Fully funded four-year PhD project in Plant Ecology

Applications are invited for a four-year PhD project at the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences (BEES) and the Environmental Research Institute at University College Cork, supervised by Professor Astrid Wingler and Dr Markus Eichhorn.

The PhD studentship is funded by Eli Lilly and Company as part of a project on the “Conservation of meadow barley (Hordeum secalinum) - Impact of translocation and of climate change on the grassland community”.

Restoration of semi-natural grasslands, including lowland hay meadows, is important to support ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, erosion reduction, flood protection, control of pests and diseases and pollinator support. Sod transplantation and green hay transfer have been recommended for the ecological restoration of meadows. Meadow barley (Hordeum secalinum) grows mainly in damp grasslands and is a high-quality positive indicator of lowland hay meadows. H. secalinum, is considered vulnerable in Ireland and protected under the Flora (Protection) Order 2022.

To conserve H. secalinum, grassland sods were translocated at the Lilly Raheen site near Limerick. This project aims to monitor the impact of the translocation and of climate change on the ecology of H. secalinum and the grassland community.

The PhD project

The PhD project will (1) monitor changes in the plant community, including abundance of Hordeum secalinum; (2) use remote sensing to determine how the original plant community was affected by past climate; and (3) assess the impact of future climate (e.g., precipitation and/or temperature, salinity) on the grassland community.

Plant community composition will be monitored over three years, comparing the translocation site to the donor site. Plant functional traits and strategies will be determined, in addition to soil properties. Biomass and yield stability in relation to past climate will be analysed using remote sensing, and future climate will be simulated experimentally.

Funding

The PhD position is funded for four years. It includes a tax-free stipend of €25,000 p.a. and tuition fees covered at the EU rate.

Start date

1 April 2024

Eligibility criteria

Essential:

• A 1.1 or 2.1 BSc honours degree (or equivalent) in biology, botany/plant science, ecology, conservation or related subject.
• A good understanding of or strong interest in plant ecology and/or plant physiology.
• A strong understanding of experimental design, data analysis and statistics.
• Willingness to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent organisational skills
• Experience of conducting botanical field work.
• Evidence of having completed a research project.
• Full, clean driving licence.

Desirable:

• MSc in a relevant subject.
• Experience in analysing remote sensing imagery.