Africa nationals: Satellite-based monitoring for climate change adaptation and sustainable fisheries management in the African Great Lakes - PhD

King's College London

London, UK 🇬🇧

Subject areas:  Geography and the environment.

Funding type: Tuition fee. Stipend. Bench Fees / Research Training & Support Grant.

Academic year: 2023-24

Study mode: Postgraduate research

Application closing date: 28 April 2023

King’s College London are offering a studentship to African nationals, focused on ‘Satellite-based monitoring for climate change adaptation and sustainable fisheries management in Africa.

Award details

PhD project title: Satellite-based monitoring for climate change adaptation and sustainable fisheries management in the African Great Lakes

Description:

The African Great Lakes support rich fisheries and sustain the livelihoods and food security of over 50 million people. However, these ecosystems are threatened by climate change, high population growth, and the emerging threat of rapidly expanding cage aquaculture fisheries. Water quality is deteriorating and harmful algal blooms are becoming more frequent, but a lack of data limits our understanding of what is driving these changes and how to mitigate them. This PhD will use cutting-edge technologies, including satellite remote sensing and low cost sensors, to address this data gap and to support the sustainable management of these vital ecosystems. The student will collect ‘ground truth’ data in the region for training and validating the satellite algorithms. These methods will then be applied to archival satellite imagery to assess spatial patterns and temporal trends in water quality across the African Great Lakes. Aquaculture cages will be mapped using machine learning and high resolution satellite imagery. Statistical modelling will be used to investigate how climate, land use and aquaculture are driving water quality changes. These models will be applied to determine the potential impact of future climate and land use scenarios on water quality and fisheries, thereby informing future management and adaptation actions.

Award value

The studentship covers:

  • Tuition fees at the higher international/overseas rate;
  • An annual stipend (living allowance): at the UKRI rate (for the year 2022/23, this was set at £19,688).
  • Research costs up to £5,000 per annum.

Eligibility criteria

Eligible applicants should:

  • Be African nationals and be permanently resident in an African country;
  • Be liable for tuition fees at the higher international/overseas rate;
  • Plan to commence a full-time MPhil/PhD programme in the Department of Geography at King’s College London in the 2023-24 academic year (from October 2023 and by no later than June 2024).
  • Have a good undergraduate degree in geography, environmental sciences or a related discipline.
  • Either have, or be working towards, a masters degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
  • Have skills in remote sensing, GIS, data analysis, and experience of fieldwork in the region.
  • Experience of coding (e.g. in Python, R or Google Earth Engine) is also desirable.
  • Have experience of writing to high standards.

Be able to communicate effectively in English and provide certification of your competence in English at the required level (Band B) before starting your studies. Details of English language requirements can be found here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/how-to-apply/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements.

Application process

Applicants should submit the following:

  1. i) A CV (max 2 A4 sides), including details of two academic references;
  2. ii) A cover letter outlining skills and qualifications, and motivation for applying for this PhD studentship (max 2 A4 sides);
  3. iii) A proposal of up to 2000 words outlining how you would make this PhD project your own within the scope provided, including reflections on relevant literature;
  4. iv) A sample of previously written work (e.g. a journal article or dissertation sample).

These should be emailed to emma.tebbs@kcl.ac.uk by 28th April 2023 with “King’s Africa Studentship” as the subject. Interviews will take place at the end of May/early June.

Contact:

For any questions relating to this scheme, please contact Dr Emma Tebbs, emma.tebbs@kcl.ac.uk.


POSITION TYPE

ORGANIZATION TYPE

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

DEGREE REQUIRED

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