soil PhD Projects, Programs & Scholarships

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Supervisor. Tiina Roose. Co-supervisor William Powrie. Project description. Soil is one of the most complex and important self-assembling organo-mineral composites in the world.

Bridging the gap between environment and health – exposure assessment of potentially harmful agents in soil

Kingston University
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing

Dr P Hooda

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Our current understanding of soil exposure in the UK population is extremely limited. The current risk assessment paradigm makes large assumptions based on very uncertain data to estimate direct exposures via soil ingestion or dust inhalation.

Microbial biogeochemistry in agricultural landscapes: An investigation of reactive nitrogen oxide fluxes from soil

University of Warwick
School of Life Sciences

Dr R Mushinski, Prof G Bending

Application Deadline: 7 June 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

A range of pollutant gases, and especially nitrogen (N) compounds (N2O, NO, NO2, etc.) are emitted to the atmosphere from agricultural activities.1 These gases are extremely important for a myriad of reason including their contribution to climate change, urban air pollution, and N-deposition.

Modelling soil dewatering and recharge for cost-effective and climate resilient infrastructure

University of Southampton
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Research Group: Bioengineering

Prof T. Roose

Application Deadline: 31 August 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Supervisor. Tiina Roose. Co-supervisor William Powrie. Project description. Soil is one of the most complex and important self-assembling organo-mineral composites in the world.

Rebuilding soil quality and crop performance in arable farming by herbal leys

University of Sheffield
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences

Prof J Leake

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Intensively cultivated arable soils that have been used to grow annual crops for decades often suffer from low organic matter content and weak structure.

Experiments of rain droplet penetration of porous media using laser diagnostics

University of Southampton
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Research Group: Bioengineering

Prof T. Roose

Application Deadline: 31 August 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Supervisor. Tiina Roose. Co-supervisor Bharath Ganapatrhrisubramani. Project description. Soil is one of the most complex self assembling organo-mineral composites in the world.

Monitoring chemical dynamics in soil and water with advanced microfluidic sensors

University of Southampton
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Research Group: Mechatronics Engineering

Dr X. Niu

Application Deadline: 31 August 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Supervisor. Dr. Xize Niu. Co-supervisor Dr. Adrian Nightingale and Prof. Tiina Roose. Project description. Excess nitrogen and phosphorous leaching from agricultural and horticultural lands into waterways is a long-standing challenge for agricultural sustainability and environmental protection.

The Impact of Management on Grassland and Cropland Soil Organic Carbon

University of Limerick
Department of Biological Sciences

Dr K Byrne

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but potential funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Background. Carbon (C) sequestration associated with pastures and improved grassland management could provide a mitigation option without impacting on agricultural production.

Investigation of Tectonic Effects on Pipeline Stabilty

Central Queensland University
School of Engineering & Technology

Dr S Ullah

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Pipelines make an important group of structures called lifelines, as they support conducting water, oil and gas essential for life.

The role of pipeline-soil interaction in the stability of pipelines

Aberdeen University
School of Engineering

Prof A Ivanovic, Dr A Akisanya

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The axial resistance to movement of a marine pipeline is an important factor in the assessment of the stability of subsea and onshore pipelines.

Grazing and disturbance as management tools in coastal wetlands: consequences for soil organic matter, biodiversity and functional resilience

Loughborough University
Department of Geography

Dr A Keith

Application Deadline: 9 June 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Application details. Reference number. CENTA20-LU15. Start date. 1 October 2020. Closing date. 9 June 2020. Interview date. Week beginning 22 June 2020.

Microbial establishment on growing rhizoplanes

University of Warwick
School of Life Sciences

Dr M Gifford

Application Deadline: 7 June 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Microbial activity in soil and associations with plants are essential to nutrient availability, soil biodiversity and fertility. Plants are active in the colonization process and secrete compounds that stimulate or repress specific soil microbes [1].

Investigating the Interactions between Drilling Mud and Surrounding Soil in Horizontal Directional Drilling

University of Birmingham
Department of Civil Engineering

Dr A Royal, Prof D N Chapman

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Horizontal directional drilling is a technique that offers the ability to install pipes and cables without the need for open cut excavation.

Research Studentship in Development of a Practical Soil Constitutive Model Suitable for the Design of Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations in Sand, Considering Cyclic Loading – Numerical Analysis

University of Oxford
Department of Engineering Science

Prof C M Martin, Prof H Burd

Application Deadline: 12 June 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Research Studentship in Development of a Practical Soil Constitutive Model Suitable for the Design of Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations in Sand, Considering Cyclic Loading – Numerical Analysis.

Development of novel sensors for measuring porewater pressures in soils (Advert Reference: SF19/EE/MCE/MENDES)

Northumbria University
Faculty of Engineering and Environment

Dr J Mendes, Dr M Lim

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

High capacity tensiometers (HCT) are sensors used in geotechnical engineering to monitor positive and negative porewater pressures (soil suction) up to 2MPa in soil infrastructures and for the study of unsaturated soils in the laboratory.