PhD: New-Eden-Tay - Nature-Based Innovations for Adaptation, Resilience and Restoration of the Watersheds of Eden and Tay Rivers in a Changing Climate

Aims

The New-Eden-Tay project aims to explore nature-based and place-based innovations for adaptation, resilience, and restoration within the Eden and Tay watersheds in a changing climate. The project will advance the integration of existing future climate projections, high-resolution hydrological modelling of the region, nature-based innovations and two-way stakeholder engagement. The combination of environmental and human dimensions within our modelling, analysis, and communication framework will enable reduction of the flood and drought risks, enhance ecosystem restoration and disaster resilience, and provide a climate-positive human experience.

Context

The year 2024 was the hottest on record globally, continuing a long-term trend in which the last ten years have been the ten warmest years observed to date. As climate and society rapidly change, Scotland will continue to experience increasingly more impactful floods (primarily in winter) and droughts (primarily in summer) detrimental to regional ecosystems, infrastructure, communities and culture. The New-Eden-Tay project will operate in partnership with the Eden Project in Dundee and various regional stakeholders such as the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Methodologies

The New-Eden-Tay project will utilise a novel multi-stage modelling framework built on open-science principles and will involve collaboration with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the University of Oxford. We will leverage a large ensemble of global climate simulations of the HadGEM3.1 model (~60 km horizontal resolution) to obtain robust estimates of long-term climate change and internal climate variability in the region. The 40 ensemble members (climate simulations started from slightly different initial conditions), covering the period 1950–2100, will be downscaled and bias-corrected to a 1 km horizontal resolution over the Eden and Tay watersheds using the HadUK-Grid and CHESS-met datasets as observational references. These post-processed future climate projections of surface conditions will be used to generate large ensembles of the JULES and/or Wflow hydrological model projections at 1 km and/or 100 m resolutions, respectively, dependent on soil properties, land cover and use, etc. JULES and/or Wflow future projections – including runoff, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture – will in turn drive the CaMa-Flood (1-km resolution) and/or SFINCS (100-m resolution) hydrodynamic model, respectively, generating the future projections of river discharge and floodplain inundation in the region. This flexible framework will support the evaluation of regenerative landscape, forestry, and blue–green infrastructure innovations—assessing how different interventions may reduce flood peaks, buffer low flows, and restore natural habitats in the region under a range of future warming levels.

Potential impact

The climate–hydrology–adaptation approach of the New-Eden-Tay project – through the exploration of wetland and river woodland modifications, changes in land cover and land use, natural flood management structures, and floodplain reconnection – holds significant potential to inform policy and practice. By employing a scenario-based framework and frequent two-way engagement with multiple stakeholders, the project will be in position to generate actionable insights for sustainable watershed management and adaptation strategy. Its outputs could substantially support Scotland’s Climate Adaptation Framework and contribute to broader international initiatives such as the UN Decade (2021–2030) on Ecosystem Restoration.

Diversity statement

Our research community thrives on the diversity of students and staff which helps to make the University of Dundee a UK university of choice for postgraduate research.  We welcome applications from all talented individuals and are committed to widening access to those who have the ability and potential to benefit from higher education.

How to apply

The application process is a 2-stage process:

1. Email Dr Paula Stella Teixeira for informal enquiries about the project as early as possible ahead of the deadline and establish suitability of candidacy, and any particular needs that are relevant to the project.
2. Formal applications can be made via the Scholarship Application Form.

From the Supervisor-led selection process each project will generate a ‘Preferred Candidate’. Final appointment of Studentships will be made by formal interviews during the week commencing 26th January 2026, involving an interview panel of Programme Directors and current Regnr8-i scholars. Successful candidates should be available to start their Studentships in October 2026.