About the Project
Rivers are among our most threatened ecosystems, and freshwater biodiversity is declining faster than in any other biome. Restoration is widely recognised as essential to reversing these declines, yet the scale of the challenge demands smarter, more efficient, and more evidence-led approaches. A diverse range of restoration interventions exist to improve the quality of riverine habitats, ranging from reach-specific habitat enhancement (e.g. installation of gravel bars and woody debris, re-meandering) to large-scale natural flood management (e.g. wetland creation, peatland restoration and riparian tree planting). These seek to deliver benefits locally or through protection of downstream receptors (e.g. by elevating water quality or reducing flood risk).
To maximise environmental benefits and knowledge gain from nature-based river restoration, strategic deployment and timely baseline capture is needed. Better understanding of how the number and combination of interventions influence ecosystem processes and might interact to generate additionality will support more efficient, effective, and scalable restoration strategies. Novel technologies and monitoring methods now make it possible to detect changes in geomorphology and biodiversity at unprecedented resolution, providing exciting opportunities to transform how restoration success is measured and delivered.
Objectives:
The key project objectives are to determine:
1. how the number and distribution of interventions at a site affects delivery of restoration goals and if this varies with local conditions and restoration methods.
2. whether positive synergies exist between specific interventions, potentially reducing the need for multiple interventions.
This project is ideal for candidates interested in river science, ecological restoration, freshwater biodiversity, and applying novel technologies in environmental research. The findings will directly inform how restoration efforts can be optimised to deliver maximum environmental benefits. You will work closely with a range of stakeholders involved in restoring the Glen Dye Moor in Scotland, gaining hands-on experience through extensive fieldwork and modelling across this dynamic upland landscape. This is a multi-disciplinary PhD project combing geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology within a whole ecosystem restoration framework.
Approach and Methodology:
The project will use innovative, high-resolution methods to measure environmental and ecological responses to restoration. This will include in-channel assessments of temperature and flow regimes, spatial heterogeneity in flow and substrate, sedimentation rates, organic matter retention and riverbank geomorphology (using LiDAR and Digital Elevation Models). These metrics capture physical and functional change and help address the likelihood of significant time lags in aquatic biodiversity recovery, recognising that the absence of a short-term ecological response does not preclude meaningful long-term gains.
To complement this in-channel focus, the project will deploy eco-acoustic monitoring in adjacent riparian zones to detect biodiversity responses “beyond the flow”. Using remotely recorded vocalisations of bats and birds as sensitive indicators of habitat change, this approach will provide a powerful and non-invasive means of assessing whether restoration actions support wider landscape-scale biodiversity benefits.
Further information
Closing date of application: 12th January 2026
Expected interview date: 29th January 2026
Expected start date: October 2026
Please note: Candidates must have a clean valid UK driving license
Funding Notes
Funded PhD students studying at a UK University receive the minimum UKRI stipend, with the associated home fee for tuition being assigned to their institution. This studentship carries a Research Training and Support Grant (RTSG) which funds the direct costs of the research (including travel and consumables), plus a component dedicated to training and conference attendance. This is a four year funded studentship which covers UK home fees only.
Funder: This PhD is funded by the partnership that holds Glen Dye Moor, in which Aviva Investors is the sole investor. The partnership is managed by PXN Group Limited, in collaboration with Scottish Woodlands.
