Climate resilience and sustainable development of cultural heritage parks & gardens, CASE project with Sheffield Park, National Trust

Climate resilience and sustainable development of cultural heritage parks & gardens, CASE project with Sheffield Park, National Trust

Project Description

Supervisors

Professor Juergen Adam, Royal Holloway, University of London

Dr Jonathan Paul, Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway

Dr Adrian Palmer, Geography, Royal Holloway

 

Scientific Background

Join a cutting-edge PhD project that integrates drones, robotics, geophysics, and hydrology to address urgent challenges of climate change. In partnership with the National Trust at the iconic Sheffield Park and Garden, you will pioneer innovative methods to protect heritage landscapes and build climate resilience.

Climate change is placing increasing pressure on natural ecosystems and cultural landscapes worldwide. Among the most vulnerable are heritage parks and gardens, where natural processes and designed features must be balanced to preserve their ecological, historic, and social value. Sheffield Park and Garden, a flagship UK National Trust site, exemplifies this challenge. Its lakes, rivers, and designed landscape are already affected by fluctuating groundwater, changing rainfall, and water quality concerns.

Future-proofing such landscapes requires innovative strategies that integrate advanced monitoring technologies with sustainable management practices. This project will apply multi-scale methods to understand and model the hydrology of Sheffield Park. Working with the National Trust, the research will identify how surface and sub-surface water systems respond to climate pressures and design sustainable strategies to safeguard the site for generations to come.

 

Research Methodology

You will combine remote sensing, geophysics, and hydrology to:

  • Conduct drone and ROV (remotely operated vehicle) surveys.
  • Undertake ground-penetrating radar and shallow seismic profiling.
  • Carry out water quality sampling and tracer tests.
  • Apply analytical and numerical modelling (e.g. Modflow) to simulate hydrological behaviour under climate scenarios.

This integrative approach will reveal structural controls on water flow and predict how the landscape may evolve, informing resilient water management strategies.

 

Training

You will gain skills in:

  • Drone and ROV piloting at RHUL’s Omnidrome facility.
  • Advanced geophysical and hydrological surveys.
  • Laboratory water quality analysis and hydrogeological modelling.
  • Collaboration with the National Trust and other stakeholders, combining academic research with real-world conservation impact.

 

Person Specification

We welcome applications from motivated candidates passionate about climate resilience and sustainable landscape management. Experience in fieldwork, remote sensing, geophysics, or hydrology is desirable but not essential; full training will be provided. Most importantly, we seek an enthusiastic individual eager to engage with stakeholders and contribute to applied research with real-world benefits.

Acceptable first degree subjects: Geology, Earth Sciences, Environmental Geosciences, or Physical Geography.

 

Project code: ADAM_RHUL_ARIES26_CASE

All ARIES CASE studentships include a three to 18-month placement with the non-academic CASE partner during their period of study. The placement offers experience designed to enhance professional development.

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
  • Paul J.D., W. Buytaert, S. Allen, J.A. Ballesteros-Canovas, J. Bhusal, K. Cieslik, J. Clark, S. Dugar, 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
  • Mohan, M., et al. (2021). "UAV-Supported Forest Regeneration: Current Trends, Challenges and Implications." Remote Sensing 13(13): 2596.

Key Information

  • This studentship has been shortlisted for funding under the UKRI NERC DLA funding scheme and will commence on 1 October 2026. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 7 January 2026.
  • Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded studentship, which covers fees, maintenance stipend (£20,780 p.a. for 2025/26) and a research training and support grant (RTSG). 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 postgraduate researchers (PGRs) benefit from bespoke 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. 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 immigration 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 asked to complete the form by the University to which you apply.
  • ARIES studentships are 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. Please see https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding/ for more information.

Apply Now

Apply now via the  Royal Holloway Application Portal