Project details
Dryland environments are often characterised by intermittently-flowing rivers which play an important role in the distribution and storage of fine-sized sediment throughout the landscape. During dry phases, this fine sediment can be entrained and blown by the wind. An important question for aeolian-fluvial interactions is the control that floods play, and how predictably aeolian activity responds to these infrequent flood events. For example, the vegetative response to moisture and greening up of floodplains can cause time lags between fluvial sediment delivery and aeolian deflation. Time lags can be seasonal or a response to large-scale teleconnections (e.g. ENSO) and potential shifts in these are expected to occur under future climate change scenarios.
The aim of this project is to quantify flood activity in dryland fluvial systems and the degree to which mineral dust emissions vary in response to hydrological perturbations of these landscapes. The successful candidate will use satellite data to characterise emissive surfaces in dryland areas before and subsequent to flood events, and climate reanalysis data to quantify the primary meteorological drivers of river flow and dust emission. Focused fieldwork may also help achieve project goals e.g. satellite ground-truthing, channel survey, sedimentological analysis, geomorphological mapping.
94% of Loughborough’s research impact is rated world-leading or internationally excellent. REF 2021
Supervisors
Primary Supervisor: Dr. Matthew Baddock
Secondary Supervisors: Dr. Edwin Baynes; Prof. Joanna Bullard
Entry requirements
Our entry requirements are listed using standard UK undergraduate degree classifications i.e. first-class honours, upper second-class honours and lower second-class honours. To learn the equivalent for your country, please choose it from the drop-down below.Country / region United Kingdom ———- AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaChileChinaColombiaCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEstoniaEthiopiaFinlandFranceGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuyanaHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKosovoKuwaitLatviaLebanonLiberiaLibyaLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMalawiMalaysiaMaltaMauritiusMexicoMoldovaMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmar (Burma)NamibiaNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigeriaNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSudanSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States of AmericaUruguayUzbekistanVenezuelaVietnamZambiaZimbabwe
Entry requirements for United Kingdom
Applicants will normally need to hold, or expect to gain, at least a 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in Geography, Earth Science or Environmental Science, or an appropriate Master’s degree.
English language requirements
Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees for 2025-26 entry
UK fee
Fully funded Full-time degree per annum
International fee
Fully funded Full-time degree per annum
Fees for the 2025-26 academic year apply to projects starting in October 2025.
Find out more about research degree funding
The NERC studentship is funded for 3.5 years starting from October 2025 and provides a tax-free stipend of ÂŁ19,237 per annum (in 2024/25) for the duration of the studentship plus tuition fees at the UK rate. It also provides a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of ÂŁ8,000. Further guidance about eligibility is available at UKRI Terms and Conditions. Due to UKRI funding rules, no more than 30% of the studentships funded by this grant can be awarded to International candidates, but successful International candidates will have the difference between the UK and International tuition fees provided by the University.
How to apply
- Complete a CENTA studentship application form in Word format (available here).
- All applications should be made online. Under programme name, select “Geography and Environment”. During the online application process, upload the CENTA studentship application form as a supporting document. Please quote CENTA2025-LU2 when completing your online application.
- Application closing date is midnight (UK time) on Wednesday January 8th 2025. Interviews for short-listed candidates are expected to be held in the period Monday February 3rd – Friday February 14th 2025.
