Centre to tackle future environmental research opens

A new school for graduate environmental research and training has opened at Lancaster University.

The Lancaster Graduate School for the Environment has been formed after the Lancaster Environment Centre, Rothamsted Research and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) joined forces.

Dr Alan Blackburn, director of the new school said: “Students will now have access to a vast array of potential research projects as well as access to a large cross section of world class supervisors and expertise.  The three research centres also have extensive links to government agencies, research bodies and businesses, offering our students excellent career prospects and contacts with a pool of prospective employers.”

The new school will include students that study for Masters, PhD and professional qualification. They will focus on a specific area of research, while also contributing to major environmental challenges the school will be focused on tackling.

The three organisations involved in this new school all have an extensive history of long term collaboration with each other — CEH is a partner of the Lancaster Environment Centre and has scientists and laboratories based in Lancaster. Rothamsted and Lancaster University work together on plant science, crop production and managing of soil and water resources.

Professor Mark Bailey, Director at the CEH said: “This exciting collaboration creates a world-leading and distinctive entity for postgraduate training, research and professional development. Bringing together our three organisations with our collective, globally-recognised expertise and facilities offers a tremendous set of opportunities to students of the School.”

The new school is already working on schemes that build on professional training courses with industry partners such as Waitrose on food security and courses on flood and coastal risk management with environmental industry partners.