Net Zero Polar Science

We propose a £9.6M Doctoral Focal Award in Net-Zero Polar Science supporting 49 students with £2.5M funding from NERC, £5.8M from us and £1.3M from 42 external partners. Our vision is to train leaders who will address grand polar science challenges [1] sustainably, creating low-carbon technological solutions for all areas of NERC science proven in the most challenging physical environment. Our students will acquire expertise that is urgently needed to plug the UK’s green skills gaps in academia, industry, and government [2,3]. Our proposal is timely, given the creation of the Department for Energy Security and Net-Zero (DESNZ) in 2023 and recognising that the polar regions are a major source of risk and uncertainty in UK climate projections [4]. It presents a golden opportunity for NERC to create practical ways to address climate change. Despite its prominence within the climate and ecological emergencies, polar science has major knowledge gaps owing to the difficulty of surveying remote environments. Traditional approaches do not address these challenges with the urgency society demands. A step change in capability is needed, including increased use of digital twins, satellite observations, AI, and autonomous sensing. Investment in skills training focused on sustainable technologies is crucial. The UK has committed to reach net-zero by 2050 and establishing DESNZ was a pivotal moment. Although up to 725,000 green jobs could be created in the UK by 2030, IEMA estimates a shortfall of 200,000 workers to meet the net-zero target [2] and UKSA found 61% of employers report high-level skills gaps among applicants [3] - confirming OECD predictions [5]. UKRI and NERC aim to play a central role by supporting the development of technological solutions and training skilled leaders to ensure that they are effectively deployed [6,7]. To address these gaps, we will train students in the core skills essential for net-zero polar science; sustainable research, polar environmental science, and low carbon technologies. We will do this with 42 industrial partners, governmental agencies and research institutes, who jointly employ 421,000 staff and generate £136 billion annually, ensuring our students benefit from experiential learning and work on applications of broad sectoral appeal. Our unique proposal will train the first generation of doctoral graduates with the skills to drive innovation in sustainable environmental science, supporting the UK’s 2050 net zero ambition. While our programme is topically focused on the polar regions, it spans all areas of environmental science and technology, benefiting the entire NERC community. We will create industry-ready doctoral leaders with outstanding problem-solving abilities to enable commercial development and implementation of solutions to allow an orderly transition of industry to sustainable business practices. As leaders of the UK’s polar science national capability, leaders of aligned doctoral training programmes in renewable energy [8], satellite data in environmental science [9], AI for environmental risk [10], citizen-centred AI [11], maths for climate [12], and environmental science [13-24], members of the NERC Net-Zero Oceanographic and Aerial Capability Teams, and co-chairs of the Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative, we are uniquely able to provide this critical and progressive training.