PhD Studentship: NERC Resilient Flood Futures (FLOOD-CDT). Understanding Record Breaking Flood Events

Overview

The Centre for Doctoral Training for Resilient Flood Futures (FLOOD-CDT) will train the next generation of research practitioners who will make a tangible difference to future flood management in the UK & internationally. Our goal is to provide a nurturing & inspiring training environment to develop the independent future leaders we need who can translate research & innovation into practice. Find out more here: https://flood-cdt.ac.uk/

The number of record-breaking flood events globally in recent years and the associated impacts is alarming. The European floods of 2021 had the highest river levels since records began & yielded US$54 billion worth of losses in damages (Tradowsky et al., 2023). The estimated return period for this event (400 years) has substantial uncertainty (95% CI: 250-2,500 years) which can hugely vary depending on data & methodology used. Accurate estimates are hindered by short observational records while model-based approaches (e.g. UNSEEN) that simulate large event sets do not accurately represent relevant processes that contribute to such extremes. Hence, estimating the changing risk of such events and choosing design levels for flood defenses is very challenging.

This PhD project will develop a process-driven view of risk estimations that invokes a bottom-up approach in which will start with a specified flood level (e.g. flood barrier). Our main research question will be: 'what rainfall volume is needed to exceed a given flood level & what combination of conditions could produce this level? This will aim to envision what such event might look like & identify the main contributing factors, the plausibility of their co-occurrences, and their projected changes in climate simulations.

Start Date: 15/09/25

Award Duration: 3.5 years

Sponsor: NERC

Supervisor: Colin Manning (Newcastle University)

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (inc. Geography, environmental science, engineering etc.). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think & work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal & written communication skills are also essential requirements.

Home & international applicants (inc. EU) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills. 

How To Apply

To apply, plesae click the 'Apply' button, above.

• Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.  
• Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:  
• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8040F 
• The Research Area is: Civil Engineering (Environmental)
• Select PhD Civil Engineering (full time) as the programme of study

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (include your research interests in flooding & rationale for your choice of project)
• The studentship code FLOOD256 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section please upload:

• Your CV giving details of your academic record and stating your research interests

In your application you will also need:

• The name 2 current academic referees together with an institutional email-addresses
• Academic transcripts & degree-certificates (translated if not in English)
• Language certificate (IELTS/TOEFL), if applicable.

You must submit 1 application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on 1 application.

Contact: colin.manning@newcastle.ac.uk

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