New PhD scholarship to investigate climate change

A new PhD scholarship provides a gifted scholar with the opportunity to make an impact on climate change research

Climate change research has been given a welcome boost at Imperial with the announcement of a new PhD scholarship. Funded by Old Mutual plc, an international long-term savings group, the scholarship will allow Giovanni Rapacciuolo to complete his PhD in the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London over the next three years.

Giovanni completed his undergraduate degree at Imperial in 2009, graduating with an MSci in Biology. His postgraduate research is focused on increasing understanding about how climate change impacts on species distribution in an ecosystem and, in turn, how this impacts on the functioning of agricultural systems. Based within the College's world leading Ecology and Evolution Section at Silwood Park, Giovanni will be supervised by Professor Andy Purvis. The practical focus of this research is an ideal fit with the Grantham Institute's key mission to drive climate related research across the College and translate it into real world impact.

"I'm particularly excited that my project has been selected by Old Mutual amongst several other great projects at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change," commented Giovanni. "This confirms my strong belief in this project's potential to benefit society in its increasing effort to fight global climate change. Of course, it is also highly gratifying to hear that my work appeals to the wider public and may contribute to bridging the gap between the scientific community and the non-scientific world.

"I view this opportunity as an extra motivation to do well. Increased interest and expectations represent an additional incentive to produce useful work. It's also a great chance for networking, adding an extra dimension to my work. From a more practical perspective, this obviously represents great CV building material. Extra funding will also enable me to afford some extra time working on the project during the fourth non-funded year available for research, in order to strengthen my analysis and conclusions."

Helen Wilson, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Old Mutual, said: "At the core of Old Mutual's approach to business is our belief that everything we do needs to lead to long-term sustainable growth. With the immediate pressure on the environment we are pleased to be able to support a PhD student at Imperial College London, whose thesis is focused on investigating the affect of climate change on species distribution. We are hoping that this work will have a positive effect in the ongoing battle against climate change."

Headed by Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, the Institute was established in 2007 with a £12.8 million donation over 10 years from the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment. Work at the Institute seeks to not only increase our fundamental understanding of the science of climate change, but also to develop practical solutions to the myriad problems presented by the phenomenon. In light of this, all research at the Institute aims to be directly relevant to policy and decision makers, to fully bring the exceptional skills of some of the best researchers in the world to bear on this global challenge. The Grantham Institute is unique among climate change research centres as it is situated at the heart of Imperial College London, one of the world's leading science, technology and medicine universities.

The Grantham Institute has many more vital projects like this one that could be funded by external partners. In addition to supporting a young Imperial researcher, such funding also provides a huge boost to the Institute's work and enables them to further increase their research capacity in this crucial area. For more information on supporting a PhD scholar in the Grantham Institute, email granthamphd@imperial.ac.uk.