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Analytical Science and Technology

Programme background

Analytical science and technology underpins most observation-based environmental science - it is a vast topic with constantly evolving technology and capability. Via a series of PhD studentships this programme will establish a new cohort of research scientists capable of ensuring that the very latest developments in analytical science and technology are translated across into the environmental science domain.

The programme of studentships is being undertaken in partnership with and co-funded by the Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund (ACTF) of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). Following on from a highly successful decade-long collaboration with the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), ACTF now wishes to support studentships in areas of analytical science that will be of benefit to environmental science.

The first call for studentship proposals will take place in 2009 and if successful further annual calls for studentship proposals will be held. The programme may potentially support up to 28 PhD studentships in total.

The programme will provide training and research opportunities focused on the development of new analytical techniques with potential applications across the full breadth of environmental science supported by NERC. It aims to exploit the substantial, distributed investments made in high technology analytical facilities within UK institutions. Investments in training also have the potential to enable environmental scientists to find new applications for the technological state-of-the-art developed by others and exploit the much larger investments in basic instrument R&D funded by industry.

This programme will play a crucial role in achieving the overall objectives of the NERC Technologies theme, as well as enabling the development and exploitation of new techniques and technologies suitable for use across all of NERC's strategic science themes.

Students supported under this programme will be strongly encouraged to join the Royal Society of Chemistry, Analytical Division and to attend the annual Analytical Research Forum and other activities organised by the ACTF and RSC. NERC also expect networking activities organised by the programme to support the cohort of students developed.