PhD Scholarship in Sub-alpine wetlands in southeastern China as a record of Holocene climate change (2020 Entry)

• Tuition fee
• Monthly stipend (RMB4,500)
• Medical insurance with designate providers
• All above items are covered for up to 36 months based on satisfactory progression
• All regulations set out in the UNNC PGR Scholarship Policy apply

In addition to the above scholarship, successful candidates also have the opportunity to carry out paid teaching (after the completion of Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) training) or research assistant duties at UNNC since second year of their PhD programmes.

The above scholarship is to support research projects outlined under the following themes:

Sub-alpine wetlands in southeastern China as a record of Holocene climate change

High-altitudes are particularly sensitive areas to global environmental change. Alpine and sub-alpine wetlands/lakes often preserve excellent sediment-based records of long-term environmental variability. The PhD project aims to investigate the potential of sub-alpine wetlands in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces as a natural archive of Holocene climate change in southeastern China. A particular focus of the investigation is the transition from mid- to late Holocene, a period that is often linked to a declining temperature/precipitation according to previous research. The specific aim of the project is to find out the dynamics behind such a transition and the responses of vegetation in mountainous areas of southeastern China.

The PhD candidate is expected to develop technical and research expertise in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction to approach the above research aims. Example activities linked to the project could include:

• Field-based investigations of sub-alpine wetlands in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and follow-up fieldworks to recover representative sediment sequences from these wetlands
• ¹⁴C dating of recovered sediment sequences to reconstruct sedimentary history of these wetlands- Laboratory analysis of palaeoecological and geochemical proxies (e.g. pollen and spores, carbon isotopes)
• Collating palaeoenvironmental data related to southeastern China from published and unpublished sources
• Modelling vegetation and climate changes in southeastern China using multivariate statistics and simulation methods

Students motivated in understanding long-term environmental change and human-environmental interactions are encouraged to apply for this scholarship. A degree in an environment-related subject (e.g. Environmental Sciences, Ecology, Earth Sciences) or previous experience in palaeoenvironmental studies is considered as an advantage.

Informal inquiries may be addressed to the supervision team, Dr. Tengwen Long (Tengwen.Long@nottingham.edu.cn), Dr. Odette Paramor (Odette.PARAMOR@nottingham.edu.cn), or Prof. Sarah Metcalfe (Sarah.Metcalfe@nottingham.ac.uk), but formal applications should follow the instructions in ‘How to apply’ section. Please specify 2003TM_TWL as scholarship reference code when submitting application. 

PhD programmes at the UNNC are composed of 3 years research and a 1 year thesis pending period for full time PhDs. Full time PhDs are expected to submit their theses within a maximum of four years from initial registration. PhD supervision is undertaken jointly by academics from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) and the University of Nottingham UK (UNUK). On successful completion, students will be awarded the University of Nottingham PhD degree, and no reference will be made on the degree certificate as to where the degree has been completed. The University of Nottingham PhD degree will be accredited by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Applicants must have a first class honours undergraduate degree or 65% and above for a Masters’ degree from a British university, or the equivalent from other institutions.

Applicants must meet the required English language proficiency for the relevant subject area. IELTS 6.5 (minimum 6.0 in all elements) or its equivalent is required for Faculty of Science and Engineering (FoSE) scholarship applicants.

More details can be found on the ‘entry requirements’ page of the website.

No separate application is required for applying for a scholarship but please make sure you quote the scholarship reference number in your PhD application form. It normally takes 7-8 weeks for a final decision to be made after the closing date. List of required documents can be found on the ‘how to apply’ page.