Funded Master’s Research Opportunity

Investigating Soil Aeration as a Natural Flood Management Strategy

School of Geography, University of Leeds

Breaking Ground: Investigating Soil Aeration as a Natural Flood Management Strategy

Supervisors: Dr Steph Bond & Dr Megan Klaar (University of Leeds), Dr Andy Bray (Calder Rivers Trust)

Application deadline: 2nd November 2026

Start date: 1st February 2027

Funding

The award covers:

Project Overview

• Conduct a focused literature review of soil aeration impacts on soil hydrology and ecosystem services, considering key controls such as topography, scale, seasonality, climate, land use, soil type and antecedent conditions.
• Undertake independent and collaborative fieldwork in Calderdale to collect post-aeration data and assess changes in soil hydrological properties (e.g. infiltration, compaction and soil moisture), building on an existing Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) experimental design.
• Analyse field and baseline datasets and, where appropriate, carry out laboratory analyses of soil samples (e.g. saturated hydraulic conductivity and bulk density) to support interpretation of field observations.
• Interpret findings in the context of Natural Flood Management, identifying key uncertainties and implications for practice through engagement with regional stakeholders.

The project is based within the School of Geography at the University of Leeds, where the successful candidate will join the River Basin Processes and Management Research Cluster. In addition to working closely with Calder Rivers Trust, the student will be embedded within the Yorkshire Natural Flood Management Community of Practice, providing valuable opportunities to engage with researchers, practitioners, landowners, and policymakers involved in delivering and evaluating NFM across the region.

Informal enquiries are welcome via email: [email protected].