About the Project

Global changes like climate and land use change pose a significant threat to biodiversity and ecosystem function, requiring multidisciplinary approaches to predict and mitigate the potential loss of the services they provide. A key effect of climate and other global change drivers is the “reshuffling” of biotic communities as species’ local abundances and geographic ranges expand and contract. Though the patterns of how geographic ranges shift with global change are coming into view, more work on the mechanisms behind these shifts is needed to predict, mitigate, and engineer solutions to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as microbiome alleviation of plant stress.

This PhD project will take a multidisciplinary approach to elucidate the causes and consequences of biotic “reshuffling” caused by global changes. Overall, the PhD will blend physiology and experimental biology with community and ecosystem ecology to address fundamental biological questions with an impact on conservation policy, land management, and agricultural sciences. The project will use plants as the primary study organism as well as their interactions with microbes. The primary questions of the project will be: How will plant-soil feedback (PSF) of resident alpine and upward range-shifting plant species (Lynn et al., 2019) alter biogeochemical cycling (Pugnaire et al., 2019)? And how will these microbiome changes alter plant tolerance of variable environments (Herrmann et al., 2019)? This project will assess how the predicted competitive exclusion of alpine plants by range-expanding species will lead to altered ecosystem functions (e.g., soil carbon storage, nutrient cycling) given different potential PSFs of the plants and elucidate novel mechanisms by which plant microbiomes contribute to plant stress tolerance. A potential outcome of this work is the identification of agriculturally useful microbial symbionts that alleviate plant stress.

The student will gain skills with plant physiology (e.g., gas exchange, fluorometry), experimental design, Bayesian statistics, plant community analysis, microbial biology, soil physicochemical properties, and soil carbon flux and nutrient cycling. The student will receive world-class mentorship from the team of supervisors and join a collaborative training network with the opportunity to expand their research network internationally. Applicants should contact Joshua Lynn before applying (joshua.lynn@manchester.ac.uk).

Selected publications

• Herrmann, H. A., Schwartz, J.-M., & Johnson, G. N. (2019). Metabolic acclimation—A key to enhancing photosynthesis in changing environments? Journal of Experimental Botany, 70(12), 3043–3056. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erz157
• Lynn, J. S., Duarte, D. A., & Rudgers, J. A. (2019). Soil microbes that may accompany climate warming increase alpine plant production. Oecologia, 191(3), 493–504. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04518-6
• Pugnaire, F. I., Morillo, J. A., Peñuelas, J., Reich, P. B., Bardgett, R. D., Gaxiola, A., Wardle, D. A., & Van Der Putten, W. H. (2019). Climate change effects on plant-soil feedbacks and consequences for biodiversity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Science Advances, 5(11), eaaz1834. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz1834

This project is expected to start in September 2027.

Before you apply: We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisors for this project before you apply.

How to apply

To be considered for this project you must complete a formal application through our online application portal. If you already have an applicant account this link will directly open an application for PhD School of Natural Sciences Scholarships. If you don’t already have an applicant account, please follow the instructions here.

When applying, please specify the full title and supervisor/s of the project, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees. You must also upload a Supporting Statement describing your motivation to apply to the project, your CV and transcripts of awarded and in-progress university qualifications. Please note late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester and central to all our activities. A diverse research community strengthens creativity, productivity and quality, while increasing the societal and economic impact of our work. We welcome applicants from all career paths, backgrounds and sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation or transgender status.

We welcome applications from candidates returning to study after a career break or experience in other roles. Flexible study arrangements may be available, including part-time study at 50%, 60% or 80%, subject to the requirements of the project and funder.

Eligibility: The standard academic entry requirement for this PhD is an upper second-class (2:1) honours degree (or international equivalent) in Biology, Environmental Sciences, Geography, or similar degree program OR any upper-second class (2:1) honours degree and a Master’s degree at merit (or international equivalent) in Biology, Environmental Sciences, Geography, or similar degree program. Previous research experience in Ecology is desirable.

This project will remain open until filled.

If your application is submitted by 1st November 2026, you can expect a decision by 18th December 2026.

If your application is submitted by 15th January 2027, you can expect a decision by 30th March 2027.

Self or externally funded students can also be considered for this project.

FSE_SoNS

Funding Notes

Funding covers tuition fees, an annual stipend at the UKRI minimum rate (currently £21,805 per year), and a research training support grant of up to £2,500 per year for the full 3.5-year programme.