The Department of Geography, University College London (UCL) seeks applicants for the Ted Hollis Scholarship in Wetland Hydrology and Conservation. It is intended that the successful candidate will join the Department from the beginning of the 2005/6 academic year (September 2005).

The Scholarship is targeted at overseas students, preferably from less developed countries, who are academically exceptional and would otherwise be unable to study at one of Britain's leading universities. The Scholarship will support a post-graduate student undertaking research leading to a PhD. The duration of the Scholarship will be three years subject to an annual review of progress. The Scholarship will provide tuition fees and an annual maintenance grant approximately equivalent to those provided by the UK Research Councils. Some financial support is also available for fieldwork expenses, the acquisition of specialist scientific equipment and data.

The Scholarship is a lasting tribute to Dr G.E. (Ted) Hollis and has been made possible through donations by his friends, colleagues and former students around the world. Ted was a member of academic staff within the Department between 1971 and his untimely death in 1996. During this time he was responsible for pioneering research on the hydrology, management and conservation of wetland ecosystems. This research took him to such diverse areas as the North Kent Marshes (UK), Kakadu National Park (Australia), Lake Ichkeul (Tunisia), the floodplains of the Senegal River and the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands (Nigeria).

The Hollis Scholar will be based within the Wetland Research Unit, an integral part of the Geography Department's Environmental Monitoring and Modelling Group. Current and recent research within the Wetland Research Unit includes the hydrological monitoring, modelling and management of floodplain wetlands in West Africa, the intensive monitoring of hydrological processes within UK grazing marshes, hydro-ecological monitoring of coastal wetlands in North Africa, and the application of state-of-the-art hydrological and hydrodynamic models to wetlands in the UK, North Africa and China and their use to simulate the impacts of climate change and management interventions. Research has been funded by IUCN, WWF, UNEP, UNDP, GEF, the European Union, NERC (UK), Wetlands International and CARE International.

Applicants for the Hollis Scholarship should normally hold, or expect to hold by September 2005, an upper second class or higher first degree and preferably a Masters degree in a relevant subject. They should be committed to furthering the scientific understanding of wetland functioning and the cause of wetland conservation.

Short-listed applicants may be requested to supply suitable examples of written work (for example undergraduate or Masters theses, published papers, and unpublished reports).

Informal enquiries regarding the Hollis Scholarship can be directed to Dr Julian Thompson (www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~jthompso). However, complete applications should be sent to:

Ms Sahara Sultana, Department of Geography, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, s.sultana@geog.ucl.ac.uk

The closing date is 1 July 2005. It is anticipated that the successful applicant would be notified within one month of this date.

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