Dynamics of land-to-lake transfers in the Lake Victoria basin

Applications are invited for a 3.5 years PhD studentship. The studentship will start on 1 October 2025
Three people undertaking geographical research

Apply 

To apply for the ARIES Doctoral Training Partnership studentship please simply click on the ‘online application’ link below for PhD Physical Geography : 
Online application
Within the Research section of the application form, in the following fields, please add: 
  • Proposed project title/studentship title: add Dynamics of land-to-lake transfers in the Lake Victoria basin
  • Proposed supervisor: add Dr Michael Watts
  • Studentship Code: add ARIES 25-10 Watts
When the application asks for a research proposal, please just upload a blank document. A research proposal is not needed for this programme as you are applying directly to a studentship project. 

Application guidance 

It is important that you follow the instructions above or your application for this studentship may be missed and therefore will not be considered. 
Before applying, please ensure you have read the Doctoral College’s general information on applying for a postgraduate research degree.  
For more information on the admissions process please contact research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk. 
2nd Supervisor:  Professor Will Blake  
4th Supervisor: Ruth Njoroge, University of Eldoret 
Applications are invited for a 3.5 years PhD studentship. The studentship will start on 1 October 2025 

Project description 

The Winam Gulf catchment of Lake Victoria has historically been affected by poor land management practices leading to soil erosion, loss of agricultural productivity, flooding and downstream impact on lake ecology and associated fisheries. A gap in local knowledge/data and technical capacity to coordinate and deliver usable data tools was identified. This gap inhibits the dynamic understanding of the impact of soil degradation on soil-to-crop dynamics and subsequent impact on lake ecosystem/human health via the food chain. This is particularly pertinent given the growing importance of aquaculture to economic and food security in the Lake Victoria basin. Limited resources to monitor and regulate land degradation and inputs into the lake environment require scalable geospatial tools to direct limited resources for the mitigation of land degradation.   

Research methodology  

The project will encompass two principle tasks:  
  1. Landscape-farm scale survey to examine how different land management scenarios impact soil erosion and subsequent effect on land-to-lake dynamics using specialist chemistry-isotope tracer and source apportionment methodology at test sites in the Winam Gulf.  
  2. Explore use of remote sensing data and machine learning-ML to identify potential for upscaling a GIS model versus field collected geochemistry data to inform areas that would benefit from soil erosion mitigation and protection from land clearance.  

Training  

To achieve these tasks, the student will receive training in field collections and community engagement, specialist laboratory techniques and data/statistical techniques in two phases:  
  1. Using on-going data capture, evaluate the potential apportionment of soil/sediment chemistry to sources and locations from established field experimental plots and catchments-valleys identified from baseline data using isotope tracer and source apportionment.  
  2. Incorporation of remote sensing data with field collected data to provide a predictive model for soil erosion at local and regional scales.   

Person specification  

The candidate should have an earth/environmental science or chemistry degree and willing to undertake fieldwork in Kenya. An aptitude for laboratory work and data handling skills would be desirable. 

References 

Dowell, S, Humphrey, O, Isaboke, J, Barlow, T. Blake, W, Osano, O, Watts, M. (2024) Plutonium isotopes can be used to model soil erosion in Kenya, Environ Geochem Health, 46, 338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-024-02084-2  
Dowell, S.M., Humphrey, O, Gowing, CJB, Barlow, TS, Chenery, SR, Isaboke, J, Blake, WH, Osano, O, Watts, MJ (2024). Suitability of 210Pbex, 137Cs and 239+240Pu as soil erosion tracers in western Kenya, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 271, 107327.  
Humphrey, O.S, Cave, M, Osano, O, Menya D and Watts, MJ (2023). Predictive geochemical mapping using machine learning in western Kenya, Geoderma, 35, e00731 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2023.e00731  
Dowell, S.M., Chenery, S.R., Humphrey, O.S., Job Isaboke, William H. Blake, Odipo Osano, Michael J. Watts (2023). Optimisation of plutonium separations using TEVA cartridges for ICP-MS/MS analysis of soil samples, Analytical Methods, 15, 4226-4235 https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ay01030a  
Humphrey, O.S, Osano, O., Aura, C.M, Marriott, A.L., Dowell, S.M., Blake, W.H. and Watts, M.J. (2021). Evaluating spatio-temporal soil erosion dynamics in the Winam Gulf catchment, Kenya for enhanced decision making in the land-lake interface, Science Total Environment, 151975 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151975 

Eligibility 

Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree in Chemistry, Earth, Environmental, or Biological Science or a relevant Masters qualification. 
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme, IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in each component test area) or equivalent.  
ARIES is currently awaiting confirmation of funding under the BBSRC-NERC DLA award scheme, which is expected shortly. Funding for this studentship is subject to this confirmation.  
Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded ARIES studentship of fees, maintenance stipend (£19,237 p.a. for 2024/25) and research costs.  
A limited number of ARIES studentships are available to International applicants. Please note however that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK. 
NB: The studentship is supported for 3.5 years of the four-year registration period. The subsequent 6 months of registration is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ period. 
ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, and transgender status. Projects have been developed with consideration of a safe, inclusive, and appropriate research and fieldwork environment. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, with equal weighting given to experience and potential. 
For further information, please visit www.aries-dtp.ac.uk.
If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Dr Michael Watts (mwatts@bgs.ac.uk) or  Professor Will Blake .
Please see our apply for a postgraduate research programme page for a list of supporting documents to upload with your application. 
For more information on the admissions process generally, please visit our Apply for a postgraduate research programme page or contact the Doctoral College .
The closing date for applications on 8 January 2025. 
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview after the deadline. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications.  Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.