Oxygen is a fundamental water quality parameter; depletions in oxygen will affect fish habitat and increase anoxia promoting internal release of nutrients and heavy metals from lake sediment. Increased air temperatures are forecast to cause longer periods of stratification in lakes that will directly lead to longer periods of deoxygenation. Other climate-induced changes such as alterations to the strength of stratification and to hypolimnetic temperatures will also affect oxygen dynamics, as will any changes to phytoplankton productivity in lakes. Oxygen concentration, and particularly deep-water oxygen concentration, is, therefore, at risk of significantly reducing because of climate change, with widespread negative consequences for standing water ecosystems. The impact of climate change on oxygen concentration needs to be understood for adaptation approaches to be applied effectively.
The objective of this PhD is to validate oxygen models against real data, use the models to understand the effect that different lake morphology has on oxygen dynamics, and conduct global modelling experiments to demonstrate the impact of future climate change and adaptation strategies on deep-water oxygen in lakes across the world.
The position will be located in the Biological and Environmental Sciences Division of the University of Stirling, Scotland. The University of Stirling campus is exceptionally attractive, situated at the foot of the Ochil Hills and with a lake, Airthrey Loch, in the middle of campus. Stirling itself is a historic city, being the ancient capital of Scotland and lies close to Scotland’s two major cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh. There will be secondments to Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland and the University of Uppsala, Sweden. A willingness to travel and spend time outside the UK is therefore essential.
Further information
We are looking to recruit an outstanding and enthusiastic PhD student as an ITN Early Stage Researcher (ESR/ PhD student) to work on the H2020 MSCA ITN project ‘inventWater’ funded by the European Commission. This is an exceptional opportunity to join an international cohort of 15 ESRs and a wider team of international scientists working on key topics in the development of forecasting tools for adapting water quality management to a new climate.
Full time appointment as an Early Stage Researcher, fixed term for a period of three years. The post is also subject to successful enrolment on a PhD programme at the University of Stirling. The successful candidate will be provided with information on how to enrol on the PhD programme.
It is anticipated that a successful candidate who does not already have valid Right to Work in the UK will apply for a Global Talent visa to take up the post.
The post will be salaried for a period of three years with an expectation to submit a PhD thesis within four years of appointment. Please be aware that the fourth year of PhD registration carries no salary.
The closing date for application is midnight on Sunday 3rd October 2021.
More details, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, can be found at the University of Stirling job vacancy site:
Job advert and application portal on University of Stirling website
(https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/work-at-stirling/list/details/?jobId=2708&jobTitle=ITN%20Early%20Stage%20Researcher%20%E2%80%93%20inventWater%20ESR11)
Supervisory Team
Lead supervisor: Dr Ian Jones, University of Stirling, UK
Co-supervisor: Professor Eleanor Jennings, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland
Co-supervisor: Dr Peter Hunter, University of Stirling, UK
Informal enquiries to Dr Ian Jones ([Email Address Removed])
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