About the Project
We are seeking a talented applicant to undertake a PhD with us to measure and model the response of drained peatland CO2 emissions to hydrological variations in New Zealand. You will join a team of GHG flux measurement and modelling researchers from New Zealand and Ireland seeking to improve national inventory estimates of carbon losses from organic soils in these two countries and better understand the options for mitigating these emissions.
Many of New Zealand’s deep peatlands have developed under warm-temperate conditions over thousands of years. Once drained for agriculture, they have become large, persistent sources of CO2 and N2O emissions. Fluxes of CO2 are known to be highly sensitive to subsurface soil moisture variations, only partly determined by water table depth. Our research team aims to develop modelling approaches suitable for informing national GHG reporting and mitigation testing, for our distinctive peatland biophysical circumstances.
We seek applicants with experience in field-based research on gas fluxes and soil hydrology and who are keen to test and develop modelling approaches. You will have completed a research master’s or honours degree with a dissertation in a relevant field. To succeed in this PhD, you will be numerically competent, ideally with previous experience working with models. You will have prior experience working with large datasets in a programming language (e.g. MATLAB, R). Research experience in peatland ecosystems would be advantageous.
- Based at The University of Waikato in Hamilton, Aotearoa / New Zealand
- PhD supervision in partnership with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research
- PhD scholarship of NZD 44,000 (tax-free) plus tuition fees paid for three years
- Medical insurance, visa application costs and support for return airfares for international students
Please email enquiries and applications, including a cover letter describing your motivations, contacts for 2-3 academic references, qualification transcripts and a CV, to Associate Professor David Campbell, david.campbell@waikato.ac.nz
