Primary supervisor: Dr. Penelope Beckers

Scientific background:

Successful implementation of the Paris Agreement depends on countries’ emissions being accurately known and readily available, but our ability to assess CO2 emissions from fossil fuels is currently limited.

“Bottom-up” emissions estimates, based on inventory-style accounting and mobile tracking data, can differ significantly from each other at policy-relevant levels, while “top-down” estimates, based on atmospheric measurements and modeling, are hampered by large natural fluxes of carbon dioxide between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere (1).

Research methodology:

The primary goal of this PhD scholarship is to develop near-real-time capability for top-down CO2 quantification, based on simultaneous changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen (O2) measurements, in combination with complementary tracers such as radon. Using new data products for fossil fuel O2 and CO2 emission ratios and new measurements from the Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory (weybourne.uea.ac.uk) and the Heathfield Tall Tower in the United Kingdom, will:

• Separating atmospheric signals into human and natural processes (1, 2) to quantify carbon dioxide, taking advantage of other tracers such as radon (5);
• Investigating the proportions of fossil fuel O2 and CO2 emissions in the UK (3);
• Working towards near real-time top-down CO2 emissions reporting in the UK;
• Use your new knowledge of ffCO2 to reevaluate the partitioning of carbon sinks in land and oceans and investigate carbon budget imbalances (4).

an exercise:

We will provide intensive face-to-face training in:

• High-precision measurement of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere;
• Measurement of relevant tracers (eg radon);
• Programming (e.g., R, Python) for advanced atmospheric time series analyses, including machine learning;
• Skills of presenting research at scientific conferences and writing peer-reviewed papers.

The PhD involves spending 3-6 months at the UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL), for research-based training in inferring carbon dioxide emissions using atmospheric datasets and atmospheric modeling.

There is also the opportunity to undertake a one- to three-month research visit in Wellington, New Zealand, working with the latest CarbonWatch-NZ data (niwa.co.nz/climate/research-projects/carbon-watch-nz). Attend summer schools, such as the National Center for Atmospheric Sciences Summer School (ncas.ac.uk/study-with-us/atmospheric-measurement-summer-school), will provide additional training and networking opportunities.

Person specifications:

We are looking for an enthusiastic team player with a strong interest in the carbon cycle and climate change, self-motivation and numerical skills.

Entry requirements:

At least a UK BA (Hons) equivalency of 2:1. English language requirements (Faculty of Science equivalent: IELTS 6.5 overall, 6 in each category).

Acceptable first degree: environmental sciences, physics, chemistry, natural sciences, engineering, or another subject in a similar field.

Start date: 1^street October 2026

Finance

ARIES Scholarships are governed by UKRITerms and Conditions. Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded scholarship, which covers fees, a maintenance stipend (£20,780 per annum for 2025/26) and a Research Training and Support Grant (RTSG). A limited number of scholarships are available to international applicants, with the difference between ‘national’ and ‘international’ fees waived by the registered university. However, please note that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with moving to and living in the UK, such as visa costs or additional health fees.