and river stretches where action matters most;
- evaluate candidate interventions through literature synthesis, modelling and targeted experiments;
- couple the ECOMIX exposure model with decision-support and optimisation methods (such as multi-criteria decision analysis and genetic algorithms) to design "solution portfolios" that balance risk reduction against cost and complexity, including under future climate and land-use change;
- test whether the framework can be transferred to other UK catchments to support a national strategy.
Throughout, you will work closely with Yorkshire Water and other actors, such as local and regional councils, the Environment Agency and Defra to make sure your solutions are realistic and deliverable.
This project would suit a numerate graduate in environmental science, geography, chemistry, engineering, data science, mathematics or a related discipline who wants their research to make a tangible difference. You will gain highly sought-after skills in environmental modelling, optimisation and decision science, opening doors to careers in academia, the water industry, regulators and environmental consultancy.
The ECOSOLUTIONS DFA
Led by the Universities of Sheffield and York and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, ECOSOLUTIONS is a cutting-edge, transdisciplinary initiative. This innovative programme combines science, policy, and societal engagement to transform chemicals policy and management, enabling a safe, sustainable chemicals sector and non-toxic environments. This project is one of 19 projects that are available for the third ECOSOLUTIONS and final cohort who will work together to begin to understand and solve the problems of sustainable chemical design and use, as well tackling the problems that pollution causes in urban environments, rural landscapes and food systems.
What You will Gain
As an ECOSOLUTIONS PhD student, you will work with world-leading experts across diverse fields such as ecology, data science, digital solutions, chemistry, geography, psychology, environmental engineering, policy, and law. You will learn to tackle the risks posed by chemicals while enabling their societal benefits, adopting a whole-systems and solutions-focused approach.
You will receive 3 years and 9 months of funding and take part in a dynamic training and development programme, including:
- Induction course: Connect with fellow students, supervisors, and the ECOSOLUTIONS team while exploring the programme’s mission.
- Primer course: Gain foundational knowledge on the environmental risks that chemicals pose, policy landscapes, and sustainable chemical innovation.
- Transferable skills workshops: Master data management, big data methods, research practices, communication, stakeholder engagement and more.
- Systems-solutions workshops: Collaborate across disciplines to explore sustainable chemical design and development, address pollution in urban & rural landscapes, and develop actionable solutions.
- Three-month secondment with Yorkshire Water or another ECOSOLUTIONS partner
- International conferences: Share your findings and network with global experts.
The skills you will need
To do this project you will need the following essential skills:
- Data analysis and/or modelling
The following skills would be desirable though not essential:
- Coding
- Environmental chemistry
Eligibility
To be considered for the ECOSOLUTIONS DFA, you will need at least an upper 2nd class honours degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline.
As a collaboration of international research-led universities, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. Within our programme, we are dedicated to diversifying our community.
As part of our ongoing work to improve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we strongly encourage applications from UK/Home candidates from identified underrepresented groups: Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, those from a disadvantaged socio-economic background, and disabled people.
Start Your Research Career with ECOSOLUTIONS:
This PhD is part of the ECOSOLUTIONS Doctoral Focal Award (DFA), a prestigious NERC-funded program dedicated to training the next generation of environmental practitioners. For more details and a full list of other PhD projects under this programme, visit: https://ecosolutions.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/
Application Web Page:
For more information on how to apply, please visit the ECOSOLUTIONS website: https://ecosolutions.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/
Project specific enquiries: Professor Alistair Boxall, alistair.boxall@york.ac.uk
Funding Notes
This is a full scholarship which will cover tuition fees and provide an annual stipend in line with UKRI recommended levels (£21,805 for the 2026/2027 academic year, TBC in 2027/2028) for the 45 months duration.
Due to CDT funding rules and Institutional policies, there is a cap on the number of scholarships that can be awarded to DFA students. Once this limit has been reached, ECOSOLUTIONS DFA scholarships will only be awarded to students who are eligible for Home fee status. York and UKCEH led projects can only fund applications from UK/Home eligible applicants and Sheffield can accept applications from both with very limited places for international students.