NEW Call for Applications for PhD research at the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region (K2C), South Africa

NEW Call for Applications for PhD research on ecological recovery following Invasive Alien Plant clearing in contrasting catchments of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region (K2C) by Prof. Brandon P. Anthony for 2026/2027 enrolment.

Project Title: Understanding ecological and management recovery pathways after Invasive Alien Plant clearing in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa

Background and Rationale:
Invasive alien plants (IAPs) continue to threaten biodiversity, water availability, and ecological functioning across southern Africa. Large-scale clearing initiatives have aimed to reverse these impacts. However, post-clearing recovery outcomes remain inconsistent and poorly understood, particularly across varied land tenure systems and management contexts.

Within the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region (K2C), extensive clearing is underway in three major catchments: the Upper Groot Letaba, Upper Blyde, and Lower Blyde. Each catchment provides a unique socio-ecological setting:

• Upper Groot Letaba is largely under private ownership, with intensive agricultural and forestry land use, habitat fragmentation, and overgrowth from both alien and indigenous encroachment.
• Upper Blyde is predominantly state-managed (under Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism) and includes areas of communal land and community property associations (CPAs), with management challenges linked to poaching, unplanned fires, and governance conflicts. Private and state-owned forestry land is also present where fire and management of alien plants in conservation corridors with sedimentation and run-off a challenge. Illegal mining is also prevalent.
• Lower Blyde comprises a mosaic of tribal authority land, CPAs, and protected areas, facing threats from illegal mining, sand extraction, and sedimentation of rivers and dams.

These diverse systems offer an opportunity to compare ecological recovery patterns and management effectiveness across different land-use, governance, and environmental conditions.

This PhD aims to explore how ecological and institutional recovery unfolds after IAP clearing, and how the most effective management approaches might be scaled across the K2C landscape to promote long-term restoration success and water security. This is critical in the context of the work undertaken in the K2C Biosphere Region, as it will generate critical evidence on restoration trajectories and the feasibility and value proposition of sustained catchment-scale restoration investments.

PhD Project Structure:

The successful candidate will develop a dissertation that investigates ecological recovery and management trajectories across the three focal catchments, guided by the following themes:

1. Conceptual Framework: Development of a socio-ecological framework for understanding post-clearing recovery and management interactions across different land tenure systems.
2. Ecological Recovery Assessment: Field-based evaluation of vegetation structure, species diversity, and ecosystem resilience in sites representing contrasting management histories (e.g. fire use, manual follow-up, or passive recovery).
3. Comparative Case Studies: Cross-catchment comparison of ecological indicators and recovery trajectories in the Upper Groot Letaba, Upper Blyde, and Lower Blyde catchments.
4. Governance and Management Dimensions: Exploration of institutional, policy, and socio-cultural factors that influence restoration practices and outcomes, including barriers and opportunities for scaling effective approaches.
5. Integration and Application: Synthesis of ecological and governance findings to inform adaptive management and restoration planning within the K2C Biosphere Region.

Expected Skill Set of the Applicant:

Applicants should demonstrate:

• A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in ecology, environmental science, geography, conservation biology, or a related discipline.
• Experience in ecological fieldwork, vegetation surveys, or land-use monitoring.
• Strong analytical skills, including ecological statistics, spatial data analysis (e.g. GIS, remote sensing), and data management.
• Interest in interdisciplinary approaches, combining ecological data with social, institutional, or governance perspectives.
• Ability to engage with diverse stakeholders, including landowners, community associations, and government agencies.
• Evidence of scientific writing skills, independence, and capacity to work collaboratively across research and management teams.
• Commitment to applied conservation outcomes and improving restoration practice in real-world contexts.

Project Partners: This PhD project is a collaboration between the Central European University (CEU) Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy and the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region (K2C). K2C and its restoration partners will facilitate access to study sites, local data, and fieldwork logistics.

Doctoral Programme Details (CEU): The candidate will be enrolled in the Doctoral Programme in Environmental Sciences and Policy at Central European University (CEU).

Eligibility Requirements:

• Applicants must hold both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree (or a five-year Master’s equivalent).
• A total of 300 ECTS credits (or equivalent) is required.
• Applicants must not be simultaneously enrolled in another higher education institution while receiving CEU financial aid.

Programme Duration: Four years — comprising one year of coursework, one to two years of fieldwork and analysis, and one year of writing and defence.

Application Deadline: 4 February 2026 (23:59 Central European Time)

Admission Decisions: April 1–30, 2026

Financial Aid: Available for eligible applicants.

Application Procedure: Applicants should submit the following documents:

1. A 3–4 page concept note outlining the proposed research approach, objectives, and potential sites within the K2C Biosphere Region.
2. A full academic CV.
3. Certified academic transcripts and proof of qualifications.
4. A motivation letter (maximum one page) describing the applicant’s interest and fit for the project.

Project Supervisor: Prof. Brandon P. Anthony

Financial assistance is available, including tuition waivers and full CEU fellowships that cover all tuition fees and include a generous monthly stipend to help with housing and living expenses as well as health insurance. The CEU Doctoral Scholarship is awarded for a period of 48 months in total. Each student is responsible for securing accommodation for themselves.

Please read our Doctoral Program Handbook for detailed programmatic information at the department of Environmental Sciences and Policy Department of CEU.

For more information please check our site: https://envsci.ceu.edu/call-applications, https://envsci.ceu.edu/phd-admissions or get in contact:  Tunde Szabolcs, PhD Program coordinator: SzabolcsT@ceu.edu 

Photos by K2C Biosphere before & after clearing done in the Upper Letaba Catchment.