Climate resilience and sustainable development of cultural heritage parks & gardens

Integrated water resource management, environmental & ecological monitoring; CASE project with National Trust (Sheffield Park) ADAM_R25ARIES

Climate resilience and sustainable development of cultural heritage parks & gardens

Integrated water resource management, environmental & ecological monitoring; CASE project with National Trust (Sheffield Park) ADAM_R25ARIES

Project Description

Supervisors

Professor Jürgen Adam, Earth Sciences, RHUL | contact me

Dr Jonathan Paul, RHUL – Earth Sciences

Dr Adrian Palmer, RHUL – Geography

Scientific background

Climate change causes increasing challenges and pressures on natural ecosystems and cultural landscapes including heritage parks and gardens of national importance. Such landscapes like Sheffield Parks and Gardens, a top-ranked UK National Trust site, with their complex mosaic of designed and natural elements are under pressure to mitigate against the manifold effects of climate change while safeguarding and fostering their historic and social identity. A holistic approach for climate resilience and (environmentally) sustainable development must develop and integrate innovative multi-scale remote and field data acquisition methods to develop sensitive water management, environmental and land use strategies. This project will develop and apply this integrative methodology with the aim of future-proofing Sheffield Park against specific climatic changes such as rising groundwater levels and diminishing surface water quality. The candidate will work closely with our partners, the National Trust, to characterise the surface and sub-surface hydrological regime, predict potential changes in the short- and long-term under specific scenarios, and develop environmentally and economically sustainable mitigatory strategies.

 

Research methodology

You will deploy multi-sensor drone surveys, aquatic surveys using ROV’s, field surveys using GPR and shallow seismic reflection profile, water quality sampling (aquifer and river), hydrological tracer tests (using fluorescein dye) and analytical + numerical modelling. These methods will be used to characterise the structural controls on the hydrology of Sheffield Park in order to predict how the landscape will evolve under future climate change scenarios.

Training

You will receive training in drone and ROV piloting at the unique RHUL Omnidrome facility, in addition to survey planning, multi-sensor data acquisition and data analysis and near-surface geophysical and hydrological survey setup and execution. You will also be trained in laboratory analyses of water samples, hydrogeological modelling (e.g. using Modflow) and water quality analysis.

Person specification

We seek an enthusiastic individual who is committed to addressing issues of climate change mitigation at a local scale. Fieldwork experience, particularly involving liaising with different stakeholders, is beneficial but not essential. Similarly, prior experience with any form of remote sensing using UAV’s, geophysical or hydrological surveying is desirable.

Acceptable first degree subjects: Degree in either Geology, Earth Sciences, Environmental Geosciences, or Physical Geography

References

  • Pudifoot B., M.L. Cardenas, W. Buytaert, J.D. Paul, C.L. Narraway, and S. Loiselle, 2021. When it rains, it pours: Integrating citizen science methods to understand resilience of urban green spaces. Frontiers in Water, 3, 654493
  • Paul J.D., W. Buytaert and N. Sah, 2020. A technical evaluation of lidar-based measurement of river water levels. Water Resources Research, 56(4), e2019WR026810
  • Mohan, M., et al. (2021). "UAV-Supported Forest Regeneration: Current Trends, Challenges and Implications." Remote Sensing 13(13): 2596.
  • D.M. Hannah, M. Stoffel, A. Dewulf. M.R. Dhital, W. Liu, J.L. Nayaval, B. Neupane, A. Schiller, P.J. Smith and R. Supper, 2018. Citizen science for hydrological risk reduction and resilience building. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 5, e1262
  • Paul J.D., B. Beare, Z. Brooks, L. Derguti, and R. Sood, 2024. An investigation into the physical factors that control mass movements. Landslides, doi:10.1007/s10346-024-02280-2

Key Information

  • This studentship has been shortlisted for funding under the UKRI NERC DLA funding scheme and will commence on 1 October 2025. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 8th January 2025.
  • Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded studentship, which covers fees, maintenance stipend (£19,237 p.a. for 2024/25) and research funding. A limited number of studentships are available for international applicants, with the difference between 'home' and 'international' fees being waived by the registering university. Please note however that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK, such as visa costs or the health surcharge.
  • ARIES postgradute researcher (PGRs) benefit from bespoke graduate training and ARIES provides £2,500 to every student for access to external training, travel and conferences, on top of all Research Costs associated with the project. Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses.
  • ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage enquiries and applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and transgender status. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, and our recruitment process considers potential with the same weighting as past experience.
  • All ARIES studentships may be undertaken on a part-time or full-time basis. International applicants should check whether there are any conditions of visa or imigration permission that preclude part-time study. All advertised project proposals have been developed with consideration of a safe, inclusive, and appropriate research and fieldwork environment with respect to protected characteristics. If you have any concerns please contact us.
  • For further information, please contact the supervisor. To apply for this Studentship follow the instructions at the bottom of the page or click the 'apply now' link.
  • ARIES is required by our funders to collect Equality and Diversity Information from all of our applicants. The information you provide will be used solely for monitoring and statistical purposes; it will remain confidential, and will be stored on the UEA sharepoint server. Data will not be shared with those involved in making decisions on the award of Studentships, and will have no influence on the success of your application. It will only be shared outside of this group in an anonymised and aggregated form. You will be ask to complete the form by the University to which you apply.
  • If funded under the BBSRC-NERC DLA scheme, ARIES studentships will be subject to UKRI terms and conditions. Postgraduate Researchers are expected to live within reasonable distance of their host organisation for the duration of their studentship. See https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding/ for more information

Apply Now

Apply now via the  RHUL Application Portal