PhD course: Agricultural catchments in a changing word, 3 ECTS 9th - 20th Nov 2026, Uppsala and Zoom

[Magdalena Bieroza]

Dear PhD students,

The registration is now open for the course which will run as a hybrid event, with a possibility to attend the physical meetings in Uppsala, Sweden and online. 

The course is free of charge, if you are interested in attending, please send me an email (magdalen...@slu.se). 

Date and location

9^th – 13^th Nov (literature discussions) and 16^th – 20^th Nov 2026 (lectures), Hybrid course – Uppsala and Zoom

Course content

Agricultural catchments are one of the landscapes mostly affected by the environmental change as they have inherent low buffering capacity for external and internal stressors. Climate change, increasing demand for clean water and food for growing populations, are expected to further impact agricultural catchments: intensify water circulation and pollution, eutrophication, soil erosion, emission of greenhouse gasses and biodiversity loss. As a result, ecosystem services provided by agricultural catchments are likely to diminish in changing future conditions unless appropriate mitigation options are implemented. This course recognises the importance of agricultural catchments and their sensitivity to global change and provides a comprehensive synthesis of dominant processes shaping agricultural landscapes: hydrological, biogeochemical, ecological, economic and societal. The course comprises theoretical lectures and practical assignments focused on environmental assessment and management, all adapted to maximise the potential of distant based learning.

Intended learning outcomes

After the course, students should be able to:

• Critically evaluate multiple pressures in agricultural catchments under current and future conditions,
• Synthesise the main processes controlling water and matter fluxes in agricultural catchments,
• Critically discuss different mitigation options for agricultural catchments along with their effectiveness under current and future conditions and trade-offs in meeting contrasting demands,
• Identify and critically discuss future research, management and policy needs for building resilient agricultural catchments.

Course lecturers:

• Magdalena Bieroza, Soil and Environment, SLU, confirmed
• Kevin Bishop, Aquatic Sciences and Assessment SLU, confirmed
• Jennie Barron, Soil and Environment, SLU, confirmed
• Faruk Djodjic, Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, SLU, confirmed
• Sara Hallin, Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, SLU, confirmed
• Martyn Futter, Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, SLU, confirmed
• Brian Kronvang, Aarhus University, confirmed
• Per-Erik Mellander, Teagasc, confirmed
• Athanasios Pantelopoulos, Soil and Environment, SLU, confirmed
• Susana Bernal, CEAB-CSIC, confirmed
• Eulyn Pagaling, James Hutton Institute, confirmed
• Wilfred Wollheim, University of New Hampshire, confirmed
• Jennifer Tank, University of Notre Dame, confirmed
• Marc Stutter, James Hutton Institute, confirmed