Ross Stirling

This fully funded PhD studentship at Newcastle University, supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Environment Agency, investigates the impacts of drought on the UK’s flood defence levee network. With climate change intensifying both droughts and extreme rainfall, the resilience of levees is increasingly threatened by soil drying, shrinkage, cracking, and the weakening of protective grass cover. The project aims to understand how these environmental stressors compromise levee integrity and to develop innovative methods for assessing and monitoring asset health. You will work at the intersection of climate science, geotechnical engineering, remote sensing, and asset management, integrating national datasets such as UK Climate Projections, Environment Agency asset records, and satellite imagery with field investigations. The research will identify vulnerable regions and elucidate surface deterioration processes, contributing to future levee design, inspection, and maintenance strategies. The studentship offers hands-on experience in spatial analysis, fieldwork, soil and vegetation monitoring, and potentially numerical modelling. Collaboration with the Environment Agency ensures that your findings will have direct policy and practical impact, helping to build climate resilience into critical flood infrastructure. You will join a vibrant research environment with links to national agencies and research groups, including the British Geological Survey and Newcastle University. The project is ideal for candidates with backgrounds in hydrology, geotechnical engineering, soil/environmental science, or remote sensing. Applicants must hold or expect to obtain at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant discipline, demonstrate enthusiasm for research, independent thinking, analytical skills, and strong communication abilities. Both home and international applicants are eligible for the full studentship, which covers 100% tuition fees and provides a minimum annual living allowance of £20,780 (2025/26 UKRI rate), plus additional project costs. English language proficiency (IELTS 6.5 overall, minimum 5.5 in all sub-skills) is required for non-native speakers. The application deadline is January 8, 2026, with the studentship commencing October 1, 2026. For more information, a prospective applicant webinar is available. To apply, use the Newcastle University portal, select the relevant programme, and provide the required documentation and studentship code.