Applications are invited for a funded PhD studentship through the NERC-funded CENTA Doctoral Training Partnership at Cranfield University, in collaboration with NIAB and the British Geological Survey (BGS). This project will develop and evaluate next-generation soil health metrics that provide actionable insights for sustainable arable land management. Using long-term experiments, national soil datasets, and AI-driven analytics, the research will assess soil health across agricultural systems and scales. The aim is to create robust, field-scale benchmarks that account for productivity and local environmental risks, advancing beyond current regional and climate-based approaches. The award includes tuition fees, a tax-free stipend, and research support.

Soil health is fundamental to sustainable agricultural production, climate resilience, environmental protection, and food security. However, current approaches to assessing soil health often rely on broad regional or climate-based benchmarks that do not adequately reflect local management practices or field-specific environmental risks. Advances in environmental informatics, artificial intelligence (AI), remote sensing, and long-term soil monitoring provide new opportunities to develop more robust and actionable soil health assessments that can support sustainable land management decisions.

This PhD will develop, test, and refine soil health metrics that provide actionable insights for arable land management. Using large-scale soil, environmental, and crop performance datasets, the project will evaluate existing soil health indicators and identify opportunities for improvement. The research will combine expert knowledge with machine learning, predictive modelling, and remote sensing to create a framework for soil health assessment that accounts for productivity and field-scale environmental risks. The resulting metrics will be designed to support practical decision-making across a range of agricultural systems and scales.

The project is a CASE studentship funded through the NERC CENTA Doctoral Training Partnership and delivered in partnership with Cranfield University, NIAB, and the British Geological Survey (BGS). Cranfield University is internationally recognised for its expertise in soil science, environmental data science, and sustainable land management, and hosts the nationally important LandIS soil information system. NIAB is the UK's leading crop science organisation, providing extensive long-term agricultural experiments and farm datasets, while BGS contributes nationally significant environmental and geospatial data resources. The student will be supervised by Dr Toby Waine, Dr Daniel Simms, Dr Elizabeth Stockdale (NIAB), and Dr Ben Marchant (BGS).

The project will deliver improved methodologies for assessing soil health across arable farming systems. By integrating data from long-term experiments, national soil inventories, and farm-scale monitoring, the research will establish evidence-based soil health benchmarks and AI-enabled assessment approaches. The outcomes will improve understanding of how soil health varies across scales, support more effective land management decisions, and provide tools that can contribute to resilient food production, environmental stewardship, and future agricultural policy development.

The student will have access to unique datasets from NIAB's long-term experiments, Cranfield University's LandIS soil databases, and BGS environmental data resources. The project offers opportunities to work at the interface of soil science, agriculture, environmental informatics, and artificial intelligence. The student will collaborate closely with industry and research partners, engage with real-world agricultural challenges, attend national and international conferences, access specialist training through CENTA and partner organisations, and develop expertise in emerging applications of machine learning and Earth observation for environmental management.

The student will develop advanced skills in soil science, environmental data analysis, machine learning, geospatial modelling, remote sensing, and statistical evaluation. Experience working with large and complex datasets from national monitoring programmes and long-term field experiments will provide excellent preparation for careers in academia, environmental consultancy, agritech, government agencies, and the wider land management sector. The project will also build transferable skills in project management, scientific communication, stakeholder engagement, interdisciplinary research, and the application of AI to environmental challenges.

At a glance

  • Application deadline06 Jan 2027
  • Award type(s)PhD
  • Start date06 Jun 2027
  • Duration of award3.5 years (full-time) - 6 years (part-time)
  • EligibilityUK, Rest of world
  • Reference numberCRAN-0123

Supervisor

1st Supervisor: Dr Toby Waine

2nd Supervisor: Dr Daniel Simms

External Co-Supervisors: Dr Elizabeth Stockdale (NIAB), Dr Ben Marchant (BGS).

Entry requirements

Applicants should have a first- or second-class UK honours degree or equivalent in a related discipline. This project would suit applicants from backgrounds including soil science, environmental science, geography, geology, earth science, ecology, hydrology, or related subjects. We welcome candidates interested in combining field and laboratory investigation with environmental data, GIS and predictive modelling. Applicants should be curious, willing to work across disciplines and comfortable developing both practical and quantitative skills. Previous experience in soil classification, programming or spatial modelling is welcome but not essential, as specialist training will be provided. Applicants should also be willing to undertake fieldwork and placement with project partner.

Funding

Sponsored by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Cranfield University through the Central England NERC Training Alliance (CENTA3), this studentship will provide a tax-free stipend at the UKRI rate (of up to £ 21,805) plus Home-rate tuition fees for 3.5 years.

This studentship is open to both Home and international applicants. However, the studentship only covers tuition fees at the Home fee rate. International applicants are therefore responsible for covering the difference between the Home and international tuition fee rates from another source, for example through self-funding or other external funding. No international fee waiver is available for this studentship.

International applicants are encouraged to contact the supervisors before applying if they have any questions about the funding arrangements.

Eligibility for Home fee status is determined with reference to UK Department for Education rules. As a guiding principle UK or Irish nationals who are ordinarily resident in either the UK or Republic of Ireland pay Home tuition fees. All other students (including those from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) pay Overseas fees. Further advice can be found on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website.

Sharing data

UKRI would like to have a better understanding of the students its training provision attracts and supports. Diversity information on all applicants/recruits applying for UKRI funded studentships will be shared with UKRI. The data will be aggregated and will not be shared as individual data or used to report on individuals or specific universities. The data will be used to analyse general trends in student populations across UKRI's portfolio.

Diversity and Inclusion at Cranfield

At Cranfield, we value our diverse staff and student community and maintain a culture where everyone can work and study together harmoniously with dignity and respect. This is reflected in our University values of ambition, impact, respect and community. We welcome students and staff from all backgrounds from over 100 countries and support our staff and students to realise their full potential, from academic achievement to mental and physical wellbeing.

We are committed to progressing the diversity and inclusion agenda, for example; gender diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through our Athena SWAN Bronze award and action plan, we are members of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) and Working Families, and sponsors of International Women in Engineering Day. We are also Disability Confident Level 1 Employers and members of the Business Disability Forum.

Our Student Wellbeing and Disability support team provide a range of support and coordinate reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, specific learning differences and mental and physical health conditions. Please contact studentsupport@cranfield.ac.uk for support queries, the information you provide will be confidential.

Cranfield Doctoral Network

Research students at Cranfield benefit from being part of a dynamic, focused and professional study environment and all become valued members of the Cranfield Doctoral Network. This Network brings together both research students and staff, providing a platform for our researchers to share ideas, identify opportunities for collaboration and create smaller communities of practice. It aims to encourage an effective and vibrant research culture, founded upon the diversity of activities and knowledge.

Doctoral Researchers’ Core Development (DRCD) Programme

An important part of the research journey is developing key skills that will benefit a research students research and professional development. As a research student at Cranfield, you will be expected to attend the DRCD programme which comprises of four 1 week units which cover the key stages of your research journey. Workshops are held face to face, providing the opportunity for you to network and collaborate with your peers during these valuable development sessions. For further details visit Cranfield's Doctoral Network.

How to apply

For further information please contact:   

Name: Dr Toby Waine
Email: t.w.waine@cranfield.ac.uk

If you are eligible to apply for this studentship, please complete the online application form.

Applicants must complete and upload the CENTA Studentship Application Form 2027 as part of their application to Cranfield University.

The CENTA form is mandatory and must be submitted in addition to your CV and the standard Cranfield application requirements. Applications submitted without a completed CENTA Studentship Application Form 2027 will not be considered for the CENTA studentship.

Note, your application will not be considered unless all relevant documents have been uploaded. For more information please visit  Applying for a research degree.