Research opportunities in the Department of Environment and Geography

We offer an outstanding, dynamic and multidisciplinary environment in which to carry out PhD research.

MPhil/PhD in Human Geography and Environment

• Energy geographies including: international development; public and stakeholder attitudes towards supply, demand, and energy system change; environmental and social justice issues
• Perceptions of environmental and socio-technical risk issues
• Environmental, economic and social costs of enhanced transport systems
• Sustainable agri-food systems, including understanding current or changed behaviours that may affect the sustainability of consumption and production systems in the future
• Interaction of social, economic and political processes across urban contexts

MPhil/PhD in Environmental Geography

• Tropical ecosystem response to environmental change
• Reconstructing Quaternary environments and sea levels
• Managing consequences of climate change
• Glaciology and characterising glacial terrain
• Ecosystem modelling
• Soil systems and biogeochemical cycles
• Environmental change and sustainable societies

MPhil/PhD in Environmental Science

• Prediction of water quality from catchment characteristics
• Pollution effects upon soil/plant/water ecosystems
• Evaluation of critical loads and levels of pollutants
• Modelling of atmospheric chemistry processes
• Biogeochemical cycling and sustainability
• Indoor and outdoor exposure to air pollution
• Environmental impacts of volcanoes
• Pathways and impacts of agricultural pollutants

MPhil/PhD in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management

• Economics of the environment
• Ecology and environmental management, with emphasis on marine systems, tropical and temperate forest systems, and agro-ecosystems
• The nature and impacts of environmental pollution
• Sustainable use of terrestrial, marine and freshwater resources
• Economic growth and environmental health outcomes
• Environmental health, migration and socio-economic change

Why us?

• 96% of research activity in the department is internationally recognised [Research Excellence Framework 2014]
• World-renowned environmental scientists
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) largest centres, a leading global environmental policy institute, has one its largest centres embedded within our Department
• Benefit from SEI's strong links to global policy makers
• We collaborate with a broad range of private and public sector organisations, including DEFRA, Forestry Commission, Natural England, Overseas Development Institute, Willis Global Insurance Broker
• Athena SWAN Bronze Award

We offer

• £12.5m state-of-the-art building contains purpose-built labs, lecture theatres and seminar rooms
• an outstanding, dynamic and multidisciplinary environment
• weekly seminars, where academic and industry speakers talk about key and policy-relevant areas
• first-rate teaching and research opportunities tackling tough questions across natural and social sciences
• collaborative, friendly ethos and internationally-recognised research.

We have strong links with world class research centres based at York, including:

• Stockholm Environment Institute - York
• York Environmental Sustainability Institute
• York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems
• CIRCLE (Centre for the Integration of Research, Conservation and Learning)
• Centre for Human Palaeocology and Evolutionary Origins

What next?

Check that your research interests align with the expertise of one of our staff. Once you've identified a potential supervisor, please contact them before applying to discuss your application and potential research areas.

Complete an application