STARS CDT - Soils Training And Research Studentships Centre for Doctoral Training

The UK’s next generation of soil scientists will be trained through a dedicated Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. Soils underpin nearly everything—food production, water filtration, carbon storage, and flood control—yet the people who understand them are in short supply. This CDT addresses a growing gap between the urgent need for soil expertise and the number of researchers entering the field. Without skilled scientists, the UK risks failing to meet environmental targets, from net-zero emissions to sustainable agriculture. If successful, this training programme will produce a cohort of PhD graduates equipped to tackle real-world soil challenges. Their work could improve how we manage farmland, restore degraded land, or predict how soils respond to climate change. The impact will be felt in sectors people rarely think about: food supply chains, water treatment, and infrastructure resilience. Because the project is a training initiative rather than a single research study, its primary output is skilled people—not a specific technology or discovery. Over time, these scientists will go on to work in academia, industry, and policy, quietly strengthening the systems that keep society running.