Emerging invasive alien species and their management
Eligibility: UK/International (including EU) graduates with the required entry requirements
Duration: Full-Time – three and a half years fixed term
Application deadline: 27 May 2025
Interview date: Will be confirmed to shortlisted candidates
Start date: September 2025
For further details contact: Dr Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz
Introduction
Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the five main direct drivers for global biodiversity decline and have major impacts on ecosystem services and human wellbeing. In Britain, about 2,000 alien species are considered established and 10-12 new species establish every year; about 10% are invasive and have negative impacts, costing the UK economy an estimated £4bn a year (Eschen et al. 2023). IAS management is therefore a priority that countries have committed to tackling in international agreements, most recently in the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, as well as nationally through the GB Non-Native Species Strategy (https://www.nonnativespecies.org/about/gb-strategy/).
Project details
Control strategies targeting early stages of the invasion process of alien invasive species have been shown to be most successful and cost effective. Key for the success of these strategies is the early identification of emerging species with potentially high negative impacts in the future but also the early response of key stakeholders involved in invasive species management and the provision of adequate resources.
This project aims to analyse how emerging invaders could be identified from species distribution databases as well as citizen science records. Furthermore, the project will analyse stakeholder awareness and decision processes in the management response to emerging invaders. The project will focus on non-native plants in Britain and Ireland working with the Botanical Society for Britain and Ireland (BSBI), their database and the citizen science project Plant Alert (www.plantalert.org ). The project is also linked to the Horizon Europe project OneSTOP (https://onestop-project.eu/ ) collaborating with their living lab network across European countries and the Coventry living lab in particular.
Funding
Tuition fees and bursary
Benefits
The successful candidate will receive comprehensive research training including technical, personal and professional skills. All researchers at Coventry University (from PhD to Professor) are part of the Doctoral Researcher College, which provides support with high-quality training and career development activities.
Entry requirements
- A minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum 60% mark in the project element or equivalent with a minimum 60% overall module average.
PLUS
- The potential to engage in innovative research and to complete the PhD within 3.5 years.
- A minimum of English language proficiency (IELTS academic overall minimum score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component).
Please note we may interview suitable candidates before the deadline.
Additional requirements
- Degree in ecology, nature conservation, biodiversity, geography or related topic
- Botanical skills
- Strong numerical skills
- Interest in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research
How to apply
All applications require full supporting documentation, a covering letter, plus a 2,000 word supporting statement showing how the applicant’s expertise and interests are relevant to the project.
Please contact for informal enquiries: Dr Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz
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