Natural capital, biodiversity and ecosystem services – tackling scaling issues

This multi-disciplinary PhD will study natural capital, biodiversity and ecosystem services at a range of scales, to tackle critical questions in ecosystem services research: Does natural capital produce the same amount of benefit, regardless of scale? How do those scale relationships change when you consider interactions with social factors which can alter demand for ecosystem services ? Are there fundamental differences in the amount of service provided in urban areas compared with rural areas ?

The PhD is supported by an industrial CASE partner, the environmental consultancy Black & Veatch, where you will spend 2 months per year collecting data for your PhD and gaining valuable working experience. You will also have the opportunity to work at B&V before the PhD starts. You will learn a range of biodiversity analysis and modelling techniques and learn to use and develop ecosystem service models, including models for urban ecosystem services and cultural services. The project is based at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in Bangor, North Wales (lead supervisor Prof Laurence Jones), and registered at Bangor University working closely with supervisors Dr Alison Cameron, and Dr Isabel Rosa.

We are looking for an enthusiastic person with a good degree in an environmental subject, preferably to Masters level. You will have an aptitude for data analysis, and be able to demonstrate experience in analysis of spatial data or large data sets and in running models.

For further information, please contact Laurence Jones (LJ@ceh.ac.uk).