Amazon Forest Ecology PhD: Sensors and Models for Fire and Climate Change

Amazon Forest Ecology PhD: Sensors and Models for Fire and Climate Change

Quick Decision

This Exeter Geography PhD, starting in September 2027, connects low-cost sensor calibration, process-model validation, plot measurements and airborne/satellite data to landscape-scale estimates of Amazon forest microclimate and fire risk. A desk-based route is possible. The work suits applicants with strong quantitative and programming skills in R, Python or MATLAB. Its main feasibility risk is data continuity: the current NERC-funded Amazon PyroCarbon award ends on 30 June 2027, before the doctorate starts. Confirm post-award data access and maintenance, model validation, the industry partner’s role and likely fieldwork; international applicants should also confirm fee eligibility and application arrangements. The deadline is noon on 8 December 2026. Official project specification · Project announcement · NERC award record.

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

What Is Unsolved and Why It Matters

Macroclimate surfaces derived from weather stations can miss the conditions organisms experience beneath tropical forest canopies. Disturbance changes canopy structure and near-ground energy and water exchange, so a forest's microclimate can warm or dry even when coarse regional averages obscure the change. A global modelling study found below-canopy temperature regimes have already become novel across many tropical locations, while recent East Amazon measurements recorded understory warming of up to 1.6 °C in 2023–2024 relative to 2014–2022 at the sampled sites. These results motivate the work; neither establishes the local fire thresholds this PhD will estimate. Trew et al. 2024 · East Amazon understory temperatures, 2025.

The methodological gap is unusually clear. Low-cost sensors can drift or respond differently to radiation, wind, design and placement; physical models have limited validation against dense tropical vertical profiles; and point measurements become less certain when projected across a landscape. Prior microclimate measurement experiments show that temperature logger errors can approach or exceed the ecological differences under study, while lower-cost devices can still be useful when carefully calibrated and validated. Maclean et al. 2021 sensor-measurement study · Low-cost forest monitoring study.

Work, Methods, and Potential Outputs

The official project specifies four linked tasks:

1. Compare established dataloggers, custom devices and industry-partner prototypes to quantify effects of design, placement, drift and missing observations.
2. Test process-based models of energy, heat and water exchange against vertical measurements from soil to canopy in intact, burned and degraded stands.
3. Fuse in-situ records with airborne and spaceborne lidar, including GEDI, plus optical satellite observations. Use machine learning to calibrate low-cost sensors and correct systematic model error.
4. Propagate uncertainty from instruments through landscape-scale predictions of where warmer, drier conditions could increase tree heat/drought stress and fire risk, including under ENSO-related drought.

The project says fieldwork in Brazil is possible subject to permits, but it can also be completed as a desk-based study with existing and partner-collected data. The advertised training includes sensor design/calibration, physical and statistical modelling, machine learning, geospatial analysis, R/Python high-performance computing and reproducible research. A possible industry placement is mentioned, not guaranteed.

There is a strong current modelling base. Maclean's 2026 microclimf paper describes a computationally efficient mechanistic model with temperature, humidity, wind and radiation outputs; reported temperature RMSE across validation sites is 0.69–2.9 °C. That is encouraging for regional modelling, but it does not demonstrate accuracy for humidity, drought stress or fire-risk outputs in burned/degraded Amazon plots. The earlier microclimc work validates at four forest sites and helps explain the modelling lineage. Maclean 2026 microclimf paper · Maclean and Klinges 2021 microclimc paper.

The Amazon evidence base is also unusually close to the project. A 2025 study by Ma and colleagues, with Maclean as co-author, analyzes nearly four million temperature readings from 145 sensors across eight Amazon sites in 2016–2023. It finds stronger buffering in rainy than dry seasons and links buffering to precipitation, canopy height, foliage and slope. The data are available on request, not described as a public download; the paper does not establish that its network is the same as the advertised PyroCarbon network. A 2025 study with Feldpausch evaluated GEDI for forest structure along an Amazon degradation gradient, which is directly useful for designing the remote-sensing component. Ma et al. 2025 Amazon sensor study · Doyle et al. 2025 GEDI study.

Main feasibility test: the advertised PyroCarbon network records soil temperature, soil moisture and near-surface air temperature, but its NERC award is listed through 30 June 2027. That timing is earlier than the PhD start and warrants a precise data-continuity discussion. Ask which data will be available under what licence, which partners will continue collection, whether sensors remain maintained, and what staff support is allocated. An end date for the grant does not itself mean observations or data access stop.

Scale and validation: GEDI's public products describe canopy height, cover and vertical foliage structure. Its footprint shots are nominally around 25 m and sampled along orbital tracks; they do not directly measure understory temperature or soil moisture. A convincing project plan must explain how sparse lidar observations, optical/airborne data and plot sensors connect spatially, and reserve independent sites or times for validation. Do not infer fire-risk validity from a temperature-model RMSE alone. GEDI products overview · USGS/NASA GEDI user guide.

School, Programme and Field Context

The award is advertised as a University of Exeter PhD in Geography, located at Streatham. The Geography research-degree page lists MPhil/PhD Geography (Human and Physical), with physical-geography work linked to the Terrestrial Ecosystem Restoration and Adaptation group. The group describes expertise in tropical ecosystem change, Amazon field research, satellite/UAV/airborne lidar and ecosystem modelling. The degree-awarding institution is Exeter; the Brazil research partnership does not establish a joint degree or second award. The exact registration title, training requirements and any residency obligations should be confirmed. Official project specification · Exeter Geography PhD · TERA research group.

Exeter's Geography page places the subject in the top 40 worldwide in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2026. In REF 2021, 55% of submitted activity in Geography and Environmental Studies (UoA14) was rated 4-star and 36% 3-star; in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences (UoA7), 63% was 4-star and 27% 3-star. These show relevant research capacity, not a ranking of the specific lab or a guarantee about day-to-day supervision. Exeter Geography ranking statement · Exeter REF 2021 results.

Supervisor and Lab Assessment

Prof Ted Feldpausch is the lead supervisor, with Prof Ilya Maclean and Dr Oscar Kennedy-Blundell. Their combination is well matched to the proposed scope: tropical forest fire/degradation and field networks; mechanistic microclimate modelling; and JULES-based modelling of Amazon soil and black carbon. The Feldpausch group publicly documents work that combines long-term plots with GEDI, airborne lidar, satellite remote sensing and ecosystem models. Project announcement · Feldpausch research themes · Research group roster.

Recent papers support complementary parts of the project rather than proving that every component is already solved. Maclean's 2026 microclimf paper provides the model platform, the 2025 Amazon sensor study provides regional microclimate evidence, and the 2024 Nature Climate Change paper supplies a broad below-canopy warming context. Feldpausch's 2025 GEDI study directly tests forest-structure retrieval across Amazon degradation. A separate 2025 study of degraded forests in the Brazilian Amazon Arc of Deforestation adds thermal-stress context across disturbance types. The project therefore has a clear empirical and methodological foundation, with a substantive doctoral contribution in validation, sensor uncertainty and scale transfer. Microclimf, 2026 · Amazon variability, 2025 · Tropical canopy temperature novelty, 2024 · Amazon GEDI degradation study, 2025 · Thermal stress across degraded stands, 2025.

The official Amazon PyroCarbon page describes active field sites and sensor infrastructure, and a 2026 team report covers fieldwork across seven study areas in five Brazilian states. This establishes regional research experience, but not that the PhD will travel to those sites, that travel is funded or that field permits will be obtained. The industry sensor company is unnamed in the announcement; placement is only a possible route. HPC allocation, prototype access, data governance and division of supervisory responsibilities are not public. PyroCarbon grant record · 2026 fieldwork report.

Funding, Application, and Living Cost

The EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award lists up to 3.5 years of full-time funding, an index-linked £21,805 stipend for 2026/27, tuition fees and a £5,000 Research Training Support Grant across 3.5 years. The 2027/28 rate is not yet confirmed in the current general guidance. International students can compete for a limited share of awards (up to 30% of the cohort); if awarded, their tuition is covered through the UK-fee award plus an Exeter fee waiver. Visa, Immigration Health Surcharge and relocation expenses remain self-funded. EPSRC DLA funding and eligibility rules.

Exeter estimates basic student spending at £1,300–£2,000 per month, based on local spending in April 2026. Annualized, that is roughly £15,600–£24,000, compared with the current listed stipend of £21,805: at the guide's lower estimate about £6,205 remains before exceptional costs, while the upper estimate exceeds the current stipend by about £2,195. Costs vary substantially with rent and lifestyle. Visa, IHS, relocation and any unbudgeted fieldwork sit outside that comparison. The award's 3.5-year funding period should also be matched against exact registration and extension/submission rules. Exeter budgeting guide.

Applications close at midday Tuesday 8 December 2026 for September 2027 entry. The scheme is project-led and allows applications to at most three projects; applicants must use the link attached to the selected project. Required materials include an English personal statement naming the project, CV, full transcript(s), two references and English-proficiency evidence where applicable. References should arrive by 15 February 2027 from institutional email accounts. Certified translations of academic qualifications are required. The general scheme page contains a stale interview/outcome sentence referring to 2026 despite the 2027 start; reconfirm the interview schedule rather than relying on that date. Application requirements and references · September 2027 award overview.

Applicant Fit and Preparation

Required Background and Skills

The project welcomes physics, engineering, computer science, mathematics, environmental science, geography, ecology and related backgrounds. It explicitly says a forest-ecology degree is not required. Strong quantitative skills and programming experience in R, Python or MATLAB are essential. This is the most important fit screen.

Preferred Experience and Suggested Preparation

Experience with sensors/electronics, numerical or statistical modelling, machine learning, remote sensing or GIS is advantageous, but training is offered. A competitive application should show a reproducible quantitative project, code, calibration or validation work, and the ability to reason about measurement error. Applicants from ecology may need to demonstrate coding depth; those from computing/engineering should show interest in ecological field data and environmental interpretation. These are analytical preparation suggestions, not additional stated eligibility conditions. Relevant roles include ecological monitoring, GIS/Earth observation, environmental data science, climate modelling, scientific software, research and consulting; official careers pages document these pathways but cannot predict job availability or guarantee employment. Project-specific eligibility · UK National Careers Service ecology profile · Met Office science careers · Exeter Geography graduate outcomes.

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before Applying

• Confirm the exact project application link, degree equivalency, English-language evidence and whether an international EPSRC DLA award is available in this competition.
• Build the personal statement around a concrete example of programming and quantitative analysis; state why forest microclimate connects to the applicant's background.
• Request the 2027/28 stipend estimate and clarify the 3.5-year award against registration duration.

At Interview

• What sensor types, placement metadata, data volume, licenses and maintenance plans are available from September 2027 onward? Who continues collection after the PyroCarbon award ends in June 2027?
• Which exact microclimate model/version and target variables are planned? How will error be measured separately for temperature, humidity, soil moisture and fire-risk proxies?
• What are the independent validation sites/times, and how will spatial autocorrelation and sensor-to-GEDI scale differences be handled?
• Is Brazil fieldwork optional, likely or unnecessary? Who pays permits, travel, insurance and field safety costs? What does the desk-based route use instead?
• Who is the industry partner, what prototype access is promised, and is any placement funded or guaranteed? What HPC resources and supervisory time are allocated?

Before Accepting an Offer

• Obtain written confirmation of the stipend year, international tuition coverage, funding duration, fee-status decision and any shortfall if registration or submission extends beyond the award.
• Confirm data-access rights, fieldwork contingencies, equipment/compute costs and whether the main doctoral objectives remain feasible if permits or partner observations are delayed.

Evidence and Sources

Project, School, and Funding

• EPSRC DLA 2027 official project PDF
• Amazon PyroCarbon project announcement, 26 October 2026
• Exeter EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award: important information
• Exeter EPSRC studentships overview for September 2027
• University of Exeter Geography PhD
• University of Exeter REF 2021 results
• Exeter student budgeting guide, April 2026 estimate

Supervisors, Group, and Research Papers

• Feldpausch Research Group research themes and projects
• Feldpausch Research Group members
• Professor Ted Feldpausch profile and project portfolio
• NERC grant NE/W001691/1: Amazon PyroCarbon
• Amazon PyroCarbon fieldwork across seven study areas
• Maclean (2026), Microclimf: Fast modelling of microclimate across real landscapes in R
• Maclean and Klinges (2021), Microclimc mechanistic microclimate model
• Ma et al. (2025), The variability of microclimate in the Amazon Rainforest
• Trew et al. (2024), Novel temperatures beneath tropical forest canopies
• Doyle et al. (2025), Evaluating GEDI for forest structure across Amazon degradation
• Maclean et al. (2021), On the measurement of microclimate
• Low-cost monitoring systems for fine-scale forest ecology (2022)
• East Amazon understory temperatures reached record highs in 2023–2024
• Thermal stress in degraded forests in the Brazilian Amazon Arc of Deforestation

Remote Sensing, Career Context, and Programme

• GEDI data products overview
• USGS/NASA GEDI Level 2 user guide
• UK National Careers Service: ecologist
• Met Office science career families
• Exeter Geography graduate destinations
• Exeter Terrestrial Ecosystem Restoration and Adaptation group
• Exeter careers: environment, conservation and ecology