Leverhulme Doctoral Programme for Regenerative Innovation (Regnr8-i)

NOW RECRUITING Six fully-funded PhD Scholarships at the Leverhulme Doctoral Programme for Regenerative Innovation (Regnr8-i) based in the University of Dundee.

This is the second of four annual recruitment rounds inviting applications for UK Doctoral and UK Master’s Plus Scholarships, each 48 to 60 months, respectively. The community will grow to 24 full-time equivalents by 2027 and from inception we will create an outstanding cross-institutional community of postgraduate researchers. Strongly aligned to the University of Dundee’s commitment for research excellence with impact, Regnr8-i will create a new area of transdisciplinary research and will deliver a step-change in understanding of the emerging field of regenerative innovation and practice.

A unique feature of this proposal is our growing collaboration with the Eden Trust, the renowned conservation charity working with the University and others to establish a new Eden Project Dundee, which received planning permission in 2024. Eden will support Regnr8-i’s innovation agenda, particularly in relation to regenerative agriculture, clean energy, circularity and social inclusion through ecologically-inspired educational outreach. This collaboration will add flair and dynamism to Regnr8-i’s research culture and enhance public engagement. All Regnr8-i Scholars will undertake a three-month placement with the Eden Trust, either in Dundee, or within its international network of ‘New Edens’.

We propose regenerative innovation as a paradigm to succeed sustainability and tackle the widely recognised global condition of polycrisis. Through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Place-Based Actions (PBA), the aim is to deliver vitality and prosperity for all life (human and other-than-human). This seeks to align human consciousness and actions with living-systems principles. Productive imagining (Futuring) is an important conceptual tool wherein society is afforded civic capacity to imagine alternative futures without being constrained by current cultural, social, political, or economic conditions.

Regenerative systems create positive feedback loops between ecological and social systems, enhancing the productivity and resilience of all. This requires an understanding of the complex interactions between natural, human, and technological systems, a willingness to experiment with new methods and an ability to imagine new futures. Regenerative actions require collaborations to frame specific problems and co-design prospective solutions.

The following is a list of 14 project titles currently being advertised for recruitment this year, please click on the link to learn more about each project:

1. THINk Climate: Transformative responses for Health Inequalities & Climate resilience, a placemaking approach – contact lead supervisor Prof Sue Dawson
2. Scaling nature-based practices to provide multiple benefits from PROTECTing Scottish SOILs (PROTECT-SOIL) – contact lead supervisor Dr Andrew Black, Dr Alan Cuthbertson, Dr Alison Karley
3. Developing Speculative Design Tools to Envision Radical Regenerative Futures – contact lead supervisor Dr Andrew Cook
   
   
4. Cothromachadh (Gaelic: an act of balancing, finding equilibrium and fairness) – Exploring Place-Based Mixed Reality (MR) nature environments for marginalised people to improve mental health – contact lead supervisor Dr Chris Lim
   
   
5. Beyond Net-Zero Housing: Community-Driven Decision Tools for Energy Retrofit Based on Carbon-Sequestering Materials – contact lead supervisor Prof Hing-Ho Tsang
   
   
6. Co-designing equitable resilience adaptations to environmental hazards for disabled and older people – contact lead supervisor Dr Edward Hall
   
   
7. Using a Nature-Engineering Based Solution to Reduce PM2.5 in Urban Environments – contact lead supervisor Prof Rod Jones
   
   
8. Accelerating multi-benefits and strategic Multi-use of ports and offshore renewable energy for a Net Zero Scottish North Sea – contact lead supervisor Dr Vincent Onyango
   
   
9. Reducing waste through reuse: A virtue ethics perspective – contact lead supervisor Dr Stephanie Schreven
   
   
10. Green Trade as a Catalyst for Knowledge Spillover and Regenerative Transition in the UK – contact lead supervisor Dr Tong Zhu
    
    
11. RENEW-AR: Regenerative Ecosystem Narratives and Education with Augmented Reality – contact lead supervisor Dr Michael Crabb
    
    
12. Uncertainty Quantification for Stochastic Multiscale Models – contact lead supervisor Dr Eric Hall
    
    
13. Citizen Science Informed Decision-Support Tools Guiding Regenerative Practices in Coastal Mangrove Systems – contact lead supervisor Dr Alexandra Morel
    
    
14. Combining green finance and regenerative innovation to promote Biodiversity Net Grain (BNG) and support delivery of the just transition – contact lead supervisor Prof John Rowan

Eligibility

Applicants for the standard four year doctoral scheme are expected to hold (or be about to achieve) a First Class or an Upper Second Class Honours and a Master’s degree*, in appropriate discipline(s) for their intended PhD topic. Those interested in the Master’s Plus pathway will complete a one year MSc/MRes prior to commencing their four year PhD. Both the UK Doctoral and UK Master’s Plus Scholarships are open only to applicants that qualify for UK home fees status and who hold UK residency rights.

Application process

An application form is available for download and should be completed following discussions with the lead supervisor of your preferred PhD topic. The deadline for applications is 28^th February 2025, but you should make contact and discuss shared visions as early as possible. We especially welcome interest and will offer mentoring and a guaranteed interview to those candidates from under-represented groups, specifically UK-domiciled black and minority ethnic (BME) students and those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds (a pre-requisite for the Master’s Plus pathway). From the Supervisor-led selection process each project will generate a ‘Preferred Candidate’. Final appointment of Studentships will be made by formal interviews during the week commencing 10^th March 2025, involving an interview panel of Programme Directors and current Regnr8-i scholars.  Successful candidates should be available to start their Studentships in September 2025.

Designer’s visualisation the regenerative impact of Eden Project Dundee

Geddes Quadrangle named after Patrick Geddes

University of Dundee, looking west and upstream of the River Tay

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