Fully funded PhD Opportunity CALMS
Open Date: N/A
Close Date:
Location: Trinity College Dublin
External link:
Plant Ecophysiology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Botany Discipline, Trinity College Dublin
Carbon sequestration from Agricultural soils from different Land-uses, Managements and Soil types (CALMS)
Project Background and description
Agriculture dominates the Irish landscape, with ~60% of the total land area devoted to grass-based agriculture for beef and dairy production. However, this type of land use has significant environmental implications, as the agricultural sector accounts for ~30% of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
These systems provide food for a growing population but need to rapidly develop more sustainable approaches in order to move towards carbon neutrality and to meet emission reduction targets and water quality legislation. Coupled with this there, is a requirement to better understand the carbon and greenhouse gas dynamics of these ecosystems, to determine the drivers of emissions, how these change with variations in management and climate and how rates of carbon sequestration scale in time. This project and the PhD candidate appointed will assess the carbon stocks and fluxes across a range of grasslands ecosystems and will investigate how differences in soil type, drainage status, planting mixtures and nitrogen inputs influence the carbon sequestration potential of these systems.
The main objectives of this project are to:
• Utilise the national agricultural soil carbon observatory to investigate sustainable grassland management practices that balance agricultural production with environmental emissions.
• Derive carbon budgets and assess drivers of carbon uptake and release across a range of grassland ecosystems that represent differences in soil type, drainage status, planting mixtures and nitrogen inputs.
• Capture carbon emission profiles associated with inter-annual climatic variability and management intervention.
• Assess the impacts of long-term management practices and land use transitions on carbon stocks and emissions in agricultural systems.
• Contribute to developing optimised management strategies in these agro-ecosystems to contribute to emissions savings and the pathway to net carbon zero agricultural systems.
Candidate requirements:
• Applications are invited from graduates holding a first or 2.1 class honours degree or M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences, Plant Biology/Botany, Soil Science, Agricultural Science, Atmospheric Physics Biochemistry or related discipline.
• The successful candidate should be practically and technically minded, and interested in using state-of-the-art technology and sensors to measure terrestrial C/GHG dynamics.
• The candidate should be self-motivated, prepared for extensive field-based and laboratory work and someone who enjoys data analysis, writing and communicating/disseminating their work.
• Prior experience in measuring carbon and greenhouse gas dynamics of terrestrial systems or soil based analyses would be advantageous.
• A full, clean Irish/European driving licence and fluency in English are essential.
Award:
The successful candidate will be enrolled for a 48-month (Structured) Research PhD programme in the School of Natural Sciences, Botany Discipline, Trinity College Dublin. The Fellowship provides full EU University fees and a stipend of €25,000 per annum for a duration of four years. Funds for project costs are also provided.
Application deadline: Extended from June 2024 until the position is filled.
Start Date: September 2024
Application Procedure:
Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to Dr Matthew Saunders (saundem@tcd.ie) Interested applicants should submit, within a single PDF document, a CV with educational background, transcripts of degree results, list of publications and conference presentations, a short (1–2 page) letter of motivation and contact details for 2 referees submitted directly to Dr. Matthew Saunders (saundem@tcd.ie). The motivation letter should clearly state how the applicant’s research interests and skills relate to the research project outlined above.
Trinity College Dublin is committed to policies, procedures and practices which do not discriminate on grounds such as gender, civil status, family status, age, disability, race, religious belief, sexual orientation or membership of the travelling community. On that basis we encourage and welcome talented people from all backgrounds to join our staff and student body. Trinity’s Diversity Statement can be viewed in full at https://www.tcd.ie/diversity-inclusion/diversity-statement Funding Notes: This project is funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Project 'Carbon sequestration from Agricultural soils from different Land-uses, Managements and Soil types (CALMS) 2023RP948'.