About the Project
This fully funded PhD project is part of the QUARTILES Doctoral Landscape Award, a BBSRC and NERC-funded research and training programme designed to equip PhD students with the skills, expertise, outlook, and real-world experience needed to become the next generation of scientific leaders capable of addressing pressing environmental grand challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainability.
Freshwater ecosystems are critical for global biodiversity, but many are currently under threat. Among these, wetlands are exceptionally important for their high biodiversity, and role in mitigating climate change. In Scotland, a variety of wetland types exist, ranging from coastal wetlands to peatlands. Effective conservation relies on assessing biodiversity, and there is a growing need for non-invasive methods, such as ecoacoustic surveys, which detect sounds produced by aquatic life like plants, fish, and invertebrates.
While ecoacoustic surveys have been used in other aquatic environments, their application in wetlands is a novel approach. This study aims to be the first to apply bioacoustics to a variety of Scottish wetlands to assess their effectiveness in quantifying biodiversity. The research will use new sound-recording technology to survey a minimum of three sites for each of the eleven major wetland types in Scotland. Researchers will then correlate the recorded sound diversity with biodiversity of aquatic plants and macroinvertebrates, as well as physical characteristics of the wetlands like hydrology and surrounding land use. The project will also assess variability on the sounds produced within common species across their bio-geographical range. More specifically, the project will investigate the variability in sounds produced by the immature stages produced by the blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans across its geographical range and link to morphological variability due to climate change and range expansion.
The successful PhD student will have the opportunity to carry out fieldwork in locations across Scotland. They will receive training on fieldwork techniques, data analysis on analysing sound recording and deriving sound diversity related indices, as well as carrying out hydrological measurements. Furthermore, the PhD student will be trained to record underwater sounds both in the field and under laboratory conditions and learn how to characterise and analyse these recordings.
Skills and Experience: The student must have experience in carrying out fieldwork, working outdoors under different and sometimes difficult weather conditions and be willing to travel to remote locations in Scotland for fieldwork. The applicant needs to have experience carrying out statistical analysis using R. Experience and/or interest in sound technology will be considered an advantage.
Informal enquiries are encouraged! For further project information please contact the lead project supervisor by selecting the first listed name at the top of this advert and sending your enquiry.
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ELIGIBILITY:
Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion is core to the QUARTILES Doctoral Landscape Award. We actively encourage applications from diverse career paths and backgrounds and across all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status, amongst other protected characteristics.
We also invite applications from those returning from a career break, industry or other roles. We typically require a minimum 2:1 in your first degree (or equivalent), but exceptions can be made where applicants can demonstrate excellence in alternative ways, including, but not limited to, performance in masters courses, professional placements, internships or employment – this will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and is dependent upon approval from the relevant host institution. We offer flexible study arrangements such as part-time study (minimum 50%), however this does depend on the nature of the project/research so will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
If you have any questions about your eligibility, please email us at quartiles-admissions@abdn.ac.uk
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APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
- Please visit this page for full application information: How to Apply – QUARTILES DLA
- Please send your completed QUARTILES application form, along with academic transcripts and certificates to quartiles-admissions@abdn.ac.uk
- Please provide two academic references (we are unable to directly request references from your referees. If you would like to include references to support your application, please ensure they are provided directly to us. Some project supervisors may choose to contact your referees – please also include their contact details on your CV.
- Please ensure you submit all the required information and documentation.
- If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at quartiles-admissions@abdn.ac.uk
Funding Notes
This 45 Month (NERC) opportunity is open to UK and International students (The proportion of international students appointed to the QUARTILES DLA is capped at 30% by UKRI).
QUARTILES studentships include a tax-free UKRI doctoral stipend (£19,795 for the 2025/26 academic year, the 2026/27 rate has yet to be released), plus a training grant of £9,000 to support data collection activities throughout the PhD.
QUARTILES does not provide funding to cover visa and associated healthcare surcharges for international students.
References
Desjonquères, C., Linke, S., Greenhalgh, J., Rybak, F. & Sueur, J. The potential of acoustic monitoring of aquatic insects for freshwater assessment. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 379, 20230109 (2024).
Desjonquères, C. et al. First description of underwater acoustic diversity in three temperate ponds. PeerJ 3, e1393 (2015).
Abrahams, C., Desjonquères, C. & Greenhalgh, J. Pond Acoustic Sampling Scheme: A draft protocol for rapid acoustic data collection in small waterbodies. Ecol. Evol. 11, 7532–7543 (2021).
