PhD Studentship in War and Climate Change

Project title: Towards Greener Wars

Supervisors: Dr Saeed Bagheri / Professor Benoit Mayer

Project Overview: War and other military operations are responsible for a significant share of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet these emissions are almost entirely omitted from the scope of international and national law and policy initiatives relating to the mitigation of climate change.

The thesis will aim at

• Achieving a better understanding of how existing international and domestic climate law applies to military operations and how international humanitarian law applies to climate impacts,
• Providing a clearer picture of existing legal norms and policy initiatives, whether on the international or domestic plane, that seek to reduce the climate impact of military operations,
• Formulating policy recommendations outlining realistic and effective options to decarbonize military operations.

The thesis will focus on climate change mitigation, that is, efforts to reduce net GHG emissions from military operations (rather than on efforts to adapt to the impact of climate change on military operations). It will also potentially engage with related issues, including technical and financial support (to the extent that some states may receive such assistance from others, or from international organizations, in their efforts to decarbonize their military operations), and transparency (as emissions from the military tend to be poorly reported due to concerns with confidentiality).

In terms of methodology, the doctoral research will involve mainly:

• Doctrinal legal analysis, to understand what the law is;
• Functionalist comparative legal analysis, to understand how different jurisdictions address similar issues, and
• Interdisciplinary policy analysis, to understand what laws and policies could be adopted and develop policy recommendations.

The successful candidate will undertake a course in legal research methods during the first year as a full-time student. This provides training in legal research methodology and supports PhD students in designing, refining and carrying out their research projects. In addition to opportunities available in the School, the candidate will also have access to a wide range of training opportunities offered by the Doctoral and Researcher College.

Eligibility: 

• Applicants should hold or expect to gain a master’s degree or equivalent, in a course with a substantial element of law.
• This studentship is open to UK and International applicants.

Funding Details:   

• Starts September 2025
• 4-year award
• Funding covers full tuition fees plus UKRI stipend (£19,237 in 2024/25)

How to apply: Please click 'Apply’ button above to be redirected to our application page, click “Apply for a Programme”, create your account, and use the link sent by email to start the application process. During the application process please select ‘PhD in Law’.

*Important notes*

1. Please quote the reference ‘DRC-008’ in the ‘Scholarships applied for’ box which appears within the Funding Section of your on-line application.
2. If the application system prompts you to submit a research proposal, please paste in the project title and move on to the next step in the application.
3. Applicants should upload a personal statement of no more than 1,000 words which outlines their motivation and suitability for this project.

Application Deadline: 19 March 2025

Further Enquiries: For further details please contact Dr Saeed Bagheri on saeed.bagheri@reading.ac.uk

Please note that, where a candidate is successful in being awarded funding, this will be confirmed via a formal studentship award letter; this will be provided separately from any Offer of Admission and will be subject to standard checks for eligibility and other criteria.

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