Hitachi - Imperial PhD Studentship in Sustainable Blockchain Applications for Decarbonisation

Studentship:

Untaxed bursary of £21,237 per annum (plus home/overseas tuition fees)

Start Date: As soon as possible after 1 January 2025                                           

End Date: 31 March 2028

Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship (home or overseas) in sustainable blockchain applications for decarbonisation under the supervision of Prof William Knottenbelt (Department of Computing) and Prof Enrico Biffis (Imperial College Business School). You will join the Department of Computing as a PhD student, and collaborate with faculty members, post-doctoral researchers and PhD students from the Department of Computing, Imperial College Business School and the Hitachi-Imperial Centre for Decarbonisation and Natural Climate Solutions, who are providing the funding for this studentship.

The use of digital technologies such as blockchain offers opportunities for scaling up and robustifying capital deployment by promoting and tracking decarbonization across various layers of complex value chains. The particular goal of the PhD research will be to develop a comprehensive framework that integrates climate finance, agricultural development budgets, and private sector investments to facilitate the transition of agriculture towards a low-carbon future. The framework will focus on identifying and implementing financial instruments that are most effective at delivering triple-bottom-line benefits—environmental, economic, and social. Additionally, the project aims to create robust protocols for measuring and tracking the impact of investments, as well as enhancing transparency and accountability in agricultural financing. A combination of novel integrated use of digitalization, tokenization, asset tracking, carbon accounting and risk sharing agreements will be explored with a view toward scalability and transferability across sectors.

Ideal candidates for the PhD studentships will have an interest and existing background in computer science, and a strong interest in climate finance, climate risk analytics and blockchain. 

The Department of Computing is a leading department of Computer Science in the UK and the world and has consistently been awarded the highest research rating. In the previous REF assessment, the Department was ranked third (1st in the Research Intensity table published by The Times Higher) and was rated as "Excellent" in the previous national assessment of teaching quality.

Applicants are expected to have a First Class or Distinction Masters level degree, or equivalent, in a relevant scientific or technical discipline, such as computer science or mathematics. Applicants must be fluent in spoken and written English. As well as co-authoring scientific publications, the candidate will be required to deliver an annual report and presentation on the progress of the research.

The PhD studentship is fully funded, covering tuition fees, travel funds, equipment and a stipend/bursary. The position is available to home and overseas (international) students.

How to apply

To apply for this PhD studentship, please follow the application guidelines at:

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/computing/prospective-students/courses/phd/phd-application-guidelines/

In the application form, write  “Hitachi-Imperial  PhD Studentship” in the “Proposed Research Topic” field and select “William Knottenbelt” in the “Proposed Research Supervisor” field.

Early applications are encouraged.

Informal inquiries about this position can be directed to:

Prof William Knottenbelt cwjk@imperial.ac.uk

For more information about the Hitachi-Imperial Centre for Decarbonisation and Natural Climate Solutions see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/hitachi-centre/

This position is expected to be based at the South Kensington campus in central London.

Applicants are advised to visit

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/computing/prospective-students/courses/phd/

for general information on becoming a PhD student in the Department of Computing.

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