Why choose the E4 DTP?
A warm welcome from the DTP Director Richard Essery.
On these pages you can read about the Edinburgh Earth, Ecology and Environment Doctoral Training Partnership (the E4 DTP), including information about our current students, their projects, and our partners. If you are participating in our DTP, you will know about the existing training, research and collaborative opportunities offered by E4. If you are considering applying, you may wonder why the E4 DTP might be the right choice for you.
One of the highest concentrations of NERC-remit research in the UK
The E4 DTP is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Edinburgh and its surrounding regions have one of the highest concentrations of NERC-remit research in the United Kingdom. It is home to the University of Edinburgh as well as offices of a number of large independent research organisations such as the Centre for Hydrology and Ecology, the British Geological Survey, Scotland’s Rural College, the National Museum of Scotland, and Forest Research. In addition, our partners the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre are all within easy reach, and there is a vibrant ecosystem of government, charity, and private businesses working in and around Edinburgh that are part of the E4 partnership. Altogether, there are several hundred specialists across all areas of NERC’s research remit working in and around Edinburgh that can collaborate in PhD training and supervision. In our list of available projects, you will find a huge range of research topics, one of which may be perfectly suited to your interests.
A vibrant research community with many opportunities
The clustering of environmental research around Edinburgh means that if you apply and are offered a position in E4, you will be part of a vibrant community of PhD students, researchers and professionals that extends naturally to many opportunities in science, policy, charity and business activities. Our DTP is of sufficient size that we can maintain an active menu of student-led activities to go alongside numerous research groups and DTP training run by academic staff and non-academic partners.
Who would not want to live somewhere where you can hike to the top of UK’s highest mountain on Saturday, go to a beautiful sandy beach on Sunday, and then talk science with any number of the UK’s leading environmental scientists on a Monday?
You can look on our students profile pages to see the various activities our students have engaged in: the DTP programme allows flexible training and internship opportunities in addition to core scientific research that is part of your PhD. Our "A day in my PhD life" 5-minute videos, showcasing some of our current DTP students, give a fantastic insight of what an environmental science PhD looks like on a day-to-day basis, within E4 but within the University of Edinburgh, and more widely in the City of Edinburgh and Scotland.. Please do not hesitate to contact our current and past students: we think the E4 DTP is a fantastic place to get a PhD and are sure our students will agree.
Finally, getting a PhD is not all about work and Edinburgh consistently ranks amongst the best places to live in the UK. Who would not want to live somewhere where you can hike to the top of UK’s highest mountain on Saturday, go to a beautiful sandy beach on Sunday, and then talk science with any number of the UK’s leading environmental scientists on a Monday?
Richard Essery
E4 DTP Director
Current DTP Students | The University of Edinburgh
DTP Alumni | The University of Edinburgh
Programme Structure | The University of Edinburgh
Studying in Edinburgh | The University of Edinburgh
"A day in my PhD life" videos | The University of Edinburgh