Landscape Ecology PhD: Connectivity and Ecosystem Function Along Canals

Landscape Ecology PhD: Connectivity and Ecosystem Function Along Canals

Quick Decision

Promising with material uncertainties. This Leeds PhD asks whether canals function as connected “blue-greenways”: linking aquatic and terrestrial communities and shaping interactions that may spill into surrounding farmland. The advertised work combines field ecology, multi-layer ecological-network modelling, a pollination/pest-control experiment and knowledge exchange with the Canal & River Trust (CRT). The YES-DTN FAQ describes the scheme-level studentship as 3.5 years, with a UKRI-rate stipend, university fees and support for research costs, fieldwork, training and conference travel; up to 30% of awards may go to international candidates, and successful award holders receive full university tuition at the applicable Home or International rate. Visa, health-surcharge and relocation costs are excluded. The exact 2027/28 stipend rate and project-level fieldwork/site-access allocation remain unknown. Official pages conflict on the opening date: the “Join us” page says 2 November 2026, while the homepage and detailed “How to Apply” instructions say 10:00 GMT on 12 November and that forms will not be available before then. The deadline is 13:00 GMT on 12 January 2027. Check form availability and confirm the discrepancy with YES-DTN. (official project description, 2027/28 archive, YES-DTN FAQ, application instructions listed in the project materials, Join us page)

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

What Is Unsolved and Why It Matters

Landscape connectivity research often studies one habitat or one interaction group at a time, even though organisms move across habitat boundaries and can affect other groups. The project uses canals as a model system because the waterway links aquatic places while the canal bank and adjoining vegetation may connect terrestrial habitats. One example in the project description is an aquatic-terrestrial cascade: predatory fish can affect dragonflies, whose adult stage may in turn interact with pollinators. The broader question is whether these cross-boundary interactions change community structure, movement and ecosystem functions beyond the water’s edge. This remains a research question; the project description does not establish that canal corridors deliver a particular benefit.

Work, Methods, and Potential Outputs

The official project plan has four linked components:

1. Collect empirical data on terrestrial plants and communities of pollinators, herbivores, parasitoids and insectivores along canals.
2. Study freshwater algae and fungi, aquatic grazers and shredders as part of the aquatic community.
3. Use multi-layer ecological-network modelling to examine interactions, community structure, function and movement across habitats and guilds.
4. Test how far community effects extend into adjacent agricultural landscapes, using potted strawberry plants to examine pollination success and pest-control services, and work with CRT on knowledge exchange.

This is a substantial mix of field ecology, quantitative modelling, experimental assessment and stakeholder communication. The listing does not specify canal reaches, field seasons, sampling effort, software, exact response measures, travel requirements or the allocation of work among the student, supervisors and CRT. A meaningful research output could be an evidence-based account of whether and how corridor effects cross land-water boundaries, but the direction and magnitude of any effect remain to be tested. (YES-DTN project page)

School, Programme and Field Context

The degree-awarding institution is the University of Leeds, in the Faculty of Biological Sciences and School of Biology. The project is part of the Yorkshire Environmental Sciences Doctoral Training Network (YES-DTN) competition; the public material does not describe a joint degree or second awarding institution. Leeds’ Doctoral College provides general PGR development, including research-integrity and ethics training, alongside school/faculty support. The project-specific training plan and doctoral registration model should be confirmed through the current call and offer. (Leeds PGR development, Leeds Doctoral College)

For context, the School of Biological Sciences reports a top-100 position for Life Sciences and Medicine in the QS subject rankings 2026; this combined subject category is not a ranking for ecology or this supervisory team. Leeds’ institutional research and overall university rankings are broad signals only and should not be used as a proxy for the canal project’s field resources or supervisory fit. (School reputation, University research impact, QS University of Leeds profile)

Supervisor and Lab Assessment

Talya Hackett’s official profile focuses on empirical community ecology and interaction networks that cross habitats or environments. Chris Hassall’s profile covers freshwater ecology, entomology, insects, urbanization, ecological statistics and related work. Hackett’s 2024 Nature paper is the closest conceptual match: it combines multi-guild interaction networks, a field experiment and modelling to link landscape composition with biodiversity, network structure and pollination function in the landscapes studied. It supports the rationale for asking about landscape-level effects, but its sites and habitats were not canals.

Hassall’s 2024 paper on operationalizing weather-surveillance radar for ecological research and a 2025 study of spatial and temporal variation in aerial arthropods show complementary experience in ecological data and insect monitoring. Radar is not an advertised method for this PhD, so these papers should not be treated as the proposed field protocol or a promised data source. The official project page identifies CRT as a co-development and knowledge-exchange partner; it does not specify guaranteed land access, data provision, staff time or a placement. No dedicated project lab or instrument suite is described. Confirm supervision responsibilities, species-identification support, modelling mentorship and fieldwork logistics. (Hackett profile, Hassall profile, Hackett et al. 2024, Lukach et al. 2024, Mungee et al. 2025)

Funding, Application, and Living Cost

The YES-DTN FAQ describes a standard full studentship lasting 3.5 years, with a personal stipend at the UKRI rate, university fees, and generous support for research costs, fieldwork, training and conference travel. The scheme can award up to 30% of its scholarships to international candidates and successful award holders receive full university tuition at the applicable Home or International rate. It does not cover relocation, visa or Immigration Health Surcharge costs. These are network-wide terms; the exact 2027/28 stipend amount and this project’s fieldwork allocation are not stated. (YES-DTN FAQ, Join us)

The project is listed in the 2027/28 competition for October 2027 entry, with a closing deadline of 13:00 GMT on 12 January 2027. Official opening information conflicts: “Join us” says 10:00 on 2 November 2026, whereas the homepage and detailed “How to Apply” page say 10:00 GMT on 12 November; the detailed page says application forms will not be available before then. As of 7 November, applicants should check the live forms and ask YES-DTN which date controls. (YES-DTN archive, YES-DTN home, How to Apply, Join us)

The application route requires both a Leeds Online Application (OLA) and the YES-DTN JISC form. The OLA must use the NERC YES-DTN programme; it issues the Student ID required for the second form and can take up to 48 hours. Supporting documents include degree certificates and transcripts, with certified English translations where needed and provisional transcripts for current students. The YES-DTN form combines the CV and structured personal statement. Applicants may name a first choice and an optional second project in the same school, but should submit one application only. Submit the OLA several days early to allow time for the SID. (How to Apply, Application Information)

Leeds’ 2026/27 budget guide estimates an average full-year living cost of £16,640 before tuition, while warning that accommodation rates are provisional and depend on contract and housing type. The University lists the 2026/27 international PGR fee for the Faculty of Biological Sciences as £32,000; this is a 2026/27 reference; confirm the applicable 2027/28 fee and award-specific terms in writing. Costs and rates may change by October 2027. Build a 12-month budget that includes rent, food, bills if excluded, travel to field sites, visa/health charges and any project expenses not covered by the award. (living-cost guide, research-degree fees, general research funding information)

Applicant Fit and Preparation

Required Background and Skills

The YES-DTN FAQ sets the scheme-level minimum at a 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in a subject related to the project. It says a strong Master’s performance may be considered where an applicant has a 2:2 first degree, and that a First is usually needed to be competitive for funding. Applicants whose first degree is in another field may still compete by demonstrating relevant skills; international applicants also need the required English-language evidence. The project page does not list required software or additional prerequisites. Ecology, zoology, freshwater biology, conservation, environmental science and quantitative ecology are relevant preparation areas inferred from the work, not extra formal requirements. (YES-DTN FAQs)

Preferred Experience and Suggested Preparation

Useful preparation would include field ecology, species or community observation, data management, statistics or ecological-network analysis, and a willingness to work across both aquatic and terrestrial settings. Experience with stakeholder communication may help with the CRT-facing component. These are suggestions to strengthen an application, not official prerequisites. A clear application can explain why canal corridors make a useful model system, how the candidate’s background supports both field and analytical work, and which parts of the four-component plan are especially motivating. Confirm the exact qualification, references, application form, interview format and coding expectations in the current YES-DTN call. (application information, YES-DTN FAQs)

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before Applying

• Confirm your academic and English-language eligibility under the YES-DTN rules, and obtain the exact 2027/28 stipend rate and project-specific fieldwork budget.
• Resolve the official 2 November/12 November opening-date conflict; submit both the Leeds OLA and YES-DTN form, and allow time for the SID to arrive.
• Ask which application documents and selection steps apply to this project.
• Ask whether the project has named canal sites or an agreed CRT access/data arrangement.

At Interview

• Which canal regions, seasons and taxa are in scope, and how will terrestrial and aquatic sampling be coordinated?
• Which multilayer network framework, software and statistical training will be available?
• What will CRT contribute in access, data, staff input, dissemination and knowledge exchange?
• What travel, field safety and fieldwork support are planned?

Before Accepting an Offer

• Get written confirmation of the 3.5-year award, stipend rate for the entry year, research/fieldwork allocation, site access and partner support. The network FAQ says university fees are covered regardless of Home/International fee difference, but relocation, visa and health-surcharge costs are not.
• Confirm supervisory roles, project milestones, site access and how the applied experiment will be supported.

Evidence and Sources

Project, Network and Application

• YES-27-B-03 project description
• 2027/28 YES-DTN research opportunities archive
• How to Apply
• YES-DTN FAQs
• Application Information
• Join YES-DTN
• YES-DTN home page

University, Supervisors and Papers

• Talya D. Hackett
• Christopher Hassall
• School of Biological Sciences reputation
• Leeds research excellence and impact
• Leeds overall QS profile
• Leeds PGR development
• Leeds Doctoral College
• Hackett et al., 2024, Nature
• Lukach et al., 2024, Ecological Informatics
• Mungee et al., 2025, Global Change Biology

Cost, Policy, Partner and Career Context

• Leeds living costs and budgeting
• Research degrees fees
• Research fees and funding
• Canal & River Trust nature and biodiversity
• Canal & River Trust: Vital Connector for Nature and People
• UK Government natural environment guidance
• UK Environmental Improvement Plan progress report 2025–26
• Forestry England ecology careers
• Environment Agency biodiversity-adviser role example