Dr L A Schipper
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
The University of Waikato (UoW) and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) through the joint Institute for Freshwater Management (Te Waiora), in association with Lincoln Agritech and Aqualinc Research have established a new research programme to develop novel approaches for treatment of diffuse pollution from agriculture. As part of this programme of research we have funding for three PhD students based at UoW (see other adverts for related PhD projects). While PhD students will have their own research topics, we will expect close collaboration between students working as a team to solve these challenging problems.
This specific PhD will focus on "Carbon dosing of denitrifying bioreactors" and investigate whether and to what extent dosing of denitrifying bioreactors with a soluble carbon source (such as methanol) can stimulate nitrate removal from agricultural drainage water. Denitrifying bioreactors are large containers filled with a particulate carbon sources such as wood chips that support removal of nitrate
through microbial denitrification. The additional of soluble carbon at specific times is being explored as an approach for short-term enhancement of removal rates. For additional background on denitrifying bioreactors and dosing see Hartz et al. (2017) and Addy et al. (2016). Determining simple and efficient approaches for field based carbon dosing will also be important and conducted in collaboration with research partners.
Applicants will be independent and highly motivated with:
• An Honours or MSc degree in a relevant subject (e.g., environmental (bio)geochemistry, microbial ecology, environmental engineering/ chemistry)
• Experience with lab and/or field experiments
• Sound skills in analysing data
• Excellent communication skills in English (spoken and written)
Annual stipend for 3 years: $34,000 (includes $6,500 annual fees)
Closing date 14th January 2019. The positions will start between March and June 2019.
Applicants should send electronic applications as a single PDF document comprising a letter of motivation and curriculum vitae (including contact information for 2 referees) to Prof Louis Schipper ([Email Address Removed]). Background of his group can be found at www.waiber.com. Your letter of motivation should describe why you are interested in this PhD scholarship.
References
Addy K, Gold AJ, Christianson LE, David MB, Schipper LA, Ratigan NA (2016) Denitrifying Bioreactors for Nitrate Removal: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Environmental Quality 45(3): 873-881
Hartz T, Smith R, Cahn M, Bottoms T, Bustamante SC, Tourte L, Johnson K, Coletti L (2017) Wood chip denitrification bioreactors can reduce nitrate in tile drainage. California Agriculture 71(1): 41-47
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