Research Degrees
Possible PhD Projects
PhD project titles are listed in the table below, with the names of academic staff at Harper Adams University who could supervise each project.
Click column headings to sort the table, and supervisor's name to view their online profile.
If you are able to fund your PhD through your own or your Government's or employer's funding, or if you are intending to apply for a charity sponsored studentship or a Government loan, then please email the relevant member of staff if there are projects which are of interest to you and you would like further information.
| Project title | Department | Supervisor |
| Strategies to improve reproductive performance of dairy cows | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Emma Bleach |
| Investigations of factors influencing oestrous expression / oestrous detection in dairy cows | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Emma Bleach |
| Feeding strategies to enhance early life and long term productivity and wellbeing of dairy bred calves | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Emma Bleach |
| Management of dairy bred calves to enhance wellbeing | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Emma Bleach |
| Fish pathology/immunology/nutrition | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Tharangani Herath |
| Sperm-cervix interactions in sheep | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Claire Kershaw |
| Effect of cryopreservation on sperm transit in the ewe reproductive tract | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Claire Kershaw |
| Assisted reproductive technologies in camelids | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Claire Kershaw |
| Dairy calf rearing, housing and enrichment | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Annabelle Beaver |
| Farm animal welfare and cognition | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Annabelle Beaver |
| Dairy cattle behaviour | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Annabelle Beaver |
| Cow-calf contact systems | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Annabelle Beaver |
| Dairy Cow Behaviour | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Gemma Charlton |
| Cow-calf rearing systems | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Gemma Charlton |
| Dairy cow, heifer and calf enrichment | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Gemma Charlton |
| Precision livestock technologies to monitor farm animal health and welfare | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Gemma Charlton |
| Mineral nutrition and the immune system | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Sandy Mackenzie |
|
Alternative protein sources towards net zero carbon broiler chicken production |
Agriculture and Environment | Dr Vasil Pirgozliev |
|
Understanding and improving the feeding value of protein sources for broiler chickens |
Agriculture and Environment | Dr Vasil Pirgozliev |
| Precision grazing management | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Professor Mark Rutter |
| Using precision livestock technologies to monitor farm animal welfare | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Professor Mark Rutter |
| The use of unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor and manage free-ranging livestock | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Professor Mark Rutter |
| Using preventative/pro-active approaches to reduce health problems in livestock and horses | Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Dr Malgorzata Behnke |
| Dietary influences on the rumen microbiome and its impact on the performance of dairy cows | Agriculture and Environment | Professor Liam Sinclair |
| Reducing the environmental impact of dairy cows (N/P/methane) and improving the fatty acid composition of milk | Agriculture and Environment | Professor Liam Sinclair |
| Improving the trace mineral nutrition of dairy cows | Agriculture and Environment | Professor Liam Sinclair |
| Enhancing biofumigation of potato cyst nematodes through optimal nutrient inputs | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Matthew Back |
| Use of solanaceous trap crops for the management of potato cyst nematodes | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Matthew Back |
| Integrated approaches for the management of wireworm in potatoes | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Matthew Back |
| Farmer attitudes to the uptake of sustainable technology/renewable energy | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Jonathan Cooper |
| Rural electrification in the Global South | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Jonathan Cooper |
| Urban agriculture: environmental, social and economic aspects | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Jonathan Cooper |
| Other titles involving qualitative research methods: questionnaires, interviews, focus groups etc | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Jonathan Cooper |
| Understanding mode-of-action of products for reducing drought and heat stress in crops | Agriculture and Environment | Professor Peter Kettlewell |
| Potential for ABA to manipulate timing of soft fruit ripening | Agriculture and Environment | Professor Peter Kettlewell |
| Identifying wild crops with traits of interest for breeding climate resilient vegetable crops | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Jim Monaghan |
| Managing the postharvest quality of fresh produce crops | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Jim Monaghan |
| Agronomic practices for urban production of fruit and vegetable crops | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Jim Monaghan |
| Influence of constant and fluctuating temperatures of aphid parasitoids | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Tom Pope |
| The biology, ecology and control of Otiorhynchus spp. affecting horticultural crops | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Tom Pope |
| Investigating the chemical ecology of aphid hyperparasitoids | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Tom Pope |
| Transforming the Urban Landscape through horticulture and technology | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Laura Vickers |
| Plant-herbivory interactions: Understanding the mechanisms of crop defense against aphids | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Laura Vickers |
| Understanding the agronomic and biological attributes for postharvest disorders in fresh produce crops | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Laura Vickers |
| Optimising Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in fresh produce production | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Laura Vickers |
| Evolutionary ecology and population genetics of fig wasp communities | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Simon Segar |
| Predicting herbivore host use from phylogenetic and plant chemistry data | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Simon Segar |
| Epidemiology and control of Fusarium head blight in wheat | Agriculture and Environment | Professor Simon Edwards |
| Epidemiology and control of Fusarium panicle blight in oats | Agriculture and Environment | Professor Simon Edwards |
| Biological control of Fusarium head blight | Agriculture and Environment | Professor Simon Edwards |
| Multifunctional vegetative strips to deliver ecosystem services on farmland | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Nicola Randall |
| The use of research and informative synthesis to improve agricultural decision-making | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Nicola Randall |
| Evidence syntheses to support decision making for food security resilience | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Nicola Randall |
| Data Science applications in Agriculture | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Ed Harris |
| Big Data and Sensors in Conservation Monitoring and Ecology | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Ed Harris |
| Computer vision applications in Agriculture and Environmental problems | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Ed Harris |
| Remote Sensing applications in Ecology and Agriculture | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Ed Harris |
| Data Automation in Biodiversity Monitoring | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Ed Harris |
| Artifical Intelligence Applications for Animal and Crop Monitoring | Agriculture and Environment | Dr Ed Harris |
| Development of agricultural robots | Engineering | Sam Wane |
| Novel uses of drones in farming | Engineering | Sam Wane |
| Veterinary (small and large animal) orthopaedics | Engineering | Dr Ian Moorcroft |
| Gait analysis and recovery monitoring | Engineering | Dr Ian Moorcroft |
| Cold chain management in meat storage, distribution and retail | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Karim Farag |
| Development and validation of an electronic nose-based zoonotic disease detection monitor for on-farm applications | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Lynn McIntyre |
| Developing a biosensor-based method for rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes in food processing environments | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Lynn McIntyre |
| Developing an Electronic nose system to simultaneously detect on-farm food safety and animal disease problems | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Lynn McIntyre |
| The applications of bacteriophages in food manufacture to improve food quality and safety outcomes | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Lynn McIntyre |
| Healthy and Active Ageing in old people: the role of nutrition | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Helen Pittson |
| Valorisation of food waste with an emphasis on brewery and/or distillery waste streams (spent grain, spent yeast, etc). However, other food industry wastes will be considered as well | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Frank Vriesekoop |
| The Social Science of New Product Development with an emphasis on alternative dietary protein sources | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Frank Vriesekoop |
| Understanding the needs of people on a gluten-free diet, including any potential nutrition deficiences and affordability | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Frank Vriesekoop |
| Gluten free ingredient functionality | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Frank Vriesekoop |
| Protein chemistry for food and functionality. How to turn plant-based proteins into proteins for vegan dairy-mimicked products | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Frank Vriesekoop |
| Use of agriculture as a tool of political, economic and social stabilsation in post-conflict environments | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Richard Byrne |
| Developing agri-preneurship to build livelihoods in emerging economies | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Richard Byrne |
| Child labour in agricultural systems and supply chains | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Richard Byrne |
| Tackling modern slavery and human trafficking in agricultural systems and supply chains | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Richard Byrne |
| Farm crime prevention decision making | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Kreseda Smith |
| The impact of agricultural crime on farmer mental health | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Kreseda Smith |
| The role of service providers in tackling crime-related farmer stress | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Kreseda Smith |
| Farmer stress and ontological security | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Kreseda Smith |
| Studying the relationship between international trade and the environment from an international trade network approach | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Daniel May |
| Empirical analysis of agricultural trade liberalisation under imperfect competition | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Daniel May |
| Understanding consumers; perception of product differentiation from a behavioural point of view | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Daniel May |
| Understanding the taskscape in contemporary rural landscapes | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Daniel May |
| Competition policy and regulation | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Hairong Mu |
| Economic efficiency and sustainable development in the marine industry | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Hairong Mu |
| Pedagogic research in teaching and learning | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Hairong Mu |
| The role of education in technology use and adoption among farmers | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Hairong Mu |
| Governance of long and complex agri-food supply chain | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Iona Y Huang |
| Farmers decision making and innovation adoption | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Iona Y Huang |
| True cost accounting of sustainable farming | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Iona Y Huang |
| Integrated sustainability of land use changes/policies | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Iona Y Huang |
| Integrated sustainability of agri-food waste valorisation and minimisation | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Iona Y Huang |
| Sustainable consumption and food waste behavioural change | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Iona Y Huang |
| Macroeconomic Policies and Economic Growth | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Dimitrios Paparas |
| International Economics, FDI and International Trade | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Dimitrios Paparas |
| Agricultural Economics and Price Transmission of Agricultural Products | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Dimitrios Paparas |
| Assessing the impact of agricultural and environmental policies on farming | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Professor Karl Behrendt |
| Assessing the economic impact of precision livestock technologies and management | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Professor Karl Behrendt |
| Developing predictive and prescriptive decision support systems for farm business management | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Professor Karl Behrendt |
| Bioeconomic modelling of precision grazing and feeding | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Professor Karl Behrendt |
| Economics of robotics for organic field crop and vegetable production | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Professor James Lowenberg-DeBoer |
| Estimating the economic potential of automation of large scale farm equipment | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Professor James Lowenberg-DeBoer |
| The impact of Covid in the longer term on demand and supply patterns in the food supply chain | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Jane Eastham |
| Losses to nutritional density as a supply chain issue - global/local | Food, Land and Agribusiness Management | Dr Jane Eastham |
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