£500k funding awarded for Hydro Nation scholars

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has awarded £518,294 to nine universities hosting Hydro Nation scholars in 2018-19.

The Hydro Nation Scholars Programme is an open competition for PhD scholars to undertake approved projects hosted within Scottish universities and Research Institutes. It is managed on behalf of the Scottish Government by Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Waters, with funding administered by SFC.

The programme supports the Scotland: The Hydro Nation strategy, by:

• Developing understanding of how and where best to develop the value of Scotland’s water resources.
• Enhancing Scottish capacity in areas in which Scotland has research excellence.
• Providing new research and insights into water resources in Scotland.

SFC Interim Chief Executive John Kemp said, “As we mark Climate Week Scotland 2018, SFC is proud to play a role in supporting programmes like this that not only cement our reputation for world-leading research, but also enhance Scotland’s role as a global influencer in current efforts to understand and address the consequences of climate change.”

Funding allocations for the 2018-19 Hydro Nation Scholars Programme

£62,472 to the University of Aberdeen

• Linking Hydrological Flow Paths, Connectivity and Microbiological Transport for the Protection of Potable Water supplies in Rural Areas.
• Epidemiology of Private Drinking Water Supplies in Scotland.

£104,385 to the University of Dundee

• Safeguarding and Improving Raw Water Quality by Increasing Catchment Resilience.
• Supporting Better Decisions Across the Nexus of Water-Energy-Food Challenges.
• Tackling the Challenge of the Water Food Energy Nexus in India and Scotland.
• Socio-Legal Responses to the Challenges of Contaminants of Emerging Concern.

£89,501 to the University of Edinburgh

• Water Purification in Rural India Using Sunlight and Low-Cost Materials.
• The Scottish Water Landscape and its Resilience to Change: An Assessment to Support Future Policy.
• Optimising Microbial Communities for Removal of Priority Chemicals from Water.

£37,715 to the University of Glasgow

• Micro-and Nanoplastics in Wastewater Treatment Systems and Receiving Waters.

£28,820 to Heriot-Watt University

• Community Based, Non-Structural Flood Risk Management for Malawi.

£108,586 to the University of Stirling

• Building Resilience to Respond to Future Environmental Change Across Scottish Catchments.
• Optimising Multi-Pollutant Phytoremediation Strategies to Sustainably Improve Water Quality.
• The Role of Scotland’s Inland Waters in Promoting Blue-Health of Rural Communities.
• The Multiple Benefits of Low-Cost, Decentralised Solutions for Water Treatment and Supply in Rural India.

£25,249 to the University of St Andrews

• Governing Water One Drop at a Time: Responses to, and implications of, Community Water Management in Scotland and Beyond.

£25,626 to the University of Strathclyde

• Can Wastewater Treatment Plants Cope with Future Nanoparticle Loading Scenarios?

£35,940 to the University for the Highlands and Islands

• Assessment of the Degradation Pathway, Persistence and Eco-Toxicological Impacts of Human Pharmaceuticals to the Aquatic Environment.