The SMART Joint Doctorate focuses on the core areas of natural and engineering sciences relevant to the sustainable management of river systems from their headwaters to estuaries. SMART aims to provide education and research at PhD level by offering a 3-year programme in the framework of the Erasmus Mundus action. It adopts a multidisciplinary, multi-scale approach that integrates relevant aspects of the physical, chemical and biological sciences, including relevant theory, monitoring and modelling techniques.