PhD Studentship: Uranium Speciation and Mobility in Organic-Rich Wetlands under Environmental Perturbations The University of Manchester in United Kingdom

[3.5-year PhD studentship with an annual tax-free stipend of £20,780 (UKRI rate for 2025/26, subject to annual uplift). Tuition fees will be paid for home students, and fee waivers may be available for international students.]

This PhD studentship at The University of Manchester explores the behaviour of uranium in organic-rich wetlands under changing environmental conditions. The project sits within environmental geochemistry and focuses on how hydrogeochemical fluctuations, redox shifts, and organic matter control uranium speciation, mobility, and remobilisation in coastal wetland soils.

The research will investigate the mechanisms that regulate uranium retention and release in a setting that is especially sensitive to climate-driven disturbances such as saline intrusion and drought–flood events. A central goal is to understand how uranium is immobilised through adsorption to organic matter and reduction from U(VI) to U(IV), and how these processes may be disrupted under variable conditions.

The project combines field observations with controlled laboratory experiments to build a mechanistic understanding of uranium behaviour in organic-rich systems. Topics include the influence of hydrogeochemical and redox fluctuations on uranium speciation and mobility, the role of organic matter in U mobility and redox kinetics, and the formation and stability of uranium-bearing colloids at field scale.

Students will gain multidisciplinary training in environmental geochemistry, mineralogy, colloid science, uranium biogeochemistry, laboratory and field methods, and quantitative data analysis. The project may use advanced analytical and modelling approaches such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), luminescence spectroscopy, electron microscopy, reactive transport modelling, and geochemical modelling.

This is a 3.5-year PhD studentship open to EU, UK, and US applicants. Funding includes an annual tax-free stipend of £20,780 at the UKRI rate for 2025/26, with expected annual uplift. Tuition fees will be paid for home students, and fee waivers may be available for international students. The expected start date is October 2026.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master's in Environmental Science, Environmental Geochemistry, or a related discipline. Experience in field and/or laboratory work, wet and solid chemistry techniques (such as UV-Vis, XRF, XRD, and SEM), and geochemical modelling is advantageous. A valid driving licence is desirable because the project is field-based.

To apply, contact the main supervisor Dr Lucie Stetten at [email protected] and include your current level of study, academic background, relevant experience, and a motivation paragraph. The application link is https://uom.link/pgr-apply-2425. The listed deadline is 26 August 2026.