PhD in Evaluating the Influence of NEOM Regreening Approaches on Terrestrial Productivity (Funded PhD Studentship) University of Exeter in United Kingdom

[Home tuition fees, £15,000 research training support grant, and annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 for 3.5 years. International students receive partial tuition coverage (approx. £25,000 per year).]

The University of Exeter is offering a funded PhD studentship focused on evaluating the influence of NEOM regreening approaches on terrestrial productivity. This opportunity is based within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Services (TESS) lab, part of the Department of Geography at the Streatham Campus, Exeter. The project is funded by the Saudi NEOM initiative, one of the world's largest ecological restoration efforts, aiming to regreen drylands across vast landscapes in Saudi Arabia.

Supervised by Dr. Andy Cunliffe (Oppenheimer Associate Professor of Geospatial Ecology) and Professor Ted Feldpausch (Professor of Terrestrial Ecology and Global Change), the successful candidate will join a dynamic research group at the forefront of environmental change studies. The project will deliver new insights into the variability of plant productivity in response to dryland management and environmental variation, using advanced geospatial and machine learning techniques.

Key objectives include enhancing the Relative Productivity Index (RPI) framework for improved predictive performance and spatial resolution, evaluating the impacts of NEOM’s passive regreening actions (such as excluding large herbivores and off-road driving), and assessing active regreening efforts (including planting and irrigation) through multi-method approaches. The research will combine fine-scale RPI analysis with high-resolution optical data (e.g., Sentinel-2) to compare vegetation changes in intervention sites versus the wider landscape.

The studentship includes home tuition fees, a £15,000 research training support grant, and an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 for 3.5 years. International students are eligible to apply but should note that the award only partially covers international tuition fees (approximately £25,000 per year), and additional costs such as student visa, healthcare surcharge, and relocation expenses must be self-funded. The student will also undertake two extended visits to Saudi Arabia for place-based learning, model validation, and collaboration with the NEOM team.

Applicants should have a strong academic background in environmental science, geography, ecology, or a related discipline. The studentship is awarded on merit, and eligibility for home fee status may depend on recent residency or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The University of Exeter is renowned for its research into environmental change and its impacts on people, offering excellent facilities and collaborative opportunities within the TESS Lab and related projects.

The application deadline is 10 January 2026, with the studentship commencing from April 2026 onwards. For further details and to apply, visit the University of Exeter funding portal. Prospective applicants are encouraged to review eligibility criteria and funding details carefully and to contact the department for advice on fee status if required.