PhD Studentship – Comprehensive Tracking of Nutrient Flows Across Anaerobic Digestion Systems Boundaries to Enable Precision Crop Fertilisation with Anaerobic Digestate at University of Leeds
Job Description
Funding
EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship offering the award of fees, together with a tax-free maintenance grant (currently £19,237 academic session 2024/25) for 3.5 years.
Lead Supervisor: Dr. Cynthia Kusin Okoro-Shekwaga c.k.okoroshekwaga@leeds.ac.uk
Project summary
Synthetic fertilisers is currently responsible for much of the global food production, however, the flood of excess nitrogen (N) from synthetic N-fertilisers is one of the most severe pollution threats humanity faces today; poisoning water bodies, plants, animals and humans, and contributing to climate change through emissions of the nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent GHG with 265 times the potency of CO2 over 100 year. N2O emissions from agriculture was estimated to be 13.6 million tone of CO2 equivalent (Mt CO2e) representing 71% of the total N2O emissions in 2021. This has influenced a global drive to cut down synthetic fertilizer application around the world. One technology able to ensure a sustainable supply of biofertiliser as a replacement for synthetic fetilisers is anaerobic digestion (AD).
Applicants to research degree programmes should normally have at least a first class or an upper second class British Bachelors Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline.
