PhD Studentship: Building Coastal Resilience in Communities - A Combined Governance and Natural Science Approach

Project Overview 

This is an opportunity for a person from an underrepresented group to undertake a fully funded masters degree followed by a fully funded interdisciplinary PhD research degree under the ‘Sustainable Transitions – Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme’ at the University of Essex.   

Only UK domiciled applicants who meet the following criteria may apply: 

• Not already have a Master’s degree.  
• Be from a low-income household background as evidenced by, for example, being in receipt of a full maintenance loan or Special Support loan during their undergraduate studies.  

and/or  

Be one of the following categories of ethnicity:  

• Black African  
• Black Caribbean 
• Black Other  
• Mixed – White and Black Caribbean  
• Mixed – White and Black African  
• Other mixed background (including Black African, Black Caribbean and Black Other)  

The successful applicant would study an appropriate masters degree, such as: 

MSc Environmental Futures with Climate Change 

MA Politics 

MSc Political Science 

MSc Political Economy 

MSc Quantitative Political Science, Ideology and Discourse Analysis

MSc Public Opinion and Political Behaviour

MPP Public Policy

MSc or Politics, Communications and Data Analytics 

The project would focus on research that examines and tests the efficacy and impact of resilience-building policies along the coast of the East of England, from Norfolk to Kent. It will focus on and assess changes due to policy interventions in education, enforcement or engagement. This project will be affiliated to the UKRI and Defra-funded ARISE project: Advancing Resilience and Innovation for a Sustainable Environment.  

Interdisciplinary Focus and Methods 

This project fuses social and natural sciences, combining an understanding of coastal ecology with policy. This project will focus on policy interventions to build resilience along the coast in terms of natural/physical resources and human/social capital, which could include intertidal areas, coastal defence, the built environment, trust, connectedness, heritage, civic engagement, and more. Potential methods include social network analysis, surveys, interviews, focus group mapping, citizen science, participatory action research, and/or sampling soil, flora, or other coastal ecology. The applicant does not need a background in all these fields, but would need to have an interest in learning the appropriate methods for the project undertaken.

Training and Support

You will receive support through the Sustainable Transitions training programme, which offers interdisciplinary research methods, secondary discipline training, and ongoing development. Doctoral scholars also have access to £2,500 through Proficio for training courses and £10,000 for research and additional training. You may audit relevant courses and will be supported by both the Sustainable Transitions management team and your supervisory team. Additionally, all scholars can join the University of Essex’s ‘Centre for Environment and Society,’ which provides events and networking opportunities. 

Person Specification

This project will be ideal for someone passionate about investigating coastal community resilience and deriving lessons to inform public policy makers. The opportunity would suit a candidate with a degree/background in environmental sciences, marine sciences, policy studies, political science, economics, and related fields. It is not necessary for the candidate to have prior training in data analysis or fieldwork, as this can be provided on the programme. 

Research Proposal

The project area is broadly defined, leaving scope for the applicant to develop their own specific research proposal as part of the application. The successful candidate will further develop their proposal in close consultation with the supervisory team.  

Closing Date: 11:59pm GMT on Friday 18th April 2025

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