Agriculture Postgraduate Research
Our research degrees help early career researchers to deliver solutions to global challenges. These include assuring future food security and the sustainability of agricultural production systems.
Research strengths
We offer research opportunities in agricultural production systems, food systems and social science. We look to:
- enhance productivity and sustainability in livestock and arable agriculture
- improve food production outcomes through consumer behaviour and human nutrition research
- address sustainable development issues in relation to food, agricultural policy, and rural economies
We help farmers to tackle biotic crop threats and improve security. We do this through the Centre for Crop Health and Protection.
How to apply for your PhD
We accept PhD and MPhil applications at any time during the year.
Either: Browse our pre-designed projects (go to step 6)
Or: Propose your own project - suggested topics are available on each subject page.
Step 1: Find and contact prospective supervisors.
Step 2: Write a research proposal. For for chemistry applications, please add key words related to your research area.
Step 3: Check entry requirements and fees on our course pages. Potential funding options are also available.
Step 4: Apply via our online portal. You'll need to include the programme code, supervisor name and project or funding details if applicable
Step 5: Receive your offer – this will normally be a conditional offer.
Step 6: Accept your offer via the online portal.
Step 7: Send in any documents to meet the conditions and register!
You can only submit one application but this can be linked to multiple projects and studentships. You must specify this on the application form or in your cover letter.
If you’ve already submitted your application, you can link it to another project or studentship by sending an email to pgadmissions@ncl.ac.uk.
Contact us
If you need help with your application, you can email our team.
Email: snes.pgr.support@ncl.ac.uk
Find a supervisor
Before applying for a research degree, you’ll need to find a supervisor who aligns with your research interests.
To find a supervisor, we suggest that you:
- explore our research in agriculture and animal science and learn more about our expertise
- browse our list of academic agriculture staff, and learn about their research interests, past publications, and ongoing projects
- choose a PhD research project from the below list
Professor Lucy Asher
Supervisor: Professor Lucy Asher
Projects:
- What's in a bark?: Acoustic communication in domestic dogs. Development of sensors for dog behaviour.
- Acoustic analysis of dog vocalisations
- What's in a cluck?: Acoustic communication in domestic chickens. Interventions to prevent smothering in laying hens.
- Acoustic analysis of poultry vocalisations to understand animal welfare
- Egg defects as indicators of laying hen health and welfare
- Automatic approaches to understanding dog welfare
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Patterns in animals sensor data as indicators of animal welfare
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Topics focused on the use of big data for animal welfare
Key words: Animal Welfare, Zoology, Agriculture, Pets, Sensors, Behaviour, Dogs, Chickens, Hens, Precision farming.
Dr Beth Clark
Supervisor: Dr Beth Clark
Projects:
- Understanding stakeholder behaviours for animal health and welfare
Key words: Animal Welfare, Human Behaviour Change, Protein Consumption, Farmer behaviour
Dr Catherine Douglas
Supervisor: Dr Catherine Douglas
Projects:
- Animal Welfare and Behaviour of farm animals (including general production/management) or companion animals
Key words: Farm Animal Welfare and Behaviour and Management; Companion Animals; cows; pigs hens / chickens, dogs, sheep, cats, horses
Professor Lynn Frewer
Supervisor: Professor Lynn Frewer
Projects:
- Developing transdisciplinary research into agri-food systems, including interactions between the social sciences and the biological, environmental, engineering and the arts and humanities.
- Understanding the societal drivers and impacts of agrifood systems on the environment and climate change
- Understanding social drivers of pro environmental decisions and behaviors
- Understanding how to facilitate and accelerate farmer, stakeholder and end-user adoption of emerging agrifood technologies and innovations (in the UK, resource rich and LMICs).
- Developing qualitative, quantitative, and digital methodologies to understand attitudes and behaviors related to agrifood and climate security, including co-production methodologies.
- Operationalizing scientific foresight regarding research agenda setting, policy and governance
Key words: Food, agriculture, technology adoption, land-manager, farmer, consumer, citizen, food choice, food safety, environmental attitudes
Professor Guy Garrod
Supervisor: Professor Guy Garrod
Key words: Environmental economics, countryside and natural resource management, protected areas
Dr Dave George
Supervisor: Dr Dave George
Projects:
- Integratedpest management options for the control of pest insects
- Promoting beneficial insects for on-farm ecosystem service provision
- Pros and cons of regenerative agriculture
- Sustainable agriculture
- Biopesticides/biostimulants
Key words: IPM; Sustainable agriculture; Biopesticide; Biostimulantr, Entomology; regenerative agriculture
Dr Menelaos Gkartzios
Supervisor: Dr Menelaos Gkartzios
Projects:
- Counter-urbanisation and rural development
Key words: Rural; Local; Development; Mobility; Governance
Dr Fritha Langford
Supervisor: Dr Fritha Langford
Projects:
- Behavioural assessment of cattle welfare in 'regenerative' farming systems
- Welfare assessment of livestock in agroforestry/silvopasture/tree pasture systems
- How do mixed farming practices (multiple livestock species) impact the health and welfare of the animals?
Key words: Cattle Welfare; Animal Welfare and Sustainability; Livestock Welfare
Dr Marie McIntyre
Supervisor: Dr Marie McIntyre
Projects:
- Food safety issues associated with venison harvesting
- Food safety and smoked salmon production
- Systems approaches to understand food safety risks in food production
Key words: Animal Welfare, Zoology, Agriculture, Pets, Sensors, Behaviour
Dr Diogo Monjardino de Souza Monteiro
Supervisor: Dr Diogo Monjardino de Souza Monteiro
Projects:
- Food waste, urban farming and circular economy:
- a) how to motivate people to participate in food waste collection
- b) What are the economics of using food waste as inputs in a circular economy
- Economics of information and coordination in food chains:
- a) How to inform and motivate agents to cooperate in food chains and participate in agro-environmental schemes and emerging markets (such as biodiversity and carbon credit markets)
- Product differentiation and food marketing
- a) How consumers value quality labels such as Halal, Fair trade or others
- b) How to reduce fraudulent behaviour in credence attribute labels
Key words: Business economics, agro-food economics, information, consumer behaviour, marketing
Dr Luca Panzone
Supervisor: Dr Luca Panzone
Projects:
- Topics around biodiversity conservation, carbon footprint and Net zero, waste, energy and water consumption are welcome.
- Methodologically, I specialise in quantitative and experimental methods, and would only take students focusing on these methods.
- I am also interested in the use of novel data sources (digital footprint data) to address the points above.
Key words: Econometrics, environmental economics, food, environmental food policy, sustainable consumption, marketing, retailing, sustainable consumption, digital footprint
Professor Jeremy Phillipson
Supervisor: Professor Jeremy Phillipson
Projects:
- Enterprise/business development, entrepreneurship or innovation in rural areas, in a UK or European context
- Farm advice and the land management professions in a UK or European context
- Veterinary social science
- Marine fisheries management and policy
- Local development in fishing communities
- UK or European fisheries policy
Key words: Rural enterprise, rural economies, rural development, marine fisheries policy
Dr Tom Reershemius
Supervisor: Dr Tom Reershemius
Projects:
- Characterising the variability of trace metals in agricultural soils
- Assessing the utility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as a quick method of soil metal analysis
- Quantifying net greenhouse gas balance across UK agricultural businesses using large datasets
- An in-field mass-balance of reaction products from enhanced weathering of basalt
- Assessing the efficacy of enhanced weathering to improve crop yield, soil health, and affect greenhouse gas balance in global south smallholder farms
- Farmer engagement with geoengineering as a monetized ecosystem service
Key words: carbon dioxide removal; enhanced rock weathering; carbon cycle; soil health; agronomy
Dr Miguel Velazquez
Supervisor: Dr Miguel Velazquez
Projects:
- In vitro toxicology models to assess bovine preimplantation embryo development.
- Data mining approaches and online surveys addressing animal production issues.
- Developmental programming models in mice and livestock.
- Assisted reproduction in cattle (IVF, superovulation).
Key words: Reproductive biology, preimplantation embryo, assisted reproduction, livestock precision farming, mice