What is the Power of Existing UK Moorland and Heathland Vegetation Mosaics to Mitigate Wildfire Spread and Intensity?

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Award details

What is the Power of Existing UK Moorland and Heathland Vegetation Mosaics to Mitigate Wildfire Spread and Intensity? Ref: 5083

About the award

Supervisors

Professor Claire Belcher – University of Exeter

Dr Sarah Baker – University of Exeter

Location: wildFIRE Lab, Department of Geography, Streatham Campus, University of Exeter.

The wildFIRE Lab at the University of Exeter is inviting applications for a PhD studentship fully funded by the Law Family Charitable Foundation. The studentship is available to start in January 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover home tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £18,622 for 3 years full-time study.

Project Description

Controlled fires during the wintertime have been used for hundreds of years to manage moorland and heathland landscapes. These fires, and more recently mowing and other mechanical interventions are used to clear patches of taller heather and other shrubs to create a patchwork of cover and new shoots for ground nesting birds. However, whether or not these rotational mosaics are capable of mitigating large-scale wildfire spread, by varying fuel loads across the landscape remains to be fully tested. The successful PhD candidate will assess the power of existing patchworks by gathering spatial data of the mosaic patterns from a variety of moorlands and heathlands and will use these to inform models to test how these areas of lower fuel load interact to suppress the rate of fire spread of fire across these landscapes. The student will also test novel mosaics that might improve in mitigating wildfire with the aim to develop, with landowners, new wildfire mitigative guidelines based on scientifically tested rotational burn and/or mowing mosaics. The aim is to build resilience into our moorland and heathland landscapes as climate driven wildfire risk increases into the UK’s future.

Project Partners

Andrew Gilruth and Regional Moorland Groups

Adam Rodgers, Natural England

Professor Nick Kettridge, University of Birmingham

Entry requirements

Applicants for this studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science, mathematics or technology.

See link for further information and how to apply – Award details Funding and scholarships for students University of Exeter

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 24th March 2023. 

Interviews will be held on the University of Exeter Streatham Campus (arrangements for virtual interviews can be made if necessary).

If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk or phone 0300 555 60 60 (UK callers) +44 (0) 1392 723044 (EU/International callers) 

Project-specific queries should be directed to the main supervisor, Professor Claire Belcher. c.belcher@exeter.ac.uk

Summary

Application deadline:14th March 2024

Value:£18,622

Contact: PGR Admissions Teampgrapplicants@exeter.ac.uk