Modelling the Impact of Regenerative Land Practices on Carbon Sequestration in Drought Affected Soils Using Machine Learning and Remote Sensing Data

Land regeneration plays a key role in fostering resilience in agri-food systems threatened by climate change, land degradation and desertification which are becoming ever growing challenges for feeding the world. With land degradation and desertification being urgent issues to tackle globally, this project aims to estimate the potential impact of regenerative land management practices to increase soil organic carbon, as a proxy for soil health and resilience in drought affected soils.

Soil and Earth Observation datasets will be collected for modelling across multiple regions globally, developing machine learning models that are comparable in accuracy to process-based models. These developed models will then be applied on large drought affected regions to assess the extent of regenerative land management practices to sequester carbon when implemented on a large scale. This project will significantly push the boundaries of our understanding on how to tackle such global issues with contemporary technology.

The student will benefit from collaborations with Queen’s University Belfast, industry advisors, as well as joining our diverse and inclusive team at the University of Aberdeen. This interdisciplinary team will offer technical training, as well as general University training available to all PhD students. Generic training offered at group level by the supervisory team includes writing and presentation skills, obtaining funding and team working. We also discuss current research developments, providing students with a broader appreciation of the research area.

Your findings will directly influence a range of key stakeholders, nature agencies, environmental NGO’s, and the public. This will lead tangible benefits to the control of the impacts of drought affected soils, but your findings will also directly benefit broader environmental issues such as land degradation, soil health and resilience.

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ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants should hold a minimum of a 2:1 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject. Those with a 2:2 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) may be considered, provided they have (or are expected to achieve) a Distinction or Commendation at master’s level.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team.

All students must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the UKRI guidance on funding for postgraduate training and development. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Terms and conditions for training funding – UKRI.