Biosciences (Restoration Ecology): Fully Funded PhD Studentship in Restoring Intertidal Systems using Electronics (RS851)

Funding providers: Swansea University and Welsh Government. 

Subject areas: Restoration Ecology, Biodiversity, Population and Community Ecology 

Project start dates: 

• 1st October 2025 (preferred) 
• 1st January 2026 (as required) 

Supervisors:  

• Dr Cai Ladd
• Prof Harshinie Karunarathna
• Prof James Bull 
• Dr Jonathan Dale 

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Biological Sciences 

Mode of study: Full-time only (due to funding) 

Place of study: Faculty of Science & Engineering, Swansea University 

Project description:  
As part of the Restoration Ecology And Dynamics (READY) Doctoral Focal Award, we invite applications to the following PhD project: RISE: Restoring Intertidal Systems using Electronics.

Coastal wetlands – namely salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangrove forests – are hotspots for biodiversity, vital for human wellbeing1. Long-term losses in their extent due to land conversion and climate change has galvanised global action, through initiatives such as the UN’s Decade on Ecosystem Restoration2, to protect what remains and restore what was lost. Yet, restoration of coastal wetlands at scale is still hampered by: 

• Ability to detect areas along the intertidal for optimal restoration3.
• Knowledge on how positive species interactions can be harnessed for rapid restoration4.
• Availability of devices for long-term monitoring to confirm successful restoration5.

This exciting and timely PhD will develop and deploy a range of low-cost and open-source sensors to measure the biophysical properties necessary to predict coastal wetland restoration success. 

Successful candidate will first construct sensors using microcontrollers (e.g., Arduinos and peripheral sensors). These sensors will be designed to measure key determinants of restoration success (e.g., hydrodynamics and water quality) and include advanced features such as remote data transfer making them highly user-friendly. Calibration of these devices will be done in both flume and field settings. The sensors will then be deployed in alongside planted saltmarsh and seagrass across Wales, and potentially planted mangroves in India, Bangladesh, or Vietnam, to track intertidal transitions from unvegetated to vegetated states as metrics of restoration success. Depending on the candidate’s prior experience and research interests, there is also the possibility of developing a computational model to simulate hydro-sedimentary dynamics and morphology between restored patches to explore conditions favourable for restoration. Validated with data on vegetation cover and elevation change gathered from repeat drone surveys, this ground-breaking research will identify the factors key to ensuring optimal, rapid, and successful restoration. 

By working in partnership with Welsh Government, the outputs of this PhD could fast-track national initiatives to restore our coastal wetlands. 

Potential research questions include: 

• Can low-cost sensors accurately measure key parameters for coastal habitat restoration?
• Which restoration strategies are optimal for different hydrological and sediment regimes?
• Over what spatio-temporal scales are coastal habitat restoration activities effective?

1Temmink et al. (2022) Science https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn1479  

2Waltham et al. (2020) Front. Mar. Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00071  

3Friess et al. (2019) Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-101718-033302  

4Renzi et al. (2019) Front. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00131  

5Ladd et al. (2024) Limnol. Oceanogr. Methods. https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10631  

Funding duration – 4 years 

PhD: Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level in Biosciences or a related subject, or a master’s degree with a minimum overall grade at ‘Merit’ (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University). See - Country Specific Entry Requirements page.  

English Language: IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.0) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here. 

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in. 

Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance, further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website.  

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process. Successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with a scholarship course offer.  

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition and annual stipend at standard UKRI rates (currently £20,780 for 2025/26). 

Additional research and training expenses will also be available. 

An additional three-month funded placement with Welsh Government is included. 

International Students
Swansea University is pleased to offer the Swansea University International Postgraduate Research Excellence Scholarship (SUIPRES). This is a competitively awarded Scholarship open to overseas PhD and Professional Doctorate applicants eligible for the international rate of tuition fees who can demonstrate excellence in academic achievement.   

The SUIPRES Scholarship covers the difference between the International and the Home tuition fee for the duration of the PhD/Professional Doctorate programme. Successful candidates will be charged fees aligned to the UK rate per year. The scholarship will be offset against your tuition fee liability. 

All International applications will be considered for a SUIPRES Scholarship. You will be informed whether a SUIPRES Scholarship will be offered within your offer letter. 

To apply, please complete the entire application form.

In order to be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required. 

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS851 

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory) 

• In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input:  

• the RS Code, RS851
• the scholarship title

• Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank 
• Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank 
• In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload?*’ (Mandatory) Please select Yes 
• Then upload copy of advert (you can save the advert by clicking print, and then print to pdf) 

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected. 

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award. 

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards. 

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.    

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted. 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email): 

• CV 

• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient) 

• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project. 

• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference. 

• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable). 

• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable) 

• Confirmation of EDI form submission 

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact Dr Cai Ladd C.J.T.Ladd@Swansea.ac.uk 

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co-funding of a scholarship project is applicable.