PhD: A sub-hourly quality controlled blended UK precipitation dataset to understand uncertainty in flood predictions

Award Summary

100% fees covered, and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £20,780 (2025/26 UKRI rate). Additional project costs will also be provided.

Overview

Climate change is driving more frequent and intense extreme rainfall events, creating serious challenges for flood risk management across the UK. Current rainfall datasets are not fit for purpose: radar estimates can be inaccurate, and rain gauge networks, while reliable, are too sparse to capture highly localised storms. Reliable, high-resolution rainfall data is urgently needed to improve flood prediction, climate adaptation, and infrastructure resilience.

This project will tackle that challenge by developing a new blended UK precipitation dataset at high temporal (15-minute) and spatial resolution. The student will integrate data from multiple sources—including tipping bucket rain gauges, weather radar, and satellites—using robust coding and data science techniques. A comprehensive quality control framework will be built to identify and correct errors, apply bias adjustments, and assess data quality. State-of-the-art multisource blending methods will then be applied (e.g. kriging, probabilistic merging, machine learning) to combine datasets and preserve extremes. Uncertainty will be quantified explicitly, with outputs designed to inform both researchers and practitioners. The resulting dataset, open-access and user-focused, will directly support advanced flood risk modelling, hydrological predictions, and adaptation planning.

As the student, you will gain expertise in climate extremes, data science, and hydrology, working within Newcastle University’s Water and Climate Research Group and collaborating with partners such as the UK Environment Agency and the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI). Your work will provide a critical resource for climate resilience, with direct pathways to impact in policy, industry, and society.

For further information on the project, we will be hosting a ‘Prospective applicant webinar’ at 2:00pm on the 26th of November. Link to the event can be found here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/376b2195-d8da-47c0-86e2-b18813ec19e3@4a5378f9-29f4-4d3e-be89-669d03ada9d8. 

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

1st October 2026

Award Duration

3.5 years

Application Closing Date

8th January 2026

Sponsor

Natural Environment Research Council

Supervisors

Prof Hayley Fowler

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (inc. computing, mathematics, engineering etc.). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.  

Home and international applicants (inc. EU) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.  

 International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme. 

How To Apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal 

• Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.  
• Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:  
• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8040F
• The Research Area is: Civil Engineering (Water Resources)
• Select PhD Civil Engineering (full time) as the programme of study 

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (include your research interests in flooding and rationale for your choice of project)
• The studentship code FLOOD262 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal – select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal.

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section please upload:

• Your CV giving details of your academic record and stating your research interests

In your application you will also need:

• The name two current academic referees together with an institutional email addresses
• Academic transcripts and degree certificates (translated if not in English)
• Language certificate (IELTS/TOEFL), if applicable.

Contact Details

h.j.fowler@ncl.ac.uk