Are you passionate about environmental history, climate adaptation, landscape change, GIS, or community-based environmental research? Trinity College Dublin is inviting applications for a fully funded PhD studentship under the prestigious Trinity Research Doctorate Award (TRDA) 2026–2030. This exciting doctoral opportunity focuses on Nature-Based Solutions for Catchment Management in Ireland and offers scholars the chance to contribute to cutting-edge interdisciplinary climate research while receiving full financial support.

The PhD forms part of the ambitious Landscape Living Lab: Catchment Monitoring, Modelling, and Management project, funded through the AIB Trinity Climate Hub Trinity Research Doctorate Award Scheme. The successful candidate will work alongside leading academics and fellow PhD researchers to help shape innovative approaches to climate resilience, flood risk management, and sustainable landscape governance in Ireland.

Application Deadline: Monday, 20 July 2026

About the Trinity Research Doctorate Award

The Trinity Research Doctorate Award (TRDA) is one of Trinity College Dublin’s flagship doctoral funding schemes that supports outstanding interdisciplinary research tackling global challenges.

This project is developed under the theme of Nature-Based Solutions, bringing together expertise from environmental humanities, geography, civil engineering, environmental science, business, and climate research.

The successful PhD candidate will become part of a collaborative research cohort examining the complex interactions between environmental systems and human societies within a river catchment in County Wicklow, Ireland.

About the Landscape Living Lab Project

The PhD is one component of the larger interdisciplinary research programme titled:

Landscape Living Lab: Catchment Monitoring, Modelling, and Management

The project investigates how river catchments can become more resilient to climate change through integrated research across four interconnected research pillars known as the “4Ms”:

1. Monitoring
   • Current environmental dynamics
   • Climate-related risks
   • Nature-related risks
2. Modelling
   • Future resilience pathways
   • Climate adaptation scenarios
   • Predictive environmental modelling
3. Memory
   • Historical landscape change
   • Environmental history
   • Community knowledge
   • Historical vulnerability
4. Management
   • Decision-making frameworks
   • Nature-based solutions
   • Sustainable catchment governance

Each PhD candidate will specialize in one pillar while collaborating closely with the others.

About This PhD Project

The advertised studentship focuses on the Memory pillar under the title:

Reconstructing Catchment Memory: Environmental History, Landscape Change and Community Knowledge for Nature-Based Catchment Management in an Irish Living Lab

The project will be supervised by:

• Associate Professor Francis Ludlow
• School of Histories and Humanities
• Trinity College Dublin

Research Objectives

The research aims to reconstruct the environmental and social history of a river catchment in County Wicklow.

The student will investigate how landscapes have changed over time and how these changes influence today’s environmental challenges, particularly flooding and climate resilience.

The research combines multiple disciplines including:

• Environmental history
• Historical GIS
• Digital humanities
• Art history
• Oral history
• Landscape studies
• Climate adaptation
• Nature-based solutions

What Will the PhD Research Involve?

The successful researcher will examine a wide variety of historical and environmental sources, including:

• Historical estate records
• Historical maps
• Aerial photography
• Paintings
• Photographs
• Forestry documentation
• Drainage records
• Local government archives
• Rural district council documents
• Historical newspaper reports
• Flood records
• Landscape change documentation

These materials will be digitized and integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) to reconstruct historical environmental conditions.

Community Engagement and Participatory Mapping

An important feature of the project is collaboration with local communities.

The PhD researcher will work directly with:

• Local residents
• Farmers
• Landholders
• Community organizations
• Catchment stakeholders

Using ethical participatory methods, the researcher will collect community knowledge about:

• Historical woodland cover
• Wetland loss
• River changes
• Flood-prone areas
• Historic drainage systems
• Field boundaries
• Land improvement projects
• Infrastructure development

Community “mental maps” will then be compared with documentary evidence to understand both environmental change and collective memory.

Key Research Questions

The project seeks answers to several important questions, including:

• How have land use and land cover changed across the catchment?
• When did significant environmental changes occur?
• Which historical management decisions contributed to today’s flood risks?
• How can historical records be integrated into GIS-based environmental analysis?
• How can oral histories improve understanding of environmental change?
• How can historical evidence improve future nature-based catchment management?

Candidate Profile

Applicants should ideally possess:

• At least an Upper Second-Class Honours Bachelor’s degree
• A Master’s degree or equivalent experience is highly desirable

Relevant academic backgrounds include:

• Environmental History
• Historical GIS
• Geography
• Digital Humanities
• Landscape Studies
• Archaeology
• Anthropology
• Art History
• Environmental Science
• Related disciplines

Desired Skills and Experience

Applicants should demonstrate experience or strong interest in:

• Historical archive research
• Documentary analysis
• Historical map interpretation
• Visual source analysis
• GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS or equivalent)
• Digital mapping
• Spatial databases
• Environmental history
• Climate adaptation
• Nature-based solutions
• Flood risk studies
• Oral history
• Community engagement
• Participatory mapping
• Qualitative research methods
• Interdisciplinary research
• Academic writing
• Public communication

The successful candidate should also be comfortable engaging respectfully with local communities and collaborating across disciplines.

Funding Benefits

This is a fully funded four-year PhD scholarship that includes:

• Annual tax-free stipend of €25,000
• Full tuition fee coverage
• Four years of funding
• Opportunity to work within a major interdisciplinary climate research programme
• Collaboration with leading researchers at Trinity College Dublin
• Training in advanced interdisciplinary research methods
• Participation in the AIB Trinity Climate Hub

Application Process

Applicants should email their application to:

Associate Professor Francis Ludlow

Subject Line:

Trinity College PhD Application: Catchment Memory

Applications should include:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• 1–2 page personal statement

The personal statement should explain:

• Why you are interested in this PhD
• Why you are a strong candidate
• Relevant experience
• Research interests

Applicants should also include contact information for two referees in their CV.

Apply to fludlow@tcd.ie

Selection Process

Following submission:

1. Applications will be shortlisted.
2. Interviews are expected in late July 2026.
3. The successful applicant will then submit a formal PhD application through Trinity College Dublin’s School of Histories and Humanities.
4. The successful candidate will begin the PhD on 1 September 2026.

Important Dates

• Application Deadline: Monday, 20 July 2026
• Expected Interviews: Late July 2026
• Programme Start Date: 1 September 2026

Why You Should Apply

This fully funded PhD offers an outstanding opportunity to contribute to internationally significant research addressing climate resilience and sustainable landscape management. By combining environmental history, digital mapping, community engagement, and nature-based solutions, the project will help shape future approaches to flood management and environmental governance in Ireland.

Successful applicants will join an interdisciplinary research environment at one of Europe’s leading universities while gaining advanced research skills applicable across academia, environmental consultancy, policy development, GIS, and climate adaptation.

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