Postgraduate research scholarships

Postgraduate research studentships and funding opportunities

UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering Doctoral Topics 

Life Cycle Thinking in Public Policy

UCL Department / Division
Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering

Location of position
Bloomsbury, London

Duration of Studentship
3.5 Years

Stipend
Fully funded 4-year PhD studentship covering international fees, with a £21,237 per annum tax free stipend in Year 1, rising with inflation.

Vacancy Information

Note: the studentship covers EU/international fees.

Life cycle thinking (LCT) informs decision-making by highlighting the environmental impacts of goods and services across the life cycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal. LCT shapes government policy both as a heuristic for problem identification and analysis, and through the generation of evidence with analytical tools, primarily life cycle assessment (LCA), to support policy design, implementation, and evaluation. LCT has gained an important role in government decision-making, but there is a lack of understanding of its role in the policy process and its effect on the success of policies. The candidate will map the use of LCT in public policy in various jurisdictions (e.g., UK, EU, globally), identify drivers and constraints for the use of LCT in the policy process, and study the success and failure of life-cycle-based policies through case study research. The outcomes of the research can support better policymaking and inform efforts to achieve a circular economy. As part of the PhD, the candidate is expected to directly engage with policymakers, including through a potential secondment at a policy organization.

The supervisory team for this position consists of Dr Stijn van Ewijk, at the Department for Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, and Dr Will McDowall, at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources. The candidate will be based at the Department for Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering.

Studentship description
Fully funded 4-year PhD studentship covering international fees, with a £21,622 per annum tax free stipend in Year 1, rising with inflation.

Person specification
We are looking for an outstanding candidate with an interdisciplinary background in engineering/science and social sciences. Affinity with environmental assessment and public policy, either through training or work experience, is preferred.

Eligibility
Applicants should reach out to Dr Stijn van Ewijk directly. Please respond as soon as possible because applications will be evaluated continuously and the position will close once a suitable candidate has been found.

Contact name
Dr Stijn van Ewijk (s.vanewijk@ucl.ac.uk)

Closing date
The position remains open until a suitable candidate has been found.

Interview date
TBC

Studentship start date
1 October 2024