Postgraduate research opportunities

Our impact-focused research aims to address the major challenges of growing global demand for food and nutrition security, climate change and dwindling natural resources. This covers a wide range of scientific disciplines, along with economics, business and resource management.

Postgraduate research (PGR) students make a valuable contribution to SRUC’s research programmes. Thanks to close ties with industry, our students benefit from building important networks and enjoy many varied employment opportunities after completing their studies with us. Discover more about our research outputs by visiting our research hub, SRUC’s Pure Portal.

MScR opportunities

There are currently no MScR opportunities being offered. Please continue to check back here for updates.

PhD opportunities

This PhD project is a fully funded four-year studentship by the BARIToNE Collaborative Training Partnership (from September 2025) and offered in partnership between SRUC and Suntory Global Spirits. The successful student will receive a full UKRI stipend (currently £19,237) also covering tuition fees, training, and travel budget.

Start date: September 2025

Duration: 4 years

Stipend: UKRI stipend levels (£19,237 in 2024/25)

Supervisors: Dr Jennifer Carfrae (SRUC), Dr Maciej Kaczmarek (SRUC), Alistair Longwell (Suntory Global Spirits)

Location: Edinburgh

Closing date for applications: 19 January 2025

Description: In 2019, production of whisky by-products was estimated to be 443kt, with 280kt of this fed to Anaerobic Digestion and Combined Heat and Power. The abundant organic carbon content of digestate makes it an ideal source for production of biochar which in turn offers potential for improved soil carbon quality and enhanced nutrient and water absorption.

There is recognition in Scotland of the need to rapidly transition to net-zero emissions to tackle climate change and support future resilience across industries. Key areas of strategic focus are on land management for soil heath whilst maintaining production levels, and to achieve this there is need for robust longer-term studies on sustainable soil management solutions and innovation. Biochar offers multiple benefits that could support the Scotch Whisky Industry’s net zero goal through provision of renewable energy and supporting on-land offset. These benefits include longer term carbon storage, reduced emissions and pollution, production of renewable energy, together with enhancing crop yield.

This multidisciplinary PhD will establish a demonstration site of this innovative technology and explore the potential benefits to the whisky industry in their progress toward circular economy readiness and net zero. The impact of whisky by-product biochar and microbial interactions on soil and crop health will be appraised using glasshouse experiments and longer-term field trials and will be supported by evaluation of cost and environmental efficiency of both biochar production and application.

Eligibility:

For entry to PhD study, applicants are expected to have at least one of the following:

an undergraduate degree, usually with first or upper second (2:1) class honours or equivalent in a relevant subject, or
a relevant master’s qualification or equivalent evidence of prior professional practice.

International applicants and candidates from non-English speaking countries will need to meet the minimum language requirements for admission onto the programme of study. These can be found in the Entry Requirements section of the PhD in Agriculture, Rural and Environmental Studies webpage.

Application Process:

Applications to the BARIToNE CTP programme are made via the form which can be found on our website: https://baritone.hutton.ac.uk/how-to-apply/

Informal enquiries about the project and your application should be addressed to the project supervisor, Dr Jennifer Carfrae at Jennifer.Carfrae@sruc.ac.uk

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at Doctoral.College@sruc.ac.uk

This PhD project is a fully funded four-year studentship by the BARIToNE Collaborative Training Partnership (from Sept. 2025) and offered in partnership between SRUC and MAGB. The successful student will receive a full UKRI stipend (currently £19,237) also covering tuition fees, training, and travel budget.

Start date: September 2025

Duration: 4 years

Stipend: UKRI stipend levels (£19,237 in 2024/25)

Supervisors: Professor Neil Havis (SRUC), Dr Steve Hoad (SRUC), Dr Julian South (Maltsters' Association of Great Britain (MAGB))

Location: Edinburgh

Closing date for applications: 19 January 2025

Description: Mycotoxins are fungal metabolites found in cereals and other plants. They are toxic to humans so their levels must be carefully managed in food and drink. The project aims to understand the relationship between sustainable agriculture practices and mycotoxin production in barley. It will then use the knowledge gained to devise strategies for control of mycotoxins in regenerative farming systems. The project will encompass field studies, both at the commercial and experimental scale. Aspects of regenerative farming that will be included for study are tailored agrochemical use, direct drilling of seeds, pros and cons of field margins and modifying the crop rotation. The project will include samples from a wide geography since there are differences due to soil and climatic variables. In addition, there are differences in agriculture support mechanisms across UK regions which will impact the agricultural methods employed and these will be compared within the project. The project will utilise existing analytical methods for mycotoxin analysis at a partner laboratory, which have been developed over many years and are readily available at the scale required for the project.

Eligibility:

For entry to PhD study, applicants are expected to have at least one of the following:

an undergraduate degree, usually with first or upper second (2:1) class honours or equivalent in a relevant subject, or
a relevant master’s qualification or equivalent evidence of prior professional practice.

Application Process:

Applications to the BARIToNE CTP programme are made via the form which can be found on our website: https://baritone.hutton.ac.uk/how-to-apply/

Informal enquiries about the project and your application should be addressed to the project supervisor, Professor Neil Havis at Neil.Havis@sruc.ac.uk

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at Doctoral.College@sruc.ac.uk

Start date: October 2025

Duration: 4 YEARS

Stipend: UKRI stipend levels (£19,237 in 2024/25)

Supervisors: Dr Luis Novo (SRUC), Attila Molnar (School of Biological Sciences, UoE), Maciej Kaczmarek (SRUC)

Location: Edinburgh

Closing date for applications: 6 January 2025

Description: Gold mining has historically been associated with environmental degradation, water contamination, and socio-economic challenges [1]. As a sustainable alternative, gold phytomining presents an avenue where plants can be used to extract gold from soil, especially in waste sites with sub-economic gold concentrations [2]. One promising area within this field is the potential use of cyanogenic plants. These plants produce cyanogenic glycosides that, when hydrolysed, release hydrogen cyanide [3], a compound known to enhance the solubility of gold [4], thereby potentially improving its bioavailability and subsequent uptake by plants. Moreover, cyanogenic microbes can further aid in enhancing gold phytoavailability.

Given the significance of this mechanism, understanding the molecular basis behind cyanogenesis is pivotal. This doctoral project aims to explore the genetic and molecular aspects of cyanogenic plants and microbes and their potential for gold phytomining. Employing molecular biology techniques, the research will investigate the expression and regulation of genes associated with cyanogenic activity. Specifically, it will focus on the up-regulation or down-regulation of these genes under various environmental conditions and its correlation with increased gold uptake [4,5]. This project is not only set to refine our understanding of plant-metal interactions at a molecular level but also has the potential to pioneer a greener approach to gold recovery from low-grade ores or tailings [6].

Eligibility:
For entry to PhD study, applicants are expected to have at least one of the following:

• an undergraduate degree, usually with first or upper second (2:1) class honours or equivalent in a relevant subject, or

• a relevant master’s qualification or equivalent evidence of prior professional practice.

Application Process:

To apply for an SRUC PhD studentship, please follow the guidance below. The SRUC Doctoral College can provide you with support for your application.

Informal enquiries about the project and your application should be addressed to the project supervisor, Dr Luis Novo – Luis.Novo@sruc.ac.uk

Applications are to be submitted via the University of Edinburgh application portal: https://e4-dtp.ed.ac.uk/how-to-apply/supervisor-led-projects/project?item=1618. Applicants are asked to ready the full project description before applying.

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at Doctoral.College@sruc.ac.uk

Start date: October 2025

Duration: 4 years

Stipend: UKRI stipend levels (£19,237 in 2024/25)

Supervisors: Dr Arthy Surendran (SRUC), Professor Neil Havis (SRUC), Laura Ross (School of Biological Sciences - Institute of Evolutionary Biology, UoE) Matt Elliot (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh)

Location: Edinburgh

Closing date for applications: 6 January 2025

Description: As the UK transitions towards a ban on peat in plant-growing media, the adoption of more sustainable alternatives such as wood fibre, wood chips, and green compost has led to a rise in the prevalence of fungus gnats in glasshouse environments, where they can become significant pests. Despite their growing impact, fungus gnat has been one of the least studied and understood families of Diptera in the British fauna. This lack of research has sparked numerous questions about their biology, behaviour, and virulence, especially about their increased presence in peat-free growing media.

This project will investigate and identify various fungus gnat species present in the glasshouse setting in the UK by employing metabarcoding. The most prevalent species will be selected to study their biology, lifecycle and virulence. Further, the bionomics of the selected species with respect to the peat alternatives will be studied in detail. With special attention to the diet, the shift in fungus gnat's diet from fungi and algae to living plant cells marks a critical turning point, enabling them to transition from being mere nuisances to significant agricultural pests. This dietary adaptation allows them to damage crops and ornamental plants, intensifying their threat. Muti-omics such as genomics and proteomics tools will be utilised to study the underlying mechanisms.

Finally, the project will evaluate the existing control strategies and develop new environmentally friendly control methods. This includes the production of sterile males or traps utilising the pheromones/volatiles, phototaxis etc.

Eligibility:
For entry to PhD study, applicants are expected to have at least one of the following:

• an undergraduate degree, usually with first or upper second (2:1) class honours or equivalent in a relevant subject, or

• a relevant master’s qualification or equivalent evidence of prior professional practice.

Application Process:

To apply for an SRUC PhD studentship, please follow the guidance below. The SRUC Doctoral College can provide you with support for your application.
Informal enquiries about the project and your application should be addressed to the project supervisor, Dr Arthy Surendran – Arthy.Surendran@sruc.ac.uk

Applications are to be submitted via the University of Edinburgh application portal: https://e4-dtp.ed.ac.uk/how-to-apply/supervisor-led-projects/project?item=1734. Applicants are asked to ready the full project description before applying.
If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at Doctoral.College@sruc.ac.uk

How it works

We offer excellent opportunities for research leading to a higher degree, usually Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at SRUC. Completing a research degree programme successfully requires scientific and technical knowledge, project planning, time and resource management. You will also need good communication skills, critical thinking and analysis. We work with you to create a plan, based on a detailed analysis of training needs, that is updated regularly throughout the programme of study. Research students are encouraged to participate fully in the academic life at SRUC Studying will forge connections and experiences that will be of benefit whether you continue to work in an academic or industrial research environment or elsewhere.

You can find more information on SRUC’s PhD in Agriculture, Rural and Environmental Studies within our course catalogue or learn more by contacting the Doctoral College using the link below.

The Doctoral College

The Doctoral College is responsible for the administration, development, and support of our postgraduate research programme. It provides guidance for PGR students on all aspects of the research journey, from application to completion.

As well as being the first point of contact for PGR students, The Doctoral College helps our postgraduate research community forge connections with networks of peers, academics, and professional services. We strongly believe in promoting inter-disciplinary and entrepreneurial thinking, and this reflects the collaborative ethos across SRUC and our partners.

In more practical terms, the Doctoral College can fund support for research student skills development through the Small Grant Competition. Students can apply for funds to support research-relevant activities or to buy small items of equipment.

The Doctoral College also organises the annual Postgraduate Research Conference. This provides an opportunity for research postgraduates to present various stages of their work publicly and to engage with those from other centres who may be carrying out a project in a similar, or a more diverse, subject area.

Contact the Doctoral College

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