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Position PhD Project: Verifying Biochar Permanence for Carbon Capture and Sequestration using Raman Spectroscopy (QUARTILES DLA) Employer School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen Homepage: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/geosciences/ Location Aberdeen, United Kingdom Sector Academic Relevant divisions Biogeosciences (BG) Climate: Past, Present & Future (CL) Energy, Resources and the Environment (ERE) Type Other Level Student / Graduate / Internship Salary Open Other Preferred education Application deadline 14 January 2026 Posted 25 November 2025 Job Description This fully funded PhD project is part of the QUARTILES Doctoral Landscape Award, a BBSRC and NERC -funded research and training programme designed to equip PhD students with the skills, expertise, outlook, and real-world experience needed to become the next generation of scientific leaders capable of addressing pressing environmental grand challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainability. Are you interested in mitigating climate change through carbon capture and storage? Do you want to define the gold standard in biochar production and evaluation? We are offering an exciting opportunity to explore the permanence of biochar and its effectiveness in storing carbon, utilising innovative experimental techniques and international fieldwork with a keen interdisciplinary focus. Biochar is a unique emerging nature-based solution for carbon capture and storage, reusing biomass waste to generate a stable solid form of carbon. Biochar may be used as a renewable fuel or interred into soils, improving water storage, nutrient cycling and soil stability, and removing contaminants. It is for these reasons that biochar remains critical for reducing carbon emissions, supporting sustainable agriculture and soil conservation, and contributing to an equitable energy transition. The benefits of biochar are only worthwhile, however, if we can guarantee that it remains resistant to environmental degradation - potentially releasing carbon back into the environment. The stability and permanence of biochar depends upon its chemistry on a nanoscopic scale, as increased stability is associated with a greater proportion of carbon nanocrystallites. The growth of these crystallites is linked fundamentally to production conditions, an area of research with considerable interest and resource. However, techniques to measure this chemistry, predicting longevity and verifying biochar effectiveness, are expensive, time-consuming, and lack sufficient detail. This limits their ability to inform practices in biochar production or support carbon credits for business investment. At the University of Aberdeen, we have pioneered the use of Raman spectroscopy (a laser-based technique that records the microstructure of solid-state materials) to study experimental and natural wildfire chars. We are now looking for an inquisitive, creative, and ambitious individual to join our team, keen to explore the capabilities of Raman spectroscopy in evaluating biochar permanence. As Part Of This Project, You Will: Develop innovative methods and protocols to study biochar using Raman spectroscopy, working closely with global biochar manufacturers. Evaluate existing techniques in biochar study and establish the relationships between Raman spectroscopy and other advanced laboratory techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FT-IR). Conduct international fieldwork across a variety of ecosystems (e.g., boreal peatlands, sub-tropical grasslands, tropical wetlands) to collect natural chars within modern, pre-historic, and geological deposits – exploring how and why natural chars remain stable throughout millennia, and how this may form a blueprint for robust carbon capture and storage. Develop long-term experiments to replicate biochar sequestration and alteration pathways during environmental exposure. These aims are intended to support your development of the first open-source database of chemical data, across a variety of techniques, for biochar from global manufacturers. This represents an opportunity to set the new industry standard in assessing biochar permanence, and publish crucial guidance for biochar manufacturers, carbon credit auditors, and potential investors. By undertaking this project, you will develop the skills and unique expertise to pursue a future in carbon capture and storage technology, as a world leader in biochar regulation. All training will be provided, as required. This 45 Month (NERC) opportunity is open to UK and International students (The proportion of international students appointed to the QUARTILES DLA is capped at 30% by UKRI). QUARTILES studentships include a tax-free UKRI doctoral stipend (£19,795 for the 2025/26 academic year, the 2026/27 rate has yet to be released), plus a training grant of £9,000 to support data collection activities throughout the PhD. QUARTILES does not provide funding to cover visa and associated healthcare surcharges for international students. How to apply Visit QUARTILES DLA: Verifying Biochar Permanence for Carbon Capture and Sequestration using Raman Spectroscopy at University of Aberdeen on FindAPhD.com for project details and more information on how to apply for this role. Go back