About the Project
This project is part of the NERC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training, ECOWILD. For more details, and for a full list of projects offered under this programme, please visit: https://ecowild.site.hw.ac.uk/
Projects Description:
What does a student need to know about this project and why is your supervisory team best to support it?
This project will be the first of its kind to integrate monitoring of both multiple stressors and ecosystem services in restored saltmarsh ecosystems, right from the beginning of the managed realignment of a new coastal saltmarsh. Focused on microplastics and their potential to serve as a reservoir for pathogens and antimicrobial resistance, and together acting as potential multiple stressors in restored saltmarsh systems, the supervisory team brings access to the state-of-the-art microplastics analysis facility at UKCEH as well as expertise in molecular ecology, environmental microbiology, saltmarsh restoration, and multiple stressor impacts.
The team collectively spans disciplines from microplastics and microbial source monitoring and tracking, as well as interactions of these multiple stressors, to blue carbon and habitat restoration. This offers the student an exceptional opportunity to work at the interface of environmental chemistry, ecology, and genomics. The student will also benefit from access to UKCEH’s high-performance sequencing and analytical infrastructure, as well as collaborations with restoration practitioners and conservation organisations involved in saltmarsh restoration schemes. This combination of facilities, expertise, and stakeholder partnerships provides an ideal environment to deliver an ambitious, interdisciplinary project with strong scientific and applied outcomes.
Why is the project novel?
The timing of this project provides a unique opportunity to investigate the accumulation of microplastics as new saltmarsh develops, as it coincides with restoration of saltmarsh along the coastline. Through a unique combination of monitoring approaches, utilising the latest vibrational spectroscopy and molecular ecology techniques, the project will explore and evaluate the role of plastics (including microplastics) acting as a reservoir for pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in these emerging systems, in addition to quantifying key ecosystem services. It will therefore provide the first comprehensive framework for evaluating both the benefits and potential unintended consequences of large-scale coastal restoration schemes.
What real-life challenge does it address?
This project directly addresses the real-world challenge of how to restore coastal habitats in ways that maximise ecological and climate benefits while minimising new environmental risks. It will evaluate the trade-offs between the benefits of saltmarsh restoration for a range of ecosystem services (carbon storage, biodiversity, flood protection), and the potential introduction of new stressors through sediment-borne contaminants and microbes. In doing so, it responds to an urgent policy and management need to understand the sustainability of nature-based solutions under the pressures of pollution, climate change, and coastal development. The findings will provide evidence to guide coastal restoration design, management, and national blue carbon accounting frameworks, ensuring that restoration interventions remain both effective and safe.
Essential Skills:
- Field-based skills
- Laboratory skills
- Data analysis
Supervisory Team:
Lead Supervisor: Richard Cross (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Stakeholder Supervisor: Geoff Hilton (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust)
Co-Supervisor 1: Annette Burden (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 2: Joe Taylor (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
Co-Supervisor 3: Frances Orton (Heriot Watt University)
For more information on how to apply, please visit the ECOWILD website: 2026/27 Projects – ECOWILD
Project specific enquiries: Richard Cross (CEH) riccro@ceh.ac.uk
General enquiries: ecowild@hw.ac.uk
Eligibility
This project is available to home and overseas students. International candidates may apply but if successful, will need to demonstrate that they (or their supervisory team) have co-funding to cover the difference between home and international fees to be eligible. The difference in fees varies by programme. The current difference for 2026/27 academic year is approximately £21,000 per year.
Applicants typically should have a first or upper second-class honours degree or equivalent in an appropriate subject and preferably a relevant Masters’ qualification or similar experience.
We recognise that not every talented researcher will have had the same opportunities to advance their careers. We therefore will account for any particular circumstances that applicants disclose (e.g. parental leave, caring duties, part-time jobs to support studies, disabilities etc.) to ensure an inclusive and fair recruitment process.
English Language Requirements
Overseas students must be able to provide proof of their ability in the English language.
We require an IELTS certificate showing an overall score of at least 6.5 with no component scoring less than 6.0, or a TOEFL certificate with an overall score of at least 85, including reading 20, listening 19, speaking 20 and writing 21. Alternatively, if you have received an English-taught Bachelors or Masters degree from one of the countries listed on the UK Government Guidance under ‘Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English’, and it was obtained less than five years from your intended start date, you should provide evidence of your award that clearly states it was delivered and assessed in English language.
Timelines
The closing date for applications is midnight BST Tuesday 13th October 2026. Interviews are expected to take place on 27th October 2026 and applicants must be available to start in January 2027.
Funding Notes
This is a full scholarship which will cover tuition fees for Home students and provide an annual stipend in line with UKRI recommended levels (currently £21,805 in 2026-27) for the 44 months duration of the project.
International candidates may apply but if successful, will need to demonstrate that they (or their supervisory team) have co-funding to cover the difference between home and international fees to be eligible. The difference in fees varies by programme. The current difference for 2025/26 academic year is approximately £21,000 per year.
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