E4 Cohort 2021

PhD Project title: Photocatalytic Water Purification for Drinking Water and Environmental Remediation

Supervisors: Neil Robertson (UoE School of Chemistry) & Efthalia Chatzisymeon (UoE School of Engineering)

CASE Project Partner: Clean Water Wave

Student Profile

PhD Project title: Predicting the fate and migration of CO2 in CCS reservoir overburden

Supervisors: Ian Molnar (UoE School of GeoSciences), Magdalena Krol (Lassonde School of Engineering, York University) and Stuart Gilfillan (UoE School of GeoSciences)

External Project Partner: Lassonde School of Engineering, York University

Student Profile

PhD Project title: Explosive basaltic eruptions and the potential role of supercritical fluids

Supervisors: Linda Kirstein, Ian Butler and Godfrey Fitton (UoE School of GeoSciences)

Student Profile

PhD Project title: 400 Million Years of Sugar Transport in Plants: unearthing the evolutionary origin of the phloem in the Rhynie chert

Supervisors: Sandy Hetherington (UoE School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences - Hetherington Lab) and Rachel Wood (School of GeoSciences)

Student Profile

PhD Project title: Evolutionary ecology of the Phytophthora austrocedri - Juniper (Juniperus communis) pathosystem.

Supervisors: Stephen Cavers (CEH), Richard Ennos (School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology), Catherine Kidner (UoE School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences / Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) and Sarah Green (Forest Research)

CASE Project Partner: Forest Research

PhD Project title: Developing a simple, cost-effective way to assess peatland health on the molecular level

Supervisors: Nicholle Bell (UoE School of Chemistry), Roxane Andersen (University of the Highlands and Islands) and Margaret Graham (UoE School of GeoSciences)

External Project Partner: University of the Highlands and Islands

PhD Project title: Wood fuel transitions and their impact on tropical ecosystems 

Supervisors: Casey Ryan (UoE School of GeoSciences), Rob Bailis (Stockholm Environment Institute) and Dan Van der Horst (UoE School of GeoSciences)

CASE Project Partner: Stockholm Environment Institute

Student Profile

PhD Project title: Shaping the future of the UK’s landscapes – building a decision support system for sustainability

Supervisors: Amy Wilson, Chris Dent (UoE School of Mathematics) and Mat Williams (UoE School of GeoSciences)

PhD Project title: Controls on nitrogen fixation in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea

Supervisors: Robyn Tuerena (SAMS), Raja Ganeshram (UoE School of GeoSciences)

External Project Partner: SAMS

Student Profile

PhD Project title: Operationalising Evidence-Based Management of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction in a Changing Ocean

Supervisors: Murray Roberts, Paula Novo Nunez (UoE School of GeoSciences), James Harrison (UoE School of Law) and David Johson (Seascapes Consultants)

CASE Project Partner: Fietta LLP

External Project Partner: Seascapes Consultants

Student Profile

PhD Project title: Evolutionary impacts of genomic rearrangements

Supervisors: Simon Martin, Darren Obbard and Matty Hartfield (School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology)

PhD Project title: How natural selection shapes genetic variation

Supervisors: Jarrod Hadfield and Luke McNally (School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology)

PhD Project title: Africa’s monodominant forest 

Supervisors: David Harris (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh), Kyle Dexter (UoE School of GeoSciences) and Antje Ahrends (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh)

External Project Partner: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

PhD Project title: Life in Cold Places: The habitability of ices on Earth and icy moons

Supervisors: Charles Cockell and Sean MacMahon (UoE School of Physics and Astronomy)

PhD Project title: Understanding public opinions of conservation 

Supervisors: Aidan Keane and Janet Fisher (UoE School of GeoSciences)

CASE Project Partner: Nature Scot

PhD Project title: Scottish seagrass in a changing ocean; their health, role and restoration potential

Supervisors: Seb Hennige  (UoE School of GeoSciences), Richard Unsworth (Swansea University), Richard Lilley (Project Seagrass)

CASE Project Partner: Nature Scot

External Project partners: Swansea University and Project Seagrass

Student Profile

PhD Project title: Land use integration, change and conflict amelioration in the British uplands

Supervisors: Janet Fisher and Sam Staddon (UoE School of GeoSciences) 

CASE Project Partner: Nature Scot

Student Profile

PhD project title: A radical re-imagining of our cities for people and the environment: modelling the health, nutritional and environmental potential from cutting 90% of cars

Supervisors: Alfy Gathorne-Hardy (UoE School of GeoSciences), Barbara Smith (Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University), Anant Jani (University of Oxford, Oxford Martin School) and Geraldine McNeill (UoE Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, GAAFS)

External Project Partners: Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University and University of Oxford, Oxford Martin School

Student Profile

PhD Project title: How do the rocks below our feet affect the high voltage power grid? - Making a new 3-D electrical conductivity model of the British Isles based on magnetotelluric data

Supervisors: Kathy Whaler (UoE School of GeoSciences), Juliane Huebert and Ciaran Beggan (BGS) and Andrew Curtis (UoE School of GeoSciences)

External Project Partner: BGS

PhD Project title: Use of variable spectral resolution remote sensing systems to improve early onset disease detection in commercial forestry in the UK.

Supervisors: Caroline Nichol (UoE School of GeoSciences) and Juan Suarez (Forest Research)

External Project Partner: Forest Research

PhD Project title: Unexplored transitions between savanna and forest in Africa

Supervisors: Kyle Dexter (UoE School of GeoSciences), David Harris (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) and Casey Ryan (UoE School of GeoSciences)

External Project Partner: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

PhD Project title: Agroecology and the implementation of market visions in Andhra Pradesh

Supervisors: Lindsay Jaacks, Dominic Moran (UoE Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, GAAFS), Alfy Gathorne-Hardy (UoE School of GeoSciences) and Liz Baggs  (UoE Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, GAAFS)

PhD Project title: Forests for climate mitigation – how does tree-derived nitrogen influence soil greenhouse gas production?

Supervisors: Lorna Street (UoE School of GeoSciences), Elena Vanguelova (Forest Research), Liz Baggs  (UoE Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, GAAFS) and Mike Perks (Forest Research)

CASE Project Partner: Forest Research

Student Profile

PhD Project title:  Assessing Scotland's Pollinator Strategy: A 'real-world' approach

Supervisors: Gail Jackson (UoE School of GeoSciences), Graham Begg, Cathy Hawes (James Hutton Institute) and Lorna Cole (SRUC) 

External Project Partners: James Hutton Institute and SRUC