The research to be undertaken by the student for this studentship will substantially contribute to knowledge in the field of energy transitions focussing on the concept of multi-user hydrogen towns. It includes a three-month secondment with our project partner, Cadent Gas. The project supports Cadent Gas in understanding social acceptability as it looks to develop and upgrade its network operations and systems to a new fuel. It will give insights for policymakers on hydrogen transitions linking new technological developments with multiple user acceptability, beyond domestic use. The aim is also to advance the student's own progress as a thoughtful and independent researcher in an exciting and developing field as well as continue to grow the developing hydrogen research work within CESS.

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is economically important, accounting for 4% of global crop production in 2021 [2]. Potato is the third most important staple crop in human consumption, cultivated in more than 150 countries [9]. In the UK, retail sales value of prepacked fresh potatoes in 2021 was £956.5 million [3]. However, tuber bruising is a commercial challenge, because it affects flesh appearance and flavour of potatoes, reducing their marketability, and incurring an estimated annual cost of £53-87 million in the UK [2, 3, 7]. Therefore, to avoid food loss and waste bruise resilient tubers are needed. Investigating the formation of the protective potato skin is a key area for understanding genetic variation in bruise resilience [9]. Studies related to the cellular structure of potatoes are vital for understanding bruising and response of tubers to mechanical loads [2]. The physical nature of tuber bruising is underlined by the discovery of two differentially expressed genes related to cell mechanical strength, and to the membrane detection of physical force [2]. While breeding programs have successfully developed new cultivars with superior traits (e.g. less sugar, better for processing and pathogen-, browning-, acrylamide- resistance), traditional mainstay varieties, continue to dominate production; As an alternative to conventional breeding, gene editing can enable trait improvement for these cultivars [4]. The top five varieties planted in the UK in 2020 were 'Maris Piper' (with 14.2% area of all UK-grown potato), 'Markies', 'Melody', 'Taurus' and 'Sagitta' [1]. This project is a proof of concept, which aims to identify genes that can be used to breed bruise resilient potatoes using 'Maris Piper' as model variety. Furthermore, the study will conduct research with other relevant cultivars identified in conjunction with retail and industry partners. Main Objectives 1 Identify genes involved in bruising, via RNASeq in areas mechanically bruised, and compare between varieties and contrasting types of bruising (pressure vs. impact). In order to produce bruised potatoes, parallel plate compression and an instrumented pendulum will be used. We will identify up to four candidate genes to knock out by CRISPR to understand their role in bruise resilience. 2 Modify the chosen genes and grow gene-edited potatoes. We will create up to three new lines for each gene target with different mutations in 'Maris Piper' potatoes. We will target different aspects of bruise resilience, i.e. skin, membrane, and cell wall components, and bulk potatoes for potential field trials against parent 'Maris Piper' as control. 3 Compare the cellular structure of both parent and gene-edited tuber, to better understand how the loss of the candidate genes help achieve bruise resilience. Tissues will be examined via confocal microscopy coupled with image analysis. Bruised tissue physiology (e.g. phenolic content) and geometry will also be investigated. 4 Study effects of the modification on wider potato characteristics, meeting industry and consumer needs. The evaluation process will be developed collaboratively with industry partners, with field and storage trials looking at e. g. dry matter, respiration, sugars and texture after storage and cooking. Respiration is indicative of overall tuber metabolic rates especially starch to sugar conversion [4].

Soils are important for the safe, healthy, and sustainable production of food. They help to cycle key nutrients, store carbon, clean water, and host key microbial communities. However, soils around the world are in poor health. For many soils globally, erosion rates exceed the slow rates at which they form, which means that soils are thinning. A large proportion of global agricultural land are characterised by shallow soils (i.e., 30 cm) which threatens food production. This project aims to investigate a potential game-changer to sustain food production on critically shallow soils. It will examine the capacity for crop roots to penetrate through, and mine nutrients from, soil parent materials. These are the resources underlying soil profiles, and from which soil is continuously formed (e.g., bedrock, river sediments, glacial deposits, wind-blown dust). Exciting research across the plant and soil sciences has demonstrated that some plant species have developed strategies to penetrate soil parent materials. In desert environments, for instance, plant can grow deep into parent materials to access vital deep-water reserves. However, we still don't have good understanding about the root traits and mechanisms which may allow agricultural crop roots to penetrate and mine the soil parent materials in shallow soil contexts. Likewise, we don't understand how the biological, chemical, and physical properties of different parent materials may promote or hinder root development. This studentship will make a significant contribution to our knowledge of both root- and soil-based mechanisms which govern root penetration through soil parent material. There are four key objectives in this project, combining literature synthesis, fieldwork, and laboratory experiments. In Objective 1, the student will assess the current state of knowledge about the soil- and root-based mechanisms promoting root growth through soil parent materials. In Objective 2, the student will obtain in-tact cores of different soils and soil parent materials across the UK, and will analyse how the biological, physical, and chemical properties change across the soil-parent material boundary. In Objective 3, the student will setup a laboratory experiment by growing a range of different food crops in cores packed with soils and different parent materials. A micro-dialysis probe will be installed into the cores to collect porewater adjacent to the root tips. The chemistry of this porewater will be used to assess how rhizosphere processes (those immediately surrounding the roots) responds as the root crosses the interface between soils and parent materials. The fourth objective represents one of the most exciting aspects of this studentship. The student will have an unique opportunity to conduct an experiment using X-ray CT scanning. Over the past decade, this technique has transformed our ability to non-destructively observe root growth through soils at impressive space and time scales. Based at the Diamond Light Source facility, the student will grow different food crops in columns packed with soils and parent materials, and these will be imaged using CT scanning to produce time-lapse 3D images of root development. Analyses of the 3D images will be used to highlight where and how roots grow through parent materials. The scientific advances coming out of this project are likely to have far-reaching impacts across the agri-food sector. For example, being able to optimize crop species decisions based on the ability for roots to grow through the underlying parent material will help farmers to sustain yields, enhance crop health, as well as to address intensifying pressures to combat food security issues, and mitigate the damaging effects of global soil degradation. Throughout the project, the student will receive unparalleled opportunities to network with, and showcase their research to, leading companies within the UK's agrifood sector including ADAS, Syngenta, and Agrii.

In collaboration with EDF Energy UK, this project aims to develop effective and robust electrocatalysts for electrolysis of H2O and H2O/CO2 in high temperature solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) for production of hydrogen and synthetic sustainable fuels. High temperature SOECs has emerged as a promising technology for hydrogen production, renewable energy storage and CO2 mitigation. In addition, co-electrolysis of CO2 with H2O in SOECs produces synthetic gas, hydrogen and carbon monoxide, a precursor for the synthesis of sustainable fuels. However, the main issue associated with high temperature SOEC is the large overpotential required to achieve effective electrochemical reaction rate. To tackle this problem, this project aims to develop efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts towards a superior reaction kinetics on the electrodes of SOEC during electrolysis of H2O and H2O/CO2.

This PhD project aims to advance our understanding of forest disturbances and their association with compound extreme weather events, focusing on forest margins as biodiversity hotspots. Open and proprietary Earth observation (EO) data, including airborne remote sensing and machine learning techniques, to detect and monitor forest damage will be used. The project will explore the potential climate drivers, including both singular and interlinked extremes, that contribute to these disturbances. It will also use models such as ForestGALES and 3PG-SoNWaL to predict the risk impacts on forest function, including wind risk and climate impacts on productivity. This research has the potential to provide valuable insights for informed stand-level management decisions in the productive forestry sector, in light of future climate shifts.