A new training programme will embed systems-thinking into chemical management, producing 39 PhD graduates who can design safer products and mitigate pollution across whole ecosystems. Chemicals underpin modern life but their impacts on human health and biodiversity are poorly managed because regulators, industry, and scientists typically work in disciplinary silos. Existing training focuses on single ecosystems and merely describes chemical harm. ECOSOLUTIONS addresses this gap by training researchers to think across natural, health, and social sciences, and engineering, and to work with government and industry from the start. If successful, the programme will create a pipeline of graduates who can help the UK meet its target of a non-toxic environment, support the design of sustainable chemical products, and manage pollution to protect biodiversity and human health. Three cohorts will tackle distinct systems challenges: urban systems, food systems, and sustainable chemical production. With 150 researchers and 22 project partners co-designing and co-delivering the training, the graduates will be equipped to translate their work across sectors—potentially reshaping how chemicals are assessed, regulated, and manufactured in the UK.
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Overview and context ECOSOLUTIONS will train 39 transdisciplinary, solution-focussed PhD students who can apply systems-thinking to facilitate the delivery of a non-toxic UK environment and sustainable chemicals products sector. Chemicals are essential to society and the chemical industry is a major contributor to the UK economy yet chemicals pose a threat to biodiversity and human health globally and in the UK. To address this challenge a new way of working is needed where chemical impacts on whole systems, now and into the future, are considered and which has a greater focus on management and mitigation. Existing training programmes around chemical pollution take a single ecosystem approach and focus on chemical impacts. ECOSOLUTIONS is different in that it will deliver a training programme to develop graduates trained in systems-thinking and approaches to manage and mitigate chemical risks. They will be able to think across disciplinary boundaries and work across sectors. Aims and objectives ECOSOLUTIONS is an innovative and transdisciplinary training programme that has been co-designed with our 22 project partners to meet a systems thinking and solutions skills gap. It combines cutting-edge environmental science with approaches from other disciplines (natural, health and social sciences, engineering) to deliver a new approach to chemicals assessment and management that moves from describing chemical risk to a solution based, systems approach to prevent or manage both current and future impacts. It will deliver training that: implements a systems approach to chemical impacts on both humans and the environment; embeds cutting edge environmental science into future chemical-based scenarios and solutions; facilitates effective and agile approaches to pollution regulation and policy that cut across disciplinary silos. Delivery and training ECOSOLUTIONS brings together 150 world-leading researchers and practitioners across the three partner institutions and 22 project partners. We will train 39 PhD students via a 3 year 9 month training programme, co-designed, co-funded and co-delivered with our project partners to produce graduates that have the skills and knowledge to: (i) help the UK Government meet its target to deliver a non-toxic environment, (ii) support the design of sustainable chemical products and the development of a sustainable chemical manufacturing sector, and (iii) manage pollution to conserve biodiversity and protect human health. All students within a cohort will undertake challenging research projects that relate to the same systems challenge (delivering non-toxic: urban systems (cohort 1), food systems (cohort 2), sustainable chemical production systems (cohort 3)) and will follow a core training programme providing knowledge and understanding of chemical assessment and management and supporting development of transferable and systems thinking skills. ECOSOLUTIONS graduates will be excellent researchers able to work across the natural, health and social sciences, engineering disciplines and across government, industry and third sectors. They will be innovative thinkers who can design safe chemicals and develop nature-based solutions for mitigating impacts. They will be equipped to effectively translate their work to a range of stakeholders via effective collaboration, networking and communication.
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