Anyone interested in the ecosystem of uplands in Ireland can avail of a scholarship opportunity in relation to uplands carbon fluxes.
Applications are open for students to apply to the AgriSearch PhD scholarship on ‘carbon fluxes in the uplands and implications for national inventories’ at Ulster University.
The fully funded PhD scholarship will cover tuition fees, and provide a maintenance allowance of £19,237 (€22,850 approx.) per year, for four years.
The project will include training in gaseous and fluvial carbon processes using state-of-the-art equipment, and the researcher will be funded to attend international courses in this area.
Ulster University’s Professor of Catchment Science, Phil Jordan, will oversee the project.
Scholarship
The objectives of the research project will combine applied and process-based research, with the aim to build a gaseous and fluvial carbon inventory for upland peat environments in Northern Ireland.
As well as that, researchers will investigate meteorological and environmental controls on gaseous and fluvial carbon exchange in Northern Ireland peatlands.
They will also scale their findings to a Northern Ireland upland peat emissions factor, and provide a roadmap for policy and management.
Peatland covers approximately 25% of Northern Ireland’s land area, and is broadly split between uplands and lowlands.
In good condition, this land has the potential to support grazing, biodiversity, cultural services, and carbon sequestration.
In a degraded state, peatlands are a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions losing carbon to both the atmosphere and waterways.
The PhD research will provide more certainty on upland carbon emission and removal processes from open peat habitat used for grazing in Northern Ireland.
AgriSearch trustee Prof. Gerry Boyle said: “Getting an accurate understanding of how our peatland soils either emit or sequester carbon is absolutely essential not only for upland farmers but for the entire industry.
“The interim results from this work have been most encouraging and AgriSearch is happy to support this PhD scholarship, which has the potential to be of considerable benefit to Northern Ireland ruminant agriculture,” he said.
The closing date for applications is Monday, February 3, 2025.
