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Soil engineering PhD | Testing microbial struvite precipitation for soil improvement

Project 2731 · Cardiff University · Cardiff School of Engineering

Application workspace

Save this opportunity and prepare around its actual requirements. Confirm deadlines and eligibility at the original source.

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Country or region
United Kingdom
Application deadline
2027-01-05 (confirm the exact time with the source)
Funding
Described as fully funded for 3.5 years full-time or a part-time equivalent; reference AM DLA 2705. The specific award’s EPSRC DLA status, 2027/28 stipend and research-cost allowance remain unconfirmed. Cardiff’s general UKRI policy says eligible international students do not pay the Home/international fee difference; confirm that it applies to this studentship. The 2026/27 UKRI minimum stipend of £21,805/year is a 2026/27 reference, not the 2027/28 award amount.

The research opportunity

Project overview This Cardiff School of Engineering PhD will evaluate microbially induced struvite precipitation as a nature-inspired approach to soil improvement. The project also asks whether the process can improve soil nutrient quality, particularly phosphate. Its feasibility and kinetics in soil are not yet well understood.

Research work The experimental work will examine the process across different soil types. The resulting materials will be assessed for their physical, chemical, mechanical and microstructural characteristics and environmental compatibility. The project will also develop a reactive-transport modelling framework for saturated and unsaturated porous media, coupling advection, diffusion and reaction processes. The validated framework is intended as a design tool to estimate treatment uniformity and potential mechanical improvement for later field planning. Field performance and environmental compatibility are research questions, not established outcomes.

The PhD is based in Cardiff University’s Geoenvironmental Research Centre (GRC), an interdisciplinary centre working on porous media and geoenvironmental engineering. The named supervisors are Dr Arif Mohammad, Dr Michael Harbottle and Dr Evan Ricketts, whose experience spans geoenvironmental experiments and geochemistry, nature-inspired ground engineering, and computational modelling of porous soils. The project description lists access to GRC laboratories, equipment and geochemical-modelling tools, regular knowledge-sharing meetings and seminars, and Cardiff Doctoral Academy training. The specific supervisor role split, project equipment allocation and any external partner are not stated.

Application and funding The project notice describes a fully funded PhD lasting 3.5 years full-time or a part-time equivalent, with reference AM DLA 2705. The exact award link to Cardiff’s EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award, stipend, research/bench-cost allowance and part-time terms remain unconfirmed. Cardiff’s general UKRI policy says eligible international students are not charged the Home/international fee difference; confirm that this individual studentship qualifies. The 2026/27 UKRI minimum stipend of £21,805 per year is a 2026/27 reference, not a 2027/28 award amount.

The application deadline is 5 January 2027; the time and timezone are not stated. The project lists an October 2027 start. Applicants should hold or expect a first-class or good 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in Engineering or a related subject. Analytical and problem-solving ability, multiscale geomaterial characterization, and numerical transport methods—especially finite elements—are desirable, not all mandatory. Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. The application calls for a CV, personal statement or covering letter, two references and current transcripts. Select the Engineering PhD with an October 2027 start, identify the project and supervisors in the research-proposal section, and state that you are applying for advertised funding under AM DLA 2705. Confirm the live application route and time of the deadline before submission.

Research and application brief

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Show report contents

Soil engineering PhD | Testing microbial struvite precipitation for soil improvement

Original evidence review date: 7 November 2026

Quick Decision

Promising, but with material uncertainties. This Cardiff School of Engineering project proposes a 3.5-year PhD connecting nature-inspired soil improvement, geoenvironmental characterization and reactive-transport modelling. The research concept is to examine microbially induced struvite precipitation as a possible soil-improvement approach, including potential effects on soil nutrient quality. It is most relevant to applicants from engineering or related fields who are interested in geotechnical and environmental problems and prepared to work across experimental and numerical research.

The project notice lists a 5 January 2027 deadline and an October 2027 start, with full-time study or a part-time equivalent. It calls the award fully funded and gives reference AM DLA 2705, but does not itemize the stipend or research-cost allowance. Cardiff’s EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award is structured as a 3.5-year funded PhD, and Cardiff’s general policy says international recipients of UKRI studentships are not charged the Home/international fee difference. Confirm in writing that this project is funded through that DLA and that the fee policy applies. The exact deadline time and timezone, 2027/28 stipend and research/bench costs also remain to be confirmed. Cardiff EPSRC DLA, Cardiff UKRI funding policy.

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

What is unresolved

The project describes soil-based struvite precipitation as a relatively new ground-improvement concept whose feasibility and kinetics are not well understood. The research challenge is to understand how geochemical and environmental conditions interact with soil and porous-medium properties, and how those interactions relate to nutrient quality and mechanical behaviour. The proposal therefore connects soil engineering, geochemistry, environmental assessment and computational modelling.

Work and possible contribution

The advertised work has two main strands. The experimental strand will examine the concept across different soil types and characterize resulting materials at a high level across physical, chemical, mechanical, microstructural and environmental-compatibility dimensions. The modelling strand will develop a reactive-transport framework for saturated and unsaturated porous media, coupling transport and reaction processes. The stated design purpose is to help predict treatment uniformity and potential mechanical change, and to inform later field-design decisions.

This is a planned research programme, not evidence that the approach is already field-ready. The core feasibility questions include whether responses vary substantially across soils, how material-level observations relate to engineering behaviour, how uncertainty is represented in the model and what evidence is sufficient for validation. Environmental compatibility and field-scale performance are research questions; they should not be presented as established benefits.

The broader field is interdisciplinary. A 2022 state-of-the-art review coauthored by Harbottle maps a range of nature-inspired ground-engineering approaches, rather than a single standardized technology. The project's proposed contribution is narrower: study one mineral precipitation concept and relate experimental characterization to a reactive-transport design framework. Nature-inspired ground-engineering review.

School, Programme and Field Context

Cardiff University’s School of Engineering is the identified academic home and degree-awarding institution. No joint degree, separate employer or external host is named. The School’s research-degree programme describes doctoral supervision, research training, progress reviews and links with industry and other organizations. The Geoenvironmental Research Centre (GRC) provides a relevant interdisciplinary setting for work on soils, porous media and geoenvironmental engineering. Cardiff’s Doctoral Academy adds wider research and professional development. The project notice states 3.5 years; the School's general Engineering page describes a standard three-year PhD, while the EPSRC DLA page also specifies 3.5 years. Confirm the award's registration and funded duration and how the general programme structure applies. Engineering PGR programme, Geoenvironmental Research Centre, Doctoral Academy.

REF 2021 provides subject-level context. Cardiff Engineering’s UoA 12 submission received an overall GPA of 3.35, with 96% of submitted research rated 3* or 4*. This assessment covers the School's submission, not the GRC or this project. QS World University Rankings 2026 placed Cardiff University 181 overall; that broader rank does not establish strength in geoenvironmental engineering. REF 2021 UoA 12, QS 2026 Cardiff profile.

Supervisor and Research Environment

The three named supervisors provide complementary expertise. Dr Arif Mohammad works in geoenvironmental engineering, including coupled porous-media processes, nature-inspired technologies and environmental remediation. Dr Michael Harbottle’s research spans nature-based infrastructure, biogeotechnics and environmental protection. Dr Evan Ricketts works on computational mechanics and stochastic modelling for porous materials and soils, including finite-element methods. The GRC page confirms an interdisciplinary centre with relevant environmental and geotechnical research.

Recent work supports methodological adjacency, with limits:

  • Ricketts et al. (2026) developed a stochastic finite-element model for three-dimensional flow in heterogeneous soil and validated it against field observations. This is relevant to the proposed modelling context, but it does not validate the project’s reactive-transport model. Paper.
  • Harbottle et al. (2024) presented an EGU conference abstract on microbial and porous-media processes in the pedosphere. It shows recent group activity at the biology/geoengineering interface, but is not a peer-reviewed evaluation of this soil-improvement concept. Abstract.
  • Somani et al. (2023) assessed remediation and recovery management for soil-like material from landfill mining, with Harbottle as a coauthor. It is relevant to applied geoenvironmental management but concerns a different material and objective. Paper.
  • Singh et al. (2025) reviewed characterization, remediation and valorization of contaminated sediments, with Mohammad as a coauthor. It provides broad material-management context, not evidence for the proposed treatment. Review.
  • Mohammad also coauthored a 2025 study on environmental compatibility in mine-waste leaching, an adjacent example of balancing resource recovery and environmental constraints. Paper.

Together, these sources support complementary supervision across geoenvironmental assessment, engineering and modelling. They do not establish treatment uniformity, durability, environmental safety or field-scale performance. The project notice does not specify the supervisors’ role split, project-specific equipment allocation or a confirmed external partner. Dr Mohammad’s profile, Dr Harbottle’s profile, Dr Ricketts’ profile, GRC overview.

Funding, Application and Living Cost

Item Published information Decision implication
Award reference AM DLA 2705 in the project notice Confirm that this is the Cardiff EPSRC DLA award and that the award is allocated to this project.
Duration 3.5 years full-time or part-time equivalent in the notice Confirm funded duration, part-time intensity and pro-rating.
Funding Project notice says fully funded; Cardiff DLA describes funded PhDs Obtain the award schedule, stipend and research-cost details.
International fees Cardiff general UKRI policy says international awardees are not charged the Home/international fee difference Confirm that this specific studentship qualifies.
Stipend 2026/27 UKRI minimum is £21,805/year from October 2026 This is a 2026/27 benchmark; the award begins in October 2027, so confirm the rate then.
Deadline and start 5 January 2027; October 2027 start in the project notice Exact deadline time/timezone and application requirements are not specified.

UKRI's 2026/27 minimum fee contribution is £5,238, capped at the Home fee rate. Cardiff’s general policy says the University offers a fee discount so international students with a UKRI studentship do not pay the fee difference. That policy appears relevant to a DLA reference, but the specific award terms should be confirmed in writing. Cardiff’s research-fee page still showed 2025/26 rates at the time checked and said 2026/27 fees would be updated; it notes that some science-based programmes may incur an additional research-support fee. UKRI student support, UKRI studentships, Cardiff research fees.

Cardiff’s 2026/27 living-cost calculator gives illustrative budgets. Its shared private-housing model totals £13,510.92 per year and excludes travel; the University’s private-accommodation guidance gives rents from around £450/month before bills. Costs vary with location, property, housemates and contract length. These figures are planning references, not a project-specific doctoral budget. The 7 November 2026 review cited a Student visa maintenance requirement for study outside London of £1,171/month for up to nine months plus unpaid course fees, subject to exemptions and sponsorship evidence; this is an immigration threshold rather than a full living-cost estimate. Cardiff living-cost calculator, Private accommodation in Cardiff, Student visa financial requirement.

Applicant Fit and Preparation

The project notice states a first-class or good 2:1 degree, or equivalent, in Engineering or a related subject. It lists analytical and problem-solving ability, multiscale geomaterial characterization and numerical transport methods (particularly finite elements) as desirable. The notice also says applicants need not already be expert across every project area and that the supervisory team will support skill development. Cardiff’s general Engineering PGR page lists IELTS 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each subskill, or an accepted alternative; the project notice says IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. Confirm which language condition applies to this competition. Cardiff Engineering PGR guidance.

A useful application would connect prior work in civil/geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, materials, earth sciences or applied mathematics to porous-media or geoenvironmental questions. Evidence of careful analysis, modelling, characterization or engineering judgment can help. Finite-element or numerical transport experience may be useful but should not be presented as the only suitable background. Applicants can explain why the project needs both experimental evidence and modelling and how they would develop skills across the complementary strand. The School and Doctoral Academy provide broader training context; the specific training plan should be discussed with the supervisors.

Plausible career directions include geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering, ground improvement and remediation, computational engineering, and applied research in sustainable infrastructure and materials. Cardiff describes links between the School and industry, and the GRC addresses local and national research needs. The project can develop transferable experimental, modelling, environmental-assessment and communication skills. No placement, employer, salary or vacancy forecast is promised. School of Engineering PGR programme, Geoenvironmental Research Centre, Doctoral Academy.

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before applying

  • Confirm in writing whether AM DLA 2705 is an EPSRC DLA studentship and obtain the award duration, stipend schedule, Home/international fee treatment and research-cost allowance.
  • Verify the deadline time and timezone, supporting documents, scholarship form requirements and selection process.
  • Confirm the language requirement and the part-time application route and funding terms.

At interview

  • How will the three supervisors divide guidance across soil/geochemical assessment and modelling?
  • What specific lab access, equipment, training and research-support funding are allocated to this project?
  • What environmental-compatibility outcomes and validation evidence will the project use, and which scientific decisions remain open for the student to shape?
  • Which external partners, if any, will contribute to the research or future field design?

Before accepting

  • Confirm award-letter terms, stipend, fees, any additional research-support fee, part-time arrangements, project consumables, conference/travel support and conditions on residence or external work.
  • Clarify research-risk review and the evidence needed before any field-scale translation is considered.

Evidence and Sources

Core Institutional and Programme Sources

Supervisor and Publication Sources

Funding, Cost and Application Sources

Sources

The listing may come from a university or recruitment platform. Check the notice and official sources in the report for current application requirements. View the recruitment source

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