Kew Global PhD Programme
Training the next generation of biodiversity researchers in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia to drive impactful conservation and climate solutions
The Kew Global PhD Programme is a scheme that is training biodiversity researchers internationally, building scientific expertise in some of the areas where it is most needed. Each year it recruits a cohort of 3-5 exceptional emerging researchers in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, working in collaboration with university partners in those countries.
Through the programme, students are guided through carefully designed PhD projects that will impact climate-change planning, conservation policy and farming strategies. At the same time, students are engaged in networks of local and international biodiversity organisations and trained in skills necessary for the next generation of plant and fungal scientists.
The programme has been generously funded by a gift in Will to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from the late John Rowntree.
Cohort 1 projects (starting 2024-25)
‘Does agrobiodiversity conservation enable sustainable and equitable land sparing in the Ethiopian Highlands?’
With Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; Kew lead supervisor: James Borrell
Working in collaboration with Farm Africa, this project aims to design optimal land-use strategies that balance the needs of conservation, agricultural production and smallholder subsistence farmers.
‘Genetically informed conservation guidelines for South Africa’s climate change indicator, the quiver tree’
Kew and University of Pretoria, South Africa; Kew lead supervisor: Juan Viruel
The quiver tree is an ecologically, culturally and economically important species central to the regional wildlife and tourism economy. It is a keystone species providing structural height and shade, and a source of water, but faces multiple threats of extinction, most famously from climate change. This project aims to develop an evidence-based conservation decision-making framework to assist in management of populations of the quiver tree under climate change.
‘Grassland diversity and productivity in central Madagascar’
Kew and University of Antananarivo, Madagascar; Kew lead supervisor: Maria (Bat) Vorontsova
This project will assess the value of the grassland ecosystem in the Central Highland of Madagascar and its species, to ensure their appropriate management, conservation, and restoration. The information produced will be used to influence the country’s pasture policy via links with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.
Cohort 2 projects (starting 2025-26)
‘Diversity and conservation of the genus Ruellia in Madagascar’
Kew and University of Antananarivo, Madagascar; Kew lead supervisor: Iain Darbyshire.
This project will adopt a multi-evidence approach to document the evolutionary history and species richness of the important herbaceous genus Ruellia in Madagascar. It will create a taxonomic base for assessing the conservation status, extinction risk and evolutionary distinctiveness of Ruellia species to inform conservation planning in Madagascar.
‘Biocultural heritage and crop diversity conservation’
Kew and Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; Kew lead supervisor: Philippa Ryan
The project will investigate the role of cultural uses, practices and knowledge in the conservation of Indigenous crops and their varietal diversity. An interdisciplinary approach centred on ethnobotany will link the cultural and natural sciences as well as heritage- and biodiversity-focused NGOs to help investigate the role of Indigenous Knowledge systems and biocultural approaches in conserving agrobiodiversity.
‘Digitally extending specimens at a monographic scale – multimodal floristic taxonomy of Syzygium on the island of Borneo’
Kew and University of Malaya, Malaysia; Kew lead supervisor: Eve Lucas
This project will fill a biodiversity knowledge gap on the tree genus Syzygium, which includes economically significant species such as the clove. Together, the new understanding of this important genus and the innovative data methods developed will be used to protect endangered species and their habitats, safeguard existing habitats and develop sustainable policies for the future.