Posted by Ted Feldpausch
28 October 2025Prof Ted Feldpausch is recruiting students for the China Scholarship Council and University of Exeter PhD Scholarships. Full-time PhD scholarships are available in collaboration with the China Scholarship Council (CSC), for September 2026/27 entry.
The PhD projects focus on a range of themes related to fire, land-use change, tree mortality, carbon cycling, and forest degradation and forest restoration. The research is part of large-scale NERC-funded projects. Potential projects are listed below.
Lead Supervisor: Ted Feldpausch
Second Supervisor: Kees Jan Van Groenigen
Contact email for project enquiries: t.r.feldpausch@exeter.ac.uk
Project details
This project will assess historical and modern drivers of black carbon distribution in Amazonian old-growth tropical forests. The research will evaluate potential black carbon inputs from local versus regional fires and how this affects soil carbon storage and soil fertility. Regional BC inputs will be assessed by modeling Aeolian transport based on current climate and fires (MODIS fire counts) and palaeo-climate reconstructions and using tools such as HYSPLIT. Datasets of soil black carbon are available from our UKRI-funded projects. The findings will provide critical information to support sustainable land-use and international policy such as the UN Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation programme. The student should have strong spatial analytical skills, experience with Python or R, and experience in ecology, soil or atmospheric science, geography, or related field.
Other projects are welcome related to wildfire, drought, and forest and soil carbon dynamics. For example:
Lead Supervisor: Prof Ted Feldpausch
Contact Email: t.r.feldpausch@exeter.ac.uk
Department: Geography
Lead Supervisor: Prof Ted Feldpausch
Contact Email: t.r.feldpausch@exeter.ac.uk
Department: Geography
Contact Prof Feldpausch to discuss potential applications. For more information and to apply:
Application deadline midday 1 December 2025