Project Description
Flood and drought models routinely treat river channels as fixed, yet erosion and deposition continuously reshape them, introducing unquantified error into flow estimates across the UK’s monitoring network.
This PhD investigates how shifting riverbeds distort flood and drought predictions. Using low-cost continuous sensing and numerical modelling, it will identify which stations are most exposed to sediment-driven forecasting error.
Working in partnership with the Floods & Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI), the findings will directly inform future instrumentation of water monitoring networks. This will support the shift from static to dynamic flood risk assessment, and build resilience to increasingly frequent and severe hydrological extremes.
Anticipated timeline:
- Year 1: Literature review; training in research skills, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) operation and data processing, and Structure-from-Motion survey techniques; sensor installation and testing on the River Soar.
- Year 2: Sensor deployment in the Upper Tweed in partnership with FDRI; training in hydraulic and hydrodynamic numerical modelling; propagation of observations through stage-discharge rating curves to quantify discharge error.
- Year 3: Numerical modelling extending the Year 2 error relationships across the wider monitoring network to identify the stations most exposed to sediment-driven forecasting error.
- Final 6 months: Dissemination and thesis write-up.
94% of Loughborough’s research impact is rated world-leading or internationally excellent. REF 2021
Supervisors
- Primary supervisor: Josh Wolstenholme
- Secondary supervisors: Robert Houseago, Nick Everard
Funding Information
Fees and funding
The studentship is offered on a competitive basis. The successful candidate will be funded for 3.5 years starting from October 2027. The studentship provides a tax-free stipend of £21,805 per annum for the duration of the studentship plus tuition fees at the UK rate and a Research Training Support Grant of £8,000. Further guidance about eligibility is available at UKRI Terms and Conditions.
Excellent international students (including EU) are eligible to apply and there will be a fee waiver in place covering the difference between Home and International fees for one successful candidate.
Eligibility Requirements
Entry requirements
Applicants will normally need to hold, or expect to gain, at least a 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in Geography, Earth Science or Environmental Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or an appropriate Master’s degree.
English language requirements
Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website.
Application Process
How to apply
- Complete a CENTA studentship application for 2027 intake form in Word format (available from the ‘Our project-based studentships‘ section.
- All applications should be made online. Under programme name, select Geography and Environment. During the online application process, upload the CENTA studentship application form as a supporting document. Please quote CENTA2027-LU08 when completing your online application.
- Application closing date is 23.59 (UK time) on Wednesday January 6 2027. Interviews for short-listed candidates are expected to be held sometime in the period Monday February 1 – Friday February 12 2027.
To avoid delays in processing your application, please ensure that you submit the minimum supporting documents. The following selection criteria will be used by academic schools to help them make a decision on your application.
