Amazonian Peatland PhD | Mapping Peat Depth and Age, and Testing Vegetation Links

Amazonian Peatland PhD | Mapping Peat Depth and Age, and Testing Vegetation Links

Quick decision

Assessment: a strong scientific and supervisory fit for applicants interested in tropical peatlands, ecology, palaeoecology and field-led environmental research. The PhD is attached to the NERC YES•DTN October 2027 competition and is based in the University of Leeds School of Geography. The advertised work targets a real data gap in the western Pastaza–Marañón Foreland Basin (PMFB): peat depth and basal age, and their relationship to present-day vegetation and succession. The project has an unusually relevant team across Leeds, the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP), Kew and St Andrews. (YES•DTN project entry, Leeds Ecology and Global Change, Tim Baker profile, Paul Morris profile, Eurídice Honorio Coronado profile, Katy Roucoux profile)

The main uncertainty is practical: public material does not specify the exact field sites, sampling and dating methods, number of field seasons, permissions, lab capacity, or how the partner team will supervise the student. The YES•DTN opening date also conflicts across its own pages. Before applying, ask about the field plan, methods, international eligibility and award terms. The stated closing date is 12 January 2027 at 13:00 GMT. (YES•DTN application steps, YES•DTN funding and opening dates, YES•DTN competition timeline)

Research question and work

Why it matters

The PMFB in northern Peru is described by YES•DTN as Amazonia’s largest peatland complex, with an estimated 5.4 Pg of stored carbon, distinctive biodiversity and local livelihood value. It remains incompletely sampled. In the western PMFB, a preliminary observation found 8.10 m of peat, the deepest reported in the complex; its age, spatial extent and associated vegetation remain open questions. The project proposes that the western area may preserve deposits differently from areas east of the Pastaza Fan, but this is a rationale to test, not a confirmed basin-wide pattern. (YES•DTN project entry)

The wider research challenge is to distinguish an ecosystem’s present appearance from its history. Peat initiation, sediment accumulation, river flooding, water-table depth, plant succession and later disturbance can vary between nearby basins. A basal date is therefore one line of evidence, not a simple explanation of current vegetation.

Advertised work packages

The official project page describes three linked tasks:

1. Survey peat depth in underexplored parts of the PMFB.
2. Build a map of basal peat dates across the basin.
3. Test whether peatland age is associated with present-day vegetation types and observed successional patterns.

Fieldwork, laboratory work and statistical analysis are named as transferable training. The description does not name a corer, dating protocol, proxy set, sampling count, GIS package, laboratory, annual field schedule or specific thesis chapter plan. Do not assume that the project will use a particular method until the supervisors confirm it. (YES•DTN project entry)

Research frontier

Recent work shows why this project needs both field observations and careful interpretation. A 2024 field-data-driven map combined 2,413 ground reference points with remote-sensing layers, while noting remaining uncertainty and geographic gaps. A 2021 PMFB study estimated that intensive sampling increased the mapped extent of peatland pole forest by 61% compared with an earlier estimate. These studies support the value of ground-truthing, but neither can establish the depth or age of the proposed western sites. (Amazonian peatland mapping study, Amazonian peatland field-sampling study)

A peer-reviewed 2026 study of a different PMFB site reconstructed roughly 7,800 years using a 4.9 m core, 19 radiocarbon dates and pollen, geochemical and sedimentological evidence. It reports peat initiation around 6,200 calibrated years before present and low apparent accumulation until around 2,300 years before present. This demonstrates the potential resolution of local records, while also showing that one site cannot stand in for the basin. A 2024 study likewise links flood variability to mineral input and vegetation change at one peatland. (Nueva York palaeoecological chronology, Peatland flood-variability study)

A 2022 study across 12 wetland sites found that peat presence and tree-species composition respond to different hydrological controls. This is an important analytical caution: a relationship between basal age and present vegetation may also depend on water-table depth, flood regime, basin setting and substrate. Community conservation research adds another layer: restoration and sustainable harvesting outcomes can depend on long-term local collaboration and governance, although the advertised PhD does not promise a community-based work package. (Hydrology and peat/forest composition study, Amazonia conservation study, IIAP PMFB conservation chapter)

School, degree and training

The degree-awarding institution is the University of Leeds, School of Geography. Its Ecology and Global Change group works across tropical forests and other biomes and lists peatland ecohydrology, tropical-forest carbon cycling, palaeoecology and chronostratigraphy among its research areas. Leeds reports Geography at 26th globally in the QS subject ranking for 2026 and states that 93% of the School’s Geography and Environmental Studies REF 2021 submission was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. These are department-level signals; they do not guarantee an individual project outcome. (Leeds Geography rankings and REF, Leeds Ecology and Global Change)

The advertised relevant degree areas include Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation. Leeds Geography’s general PhD minimum is a 2:1 honours degree or equivalent in Geography or a related subject; a first-class degree is usually more competitive for scholarship funding, and a master’s degree is described as valuable. The School’s general research-degree page lists IELTS 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5 where an English qualification is required. Confirm the exact entry and language conditions for the YES•DTN route before applying. (YES•DTN project entry, Leeds Geography entry requirements)

The network describes a cross-institutional environmental-science training setting, and says award holders receive research, fieldwork, training and conference support. The public project description does not identify which facilities or specific training modules this student will use. The network funds 3.5 years; the published project information does not state the standard registration/submission period or how it aligns with the funded period, so confirm this before accepting an award. (YES•DTN funding and opening dates, YES•DTN funding FAQ)

Supervisors and research setting

• Prof Tim Baker (primary supervisor, Leeds): tropical ecology and conservation, including tropical peatland distribution, ecology, sustainable management, community livelihoods and forest change. Leeds lists long-running Amazonian peatland work in his research portfolio. (Tim Baker profile, Leeds Amazonian peatland project)
• Prof Paul Morris (Leeds): wetland biogeoscience and peatlands, using field, laboratory and modelling approaches to study wetland responses to climate and human alteration. (Paul Morris profile)
• Dr Eurídice Honorio Coronado (Kew): tropical peatland biodiversity and function, forest structure, plant taxonomy, conservation and work at the science–policy interface; her publications include multiple northern-Peru studies. (Eurídice Honorio Coronado profile)
• Dr Katy Roucoux (St Andrews): palaeoecology and palaeoclimatology, using pollen and sediments to reconstruct vegetation and environmental histories, including Holocene Amazonian peatlands. (Katy Roucoux profile)

The project page confirms collaboration with IIAP and names the partner universities and Kew researchers. Kew also lists an active tropical-peatland project with IIAP, Leeds and St Andrews. This provides credible regional and disciplinary context, but does not by itself specify the PhD student’s day-to-day access, partner travel, or supervision cadence. (YES•DTN project entry, Kew peatland collaboration)

Funding, application and costs

Application and opening-date conflict

The official project code is YES-27-G-01. For October 2027 entry, the project archive and detailed How To Apply page say applications open at 10:00 GMT on 12 November 2026. The Join Us funding page instead gives 2 November 2026. All three pages give a closing time of 13:00 GMT on 12 January 2027. Check the correct opening date with YES•DTN before relying on either date. (YES•DTN project entry, Amazon Forest project archive, YES•DTN application steps, YES•DTN funding and opening dates, YES•DTN competition timeline)

The application requires both the Leeds online application and the YES•DTN form. The Leeds application must use the YES•DTN programme, after which the applicant receives a student ID needed for the second form. The network form combines CV and structured personal statement; the project code must be entered accurately. The programme advises submitting the university application early enough for the ID to arrive and does not accept late applications. (YES•DTN application steps)

YES•DTN says a full studentship includes 3.5 years of stipend at UKRI rates, university fees, and support for research, fieldwork, training and conference travel. Up to 30% of full scholarships across the network may go to international applicants; this is a network-wide cap, not a promise that this project has an international award. Relocation, visa and health-surcharge costs are excluded. UKRI’s 2026/27 minimum full-time stipend is £21,805 and the indicative fee rate is £5,238; these are current benchmarks, not confirmed 2027/28 award values. (YES•DTN funding FAQ, UKRI stipend and fee guidance)

Leeds estimates 2026/27 single-student living costs at £8,890–£24,230 for 52 weeks, with a £16,640 average. That estimate excludes tuition, visa and health surcharge, flights and other personal costs. A simple comparison with the current UKRI minimum stipend leaves £5,165 above the average estimate, but this is not a guaranteed surplus: both values may change, and fieldwork or international expenses can materially alter a personal budget. Leeds publishes annual PGR tuition rates; YES•DTN says it pays university fees for successful award holders. Confirm any bench fees and the exact fee coverage in the award letter. (Leeds postgraduate research fees, Leeds living-cost estimates, YES•DTN funding FAQ)

Applicant fit and career relevance

A strong application would connect ecology, geography or environmental-science training to the project’s core reasoning: how peat depth and age are measured, what controls plant communities, and how to separate basin history from hydrological and sedimentary effects. Useful evidence may include field sampling, plant or wetland ecology, sample metadata and quality control, statistics, GIS, laboratory work, or collaboration with local partners. The project page does not set a formal list of technical prerequisites, so show transferable experience and a credible plan to learn the methods. (YES•DTN project entry, Leeds Geography entry requirements)

Potential routes include academic or research work in tropical ecology, peatlands and palaeoecology; conservation and wetland monitoring with research institutes, public agencies or NGOs; and environmental consultancy involving field surveys, environmental assessment, analysis and reporting. The Royal Geographical Society identifies those as possible consultancy tasks and notes the value of field, data, GIS and communication skills. These are plausible pathways from the training, not job forecasts or employment guarantees. (RGS environmental-consultancy guidance)

Main risks and questions

1. Field feasibility: Which specific districts and sites will be visited? How many field trips and for how long? Is the deepest preliminary site in scope, and what is the rainy-season contingency?
2. Methods and schedule: What sampling equipment and chronology approach are planned? Which vegetation or sediment proxies, lab facilities and statistical/GIS tools are expected? How will the team keep the scope achievable within the funded period?
3. Permits and local partnership: Who arranges research permits, protected-area access if relevant, community or landholder consent, sample transport and data stewardship? What role will IIAP play in field logistics and co-supervision?
4. Safety and access: What are the communications, health, insurance, transport and evacuation arrangements? FCDO advice is general and must be checked against the actual field location and current conditions; it notes rainy-season disruption and remote-access constraints. (Peru safety guidance)
5. Funding and application: Which opening date is correct? Does this project have an international award allocation? What stipend applies in 2027/28, and which field/lab, visa, travel and relocation expenses are outside the studentship?
6. Scientific interpretation: How will age–vegetation patterns be tested against water table, river flooding, basin setting, fire or other disturbances? How will spatial sampling gaps and dating uncertainty be represented?

Evidence and Sources

Project and Application

• S01 — YES-27-G-01 project entry
• S02 — Amazon Forest keyword archive and project code
• S03 — YES•DTN application steps and deadline
• S04 — Join us: funding and opening date
• S05 — YES•DTN funding FAQ and international eligibility
• S06 — 2027 project archive and competition timeline

Supervisors, School and Training

• S07 — Leeds Geography reputation and REF results
• S08 — Leeds Ecology and Global Change
• S09 — Tim Baker profile
• S10 — Paul Morris profile and research overview
• S11 — Eurídice Honorio Coronado profile
• S12 — Katy Roucoux profile
• S13 — Kew tropical-peatland collaboration
• S14 — Leeds Amazonian peatland research project

Scientific Sources

• S15 — 2026 Nueva York palaeoecological chronology
• S16 — 2024 Amazonian peatland data-driven map
• S17 — Hydrological controls on peat and forest composition
• S18 — 2021 field sampling and peatland pole-forest extent
• S19 — Long-term conservation interventions in Amazonia
• S20 — Flood variability and peatland development
• S21 — IIAP repository chapter on PMFB wetland conservation

Fees, Costs and Career

• S22 — UKRI student stipend and fee benchmarks
• S23 — Leeds postgraduate research fees
• S24 — Leeds living-cost estimates
• S25 — Leeds Geography research-degree entry requirements
• S26 — Peru safety and security advice
• S27 — RGS environmental-consultancy career guidance