Northumbria University

PhD opportunity in Snow, Light and Life Beneath the Ice: Low-carbon approaches to understanding winter carbon dynamics in Arctic lakes

This PhD will investigate how snow and ice conditions shape winter carbon cycling in frozen lakes. Working with international partners, you will deploy sensors to continuously measure greenhouse gases, light, and temperature beneath lake ice. Snow removal experiments and snow mass mapping will help determine how light availability influences under-ice gas production. By linking field measurements, modelling, and innovative sensor technology, you will help address a major uncertainty in Arctic climate science: how frozen lakes contribute to global carbon budgets. You will gain experience in environmental instrumentation, field experimentation, data analysis and modelling, supported by a collaborative and inclusive research team. Full training will be provided to support data collection in cold environments. Additional support for numerical analysis to upscale field measurements and investigate their application in process-based models will be provided by the supervisory team at Northumbria and Leeds Universities.

Supervised by Nick Rutter, Emma Hocking, Paul Mann, Leanne Wake (Northumbria University) and Lee Brown (University of Leeds). For any informal enquiries about the project and your application feel free to contact Nick (nick.rutter@northumbria.ac.uk)

This PhD is part of the NERC-funded Net Zero Polar Science Doctoral Training Programme (https://nzps-dtp.ac.uk/) which aims to make polar science possible in a net zero world. More details on the project and how to apply can be found: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/snow-light-and-life-beneath-the-ice-low-carbon-approaches-to-understanding-winter-carbon-dynamics-in-arctic-lakes-ref-2603-nzps-nu-rutter/?p192074

Additional notes:

• Based at Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK, with fieldwork opportunities in Arctic Canada and Scandinavia.
• Funding for 3.5 years, starting October 2026, includes a full stipend at UKRI rates, full tuition fees and an annual Research Training and Support Grant.
• Application deadline 17:00 (GMT) 7 January 2026 – find further guidance on making an application here: https://nzps-dtp.ac.uk/application-process/
• Applications welcome from students worldwide!

More details on the project and how to apply can be found: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/snow-light-and-life-beneath-the-ice-low-carbon-approaches-to-understanding-winter-carbon-dynamics-in-arctic-lakes-ref-2603-nzps-nu-rutter/?p192074