PhD Studentship
Birds as Vectors of Plastics, Heavy Metals, and Pesticides in Scottish Wetlands
About the Project
What does a student need to know about this project and why is your supervisory team best to support it?
This PhD offers a unique opportunity to uncover how birds link land and water by transporting pollutants through Scotland’s most extensive peatland–wetland landscapes. The student will investigate how waterfowl, gulls & terns, transfer microplastics, pesticides and metals between feeding and roosting sites, revealing hidden pathways that connect ecosystems and influence water quality. Working at the interface of ecology, chemistry and environmental policy, they will gain advanced skills in field research, analytical science and modelling, while contributing directly to national efforts to safeguard wetland biodiversity and meet emerging challenges in contaminant management.
What expertise and skills will the student develop?
The student will gain hands-on experience in avian fieldwork, wetland ecology, and contaminant monitoring. Training includes collection and analysis of guano for microplastics (via UKCEH), pesticides and heavy metals (in-house labs ERI-UHI), and application of semi-automated image analysis. Skills in ecological modelling, GIS, data management, and citizen-science coordination will be developed engaging with established platforms. The supervisory team combines expertise in ornithology, wetland ecology, contaminant analysis, analytical chemistry, and ecological modelling, providing a strong foundation for transdisciplinary training.
Why is the project novel?
Birds are known to interact with plastics, heavy metals and pesticides, but no study has systematically quantified avian-mediated pollutant fluxes in Scottish wetlands. This project will investigate how migratory and resident waterfowl influence the input, distribution and persistence of contaminants of regulatory and ecotoxicological concern. By combining guano analyses with detailed habitat, site, and avian ecological data, it will quantify pollutant loads and chemical signatures, assess spatial variation across upland peatland and lowland agricultural wetlands, and model pollutant fluxes between birds, water and sediments, providing novel insight for management and conservation policy in wetland ecosystems.
What real-life challenge does it address?
Wetlands face increasing pressures from diffuse pollution, including plastics, pesticides, and heavy metals. Understanding how waterfowl and gulls/terns contribute to contaminant transfer will inform wetland management, biodiversity conservation, and water quality policies. Outputs will support conservation partners in designing cost-effective monitoring and mitigation strategies, aligning with EU directives and Scottish environmental targets for priority contaminants.
PhD Supervisors: Dr Neil James (UHI), Dr Lydia Niemi (UHI), Dr Elizabeth Masden (UHI), Dr Peter Gilbert (RSPB), Dr Richard Cross (UKCEH)
This project is part of the NERC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training, ECOWILD. For more details, and for a full list of projects offered under this programme, please visit: https://ecowild.site.hw.ac.uk/
We recognise that not every talented researcher will have had the same opportunities to advance their careers. We therefore will account for any particular circumstances that applicants disclose (e.g. parental leave, caring duties, part-time jobs to support studies, disabilities etc.) to ensure an inclusive and fair recruitment process.
How to apply:
You must apply via the ECOWILD website: https://ecowild.site.hw.ac.uk/how-to-apply/
Enquiries:
Project specific enquiries should be sent to Dr Neil James (University of the Highlands and Islands) at neil.james@uhi.ac.uk
Funding Notes
This is a full scholarship which will cover tuition fees for Home students and provide an annual stipend in line with UKRI recommended levels (currently £20,780 in 2025-26) for the 44 months duration of the project.
