New doctoral training centre for Earth Observation

The new cohort of PhD students will be trained to analyse satellite data for the purpose of climate change modelling, atmospheric science, and monitoring change in land, forest, ice and oceans. They will be supervised by a consortium of world-leading UK scientists, with support from the UK’s most innovative data companies.

SENSE – Centre for Satellite Data in Environmental Science is being established with funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the UK Space Agency.

It is being led by the universities of Edinburgh and Leeds, with a number of other partners such as the National Oceanography Centre, the British Antarctic Survey and international space agencies including the European Space Agency.

The new centre for doctoral training will work also with 18 UK businesses who will co-fund, co-design & co-supervise 42 of the PhD research projects.

Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: “The UK is leading the world in tackling climate change and we have set the bar high, as the first country to legislate to eliminate our contribution to climate change by 2050, and the fastest in the G20 to cut emissions.

“This new satellite data centre will give us instant images showing us the true impact of climate change and in doing so, help us develop innovative new ways of tackling it.”

Professor Duncan Wingham, Executive Chair of NERC, said: “Earth Observation is an essential component of NERC’s funding remit, cutting across the full breadth of NERC science. Students will benefit from access to an innovative training programme and will develop future environmental science leaders. Their research will support cutting-edge scientific discovery, new data-based products and new Earth observation technologies that allow the delivery of environmental advances essential to providing the potential benefits that Earth observation has to society.

“NERC recognises the value of delivering studentships in partnership. Working with the UK Space Agency gives students unique opportunities to engage with the wider community.”