A warm welcome from the DTP Director Richard Essery. On these pages you can read about the Edinburgh Earth, Ecology and Environment Doctoral Training Partnership (the E4 DTP), including information about our current students, their projects, and our partners. If you are already participating in our DTP, you will know about the existing training, research and collaborative opportunities offered by E4. If you are considering applying, you may wonder why the E4 DTP might be the right choice for you. Image The Scottish Association for Marine Science, one of the E4 DTP partners, near Oban, based on a peninsula neighbouring 13th century Dunstaffnage Castle One of the highest concentrations of NERC-remit research in the UK The E4 DTP is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Edinburgh and its surrounding regions have one of the highest concentrations of NERC-remit research in the United Kingdom. It is home to the University of Edinburgh as well as the offices of large independent research organisations such as the Centre for Hydrology and Ecology, the British Geological Survey, Scotland’s Rural College, the National Museum of Scotland, and Forest Research. In addition, our partners at the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre are all within easy reach, and there is a vibrant ecosystem of government, charity, and private businesses working in and around Edinburgh that are part of the E4 partnership. Altogether, there are several hundred specialists across all areas of NERC’s research remit working with us who can collaborate in PhD training and supervision. In our list of available projects, you will find a huge range of research topics, one of which may be perfectly suited to your interests. The clustering of environmental research around Edinburgh means that if you apply and are offered a position in E4, you will be part of a vibrant community of PhD students, researchers and professionals that extends naturally to many opportunities in science, policy, charity and business activities. A vibrant and diverse research community with many opportunities The clustering of environmental research around Edinburgh means that if you apply and are offered a position in E4, you will be part of a vibrant community of PhD students, researchers and professionals that extends naturally to many opportunities in science, policy, charity and business activities. Our community members have taken many and varied routes into environmental research and we encourage and support students from a diversity of subject and experiential backgrounds. As a result, our DTP is of sufficient size and diversity that we can offer an active menu of student-led activities to support your PhD journey, to go alongside numerous research groups and DTP training run by academic staff and non-academic partners. Image Student during the shooting of "A Day in my PhD life" video - ©RareBirdMedia You can look on our students’ profile pages to see the various activities our students have engaged in: the DTP programme allows flexible training and internship opportunities in addition to core scientific research that is part of your PhD. Our "A day in my PhD life" 5-minute videos, showcasing some of our current DTP students, give a fantastic insight into what an environmental science PhD looks like on a day-to-day basis, within E4 and also within the University of Edinburgh, and more widely in the City of Edinburgh and Scotland. Please do not hesitate to contact our current and past students: we think the E4 DTP is a fantastic place to get a PhD and are sure our students will agree. A positive, supportive and inclusive environment An E4 DTP cohort is made of about 25 students every year coming from a wide range of backgrounds and joining a community of more than 100 students already on the DTP at any one time. We value the diversity of our student community and encourage peer-support, integration and inclusion via cohort-building, interdisciplinary and multi-cohort events. We are committed to increase the diversity of our recruited cohorts and support applications from under-represented candidates through our unique Widening Participation scheme. We foster discussions and awareness around EDI topics and related issues and are open to suggestions to continue improve EDI amongst our students. Who would not want to live somewhere where you can hike to the top of UK’s highest mountain on Saturday, go to a beautiful sandy beach on Sunday, and then talk science with any number of the UK’s leading environmental scientists on a Monday? In addition to all the wide-ranging support services the University of Edinburgh has to offer, the E4 DTP dedicated administrative team is here to assist you and to provide support and guidance during your PhD journey. We care to create a positive and favourable environment for you to thrive as students and future professionals. Finally, getting a PhD is not all about work and Edinburgh consistently ranks amongst the best places to live in the UK. Who would not want to live somewhere where you can hike to the top of UK’s highest mountain on Saturday, go to a beautiful sandy beach on Sunday, and then talk science with any number of the UK’s leading environmental scientists on a Monday? Richard Essery E4 DTP Director Current DTP Students | The University of Edinburgh DTP Alumni | The University of Edinburgh Programme Structure | The University of Edinburgh Studying in Edinburgh | The University of Edinburgh "A day in my PhD life" videos | The University of Edinburgh Equality, Diversity and Inclusion | The University of Edinburgh Services and support | The University of Edinburgh This article was published on 2024-02-26
