King’s College London is offering a studentship award to African nationals focused on Satellite-based monitoring for climate change adaptation and sustainable fisheries management in Africa.
Award Details
The African Great Lakes support and sustain the livelihoods and food security of over 50 million people. However, these ecosystems are threatened by climate change, high population growth, and the emerging threat of rapidly expanding cage aquaculture fisheries.
Furthermore, water quality is deteriorating and aiding the development of harmful algal blooms. Nonetheless, the unavailability of data limits understanding of what drives these changes and how to mitigate them.
The PhD project aims to utilise cutting-edge technologies, including satellite remote sensing and low-cost sensors, to address the data gap and support the sustainable management of these vital ecosystems. In addition, the student will gather ‘ground truth’ data in the region for training and validating the satellite algorithms.
Furthermore, these methods will also be applied to archival satellite imagery to assess spatial patterns and temporal trends in water quality across the African Great Lakes. In addition, aquaculture cages will be mapped using machine learning, high-resolution satellite imagery, and statistical modelling to investigate how climate, land use and aquaculture drive water quality.
Finally, these models will be applied to determine the potential impact of future climate and land use scenarios on water quality and fisheries, informing future management and adaptation actions.
Award Value
The studentship award will cover
- Tuition fees at the higher international/overseas rate;
- An annual stipend of USD 24,448 ( EUR 19,688); and
- Research costs up to USD 6,209 ( EUR 5,000) per annum.
Eligibility
- Be an African national and permanently reside in an African country;
- Be liable for tuition fees at the higher international/overseas rate;
- Plan to commence a full-time MPhil/PhD programme in the Department of Geography at King’s College London in the 2023-24 academic year (from October 2023 and no later than June 2024);
- Have an excellent undergraduate degree in geography, environmental sciences or a related discipline;
- Either have or be working towards a master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field;
- Skills in remote sensing, GIS, data analysis, and experience in fieldwork in the region;
- Competency in oral and written English language; and
- Experience in coding (e.g. in Python, R or Google Earth Engine) is also desirable;
Furthermore, interested applicants must be able to communicate effectively in English and provide certification of their competence in English at the required level (B and B) before the start of their studies. In addition, the required English language details can be found here.
How to Apply
Applicants must email the following documents to emma.tebbs@kcl.ac.uk by 28 April 2023 with the subject headline “King’s Africa Studentship”.
- A cover letter outlining skills and qualifications, and motivation for applying for this PhD studentship (max 2 A4 sides);
- A proposal of up to 2,000 words outlining how to personalise the PhD project within the scope provided, including reflections on relevant literature;
- A sample of previously written work (e.g. a journal article or dissertation sample); and
- A CV (max 2 A4 sides), including details of two academic references.
Furthermore, interviews will be held at the end of May/early June 2023.
For more information, email emma.tebbs@kcl.ac.uk.
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