Studentship: Unravelling the link between soil type and the occurrence of plague

Supervisor: Prof Sacha Mooney and Dr Craig Sturrock

Subject Area:  Soil Forensics

Research Title:  Unravelling the link between soil type and the occurrence of plague

Research Description:  Our understanding of plague, past and present, will contribute directly to our ongoing struggle with epidemic diseases, present and future. Previous research that has focused on questions such as why/how did plague reemerge in 14th century Asia and how/why did it disappear from Europe in the 18th century suggests a role for specific environmental conditions, including soil. However, the specific soil properties and conditions that may or may not foster the residence of plague in soil are largely unknown, though our recent work suggests soil pH and mineralogy could play a key role. This soil forensics focused project is part of a much larger ERC funded project involving epidemiologists, historians and environmental scientists all seeking to understand the factors that have led to previous spreads of plague and the implications for the present and future. The project will seek to address key questions including: How might the type of soil influence the reemergence of plague? What are the crucial soil properties linked to plague residence? What are the current conditions in soils where plague currently resides (such as in China) that support plague residence and how do they differ to European soils? How might the microscopic soil structure, developed by fleas carrying plague, contribute to plague residence?

This PhD will be supervised by scientists from University of Nottingham and the James Hutton Institute and will involve interaction with the wider project team on the ERC Synergy Plague Project (led by University of Oslo). Based primarily at the Sutton Bonington Campus at Nottingham, the project will involve a combination of overseas field work (Europe and other locations), image based and laboratory work to characterise soil properties to address the questions above. The imaging work will be a combination of GIS mapping of sites and X-ray Computed Tomography of soil samples. Full training will be given for all aspects of the work and strict health and safety protocols will be followed at all times.

Keyword Search: Soil science, plague, soil forensics, soil archaeology, soil architecture

Award Start Date: 6 October 2025

Duration of Award: 48 months 

Terms and Conditions: This research studentship is only available to UK citizens and includes payment of tuition fees and a tax-free stipend based on current UKRI rates.

Applicant Qualification Requirements: BSc (Hons) in a related biological or environmental science subject

How to Apply: By email with CV and covering letter to craig.sturrock@nottingham.ac.uk 

Closing Date: 17/04/2025

Closing Date: 17 Apr 2025 Category: Studentships