Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
This PhD is part of the Net Zero Polar Science DTP, which aims to make polar science possible in a net zero world. For further details visit https://nzps-dtp.ac.uk/
The Third Pole (TPR), encompassing the Hindu KushโHimalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Pamir and Tien Shan, sustains water availability across some of the world’s major river basins. Hydropower is central to the energy systems and development strategies of its many countries and plays an important role in their transitions towards net-zero emissions. More than 1,900 hydropower projects currently operate or are under construction across the region. Small-scale hydropower, supported by mountain runoff and steep topographic gradients, offers opportunities to expand access to low-carbon electricity in mountain regions. Compared with large reservoir-based schemes, small hydropower reduces environmental and social impacts of large impoundments, including loss of land and vegetation and greenhouse-gas emissions associated with construction and reservoir operation. The contribution of small hydropower to net-zero depends on the availability and reliability of the mountain runoff.
Small hydropower projects may be particularly sensitive to climate-driven changes in the timing, magnitude and reliability of runoff. In many catchments, particularly at lower elevations, increasing glacier melt may temporarily enhance runoff, whereas continued glacier retreat will ultimately reduce glacier contributions to streamflow. Modelling studies have examined projected changes in runoff and peak-flow timing and their implications for hydropower generation. However, glacier melt represents only one component of the mountain cryosphere and is not necessarily the dominant source of streamflow in many catchments. Mountain snowpack, permafrost, rock glaciers and other forms of subsurface ice can make substantial contributions to runoff in more arid sectors of the TPR. These components respond to climate change on different timescales: snowpack responds over days to seasons, glaciers over years to decades, and permafrost and other stores of subsurface ice over decades to centuries. Their differing response times may create periods of hydrological compensation, during which contributions from more persistent stores of mountain ice partly offset declining glacier meltwater.
This PhD project will assess how cryosphere change may affect the reliability of small hydropower as a source of low-carbon electricity in the arid TPR. Using methods of isotope hydrology, it will quantify the relative contributions of snow, glacier ice, permafrost, rock glaciers and other subsurface ice to streamflow, identifying the potential of cryosphere-dependent hydropower to support resilient net-zero energy systems and where complementary renewable energy may be needed. The project will be conducted in collaboration with the Isotope Hydrology Section of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), research partners across the TPR, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) network.
Research Objectives
- Quantify the relative contributions of snow, glacier ice, permafrost, rock glaciers and other subsurface ice to streamflow in the arid TPR using isotopic methods.
- Extend and apply isotope-enabled hydrological models to assess how changes in cryosphere-derived streamflow may affect hydropower generation and the reliability of low-carbon energy supply.
- Assess small hydropower resilience to cryosphere-derived streamflow changes and use machine learning to upscale hydropower potential and vulnerability across the arid TPR.
Technical Approaches
Isotope hydrology will combine water stable isotopes (WSI; ฮดยนโธO and ฮดยฒH), radon-222, and hydrochemical and physical parameters to quantify water-source contributions using Bayesian hydrograph separation. Radon-222 will characterise groundwaterโsurface-water exchanges and subsurface water and ice storage. A selected isotope-enabled hydrological model (e.g. Jena Adaptable Modelling System; JAMS) will be extended to represent glacier and ground-ice stores to simulate hydropower-relevant runoff using observed and simulated precipitation WSI records and remote-sensing data. This work will be conducted in the demonstration catchments which will be selected on the basis of accessibility for fieldwork, availability of auxiliary data and using the MRI database of TPR hydropower projects. Machine learning will be used to upscale WSI distributions across the larger TPR regions.
Training Opportunities
The student will receive interdisciplinary training in isotope hydrology and hydrochemistry, hydrological modelling, climate science, glaciology, Bayesian statistics, and machine learning. Opportunities will include collaboration with the IAEA through the projects in which University of Reading participates. The student will participate in fieldwork in mountain environments in collaboration with the regional research institutions as well as the activities of the WMO Third Pole Regional Climate Centre and MRI. The student will work with the University of Readingโs Environmental Science Research Division, Water@Reading, and ECMWF providing opportunities for seminars, networking, interdisciplinary collaboration and professional development.
Academic Background
This project is suitable for students with a degree in an environmental discipline, as well as chemistry, physics, engineering or a related subject. Experience in laboratory work, quantitative data analysis and programming (e.g. R, MATLAB, Python and Java) would be advantageous. Knowledge of mountain climate, glaciology and hydrology would be beneficial but is not essential. The student should be willing to undertake fieldwork in remote mountain environments, work effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds, and be enthusiastic about interdisciplinary research.
Eligibility
For entry to PhD study, applicants are expected to have at least one of the following:
โข a first or upper second (2:1) class honours undergraduate degree in a relevant subject, or an equivalent international qualification,
โข a relevant masterโs qualification or equivalent evidence of prior professional practice.
International applicants and candidates from non-English speaking countries will need to meet the minimum language requirements for admission onto the programme of study for their Home institution.
How to Apply
Informal enquiries about the project and your application should be addressed to the project supervisor, Maria Shahgedanova, m.shahgedanova@reading.ac.uk
After you have discussed your application with the project supervisor and read the NZPS application guidance, you should:
1) Complete the online NZPS Application Form by 10.00 (GMT) Wednesday 6 January 2027
2) Submit any additional application documents in the requested format to nzps@northumbria.ac.uk by the closing date.
If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at nzps@northumbria.ac.uk
Funding Notes
Available to Home and EU/International students, subject to successful completion of quality assurance checks and UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) compliance requirements. This includes full stipend at UKRI rates (ยฃ21,805 p/a for 2026/27 full-time) and Research Training and Support Grant.
Full tuition fees covered for Home/UK students and a contribution towards fees, up to Home/UK amount, is provided for international students. International students may apply for this project, but are required to meet the difference between international and home fees from an alternative funding source. Please note: additional costs may apply for international applicants, including visa costs and NHS surcharge.
References
1. Birkel, C. et al. 2025. Demystifying the art of isotope-enabled hydrological and climate modelling, Science of The Total Environment, 959, 178242, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178242.
2. Saidaliyeva, Z. et al. 2024. Precipitation in the mountains of Central Asia: isotopic composition and source regions. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 24, 12203โ12224. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12203-2024.
3. Vital, M. 2026. Large-scale isotopic fingerprinting of cryosphere and hydrological components in glacierized catchments, Earth System Science Data Discussions [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-173.
4. Watson, A. et al. 2024. Evaluating input data sources for isotope-enabled rainfall-runoff models. Hydrol. Proces., 38, no. 9, e15276, doi:10.1002/hyp.15276.