Nick Davison

I am studying for an interdisciplinary MSc/PhD in the Doctoral Training Centre for Bioenergy

E: pmned@leeds.ac.uk

Background

I graduated with a BSc from the University of Dundee in environmental science in 2013. I also graduated from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) with an MSc in Forestry in 2016. This was part of the Finnish-Russian cross border University programme which included a number of courses in Russia. I also volunteered with the National Trust and countryside rangers in nature conservation. Furthermore, I had an internship in a forestry based eco-project at Sadhana forest, S.E. India. I also did an internship in ecology at the Andaman and Nicobar environmental team (ANET) on the Andaman Islands in India. Further to this, I did an ecological placement in Corsica. I also did an Erasmus + internship in botany and ecology at Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) in Poland. From all of this, I gained a good background in forestry, ecology, climate change mitigation and renewable energy, in particular bioenergy.

Research Interests

My main research interests concern forestry, forest derived bioenergy and climate change mitigation. I have a particular interest the environmental and ecological impacts of wood derived bioenergy on forests and how forestry regimes and lignocellulosic bioenergy production can mitigate climate change.

Why I chose the CDT in Bioenergy

I had already decided that I wanted to pursue a PhD related to bioenergy. A bioenergy based PhD allowed me to use the skills and knowledge I acquired from both my degree in environmental science and forestry, as well as carry out research on the areas that interested me most in both subjects (climate change mitigation, renewable energy and forestry). Moreover, the Master’s programme will give me broad knowledge and background in all bioenergy related areas. The transferrable skills and internship parts will also help equip me for employment in the bioenergy sector in a way that a traditional PhD programme could not. All in all, due to fact that my research interests where completely aligned with those of this course, alongside the increased level of employability this programme offers, to its’ graduates, when compared to traditional PhD programmes, choosing the CDT in bioenergy was a very easy choice for me.