Building flood resilience via effective communication at Liverpool John Moores University on FindAPhD.com

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Dr Sarah Percival, Dr K Kiriakoulakis No more applications being accepted Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Liverpool United Kingdom Geographical Information Systems Gis Hydrology Geography

About the Project

This research will consider a crucial element of disaster risk, our resilience, specifically our resilience to flood disasters. Flooding is a prominent and dangerous challenge to many communities, and one of the main challenges that the UK faces because of the changing climate (DEFRA, 2015). How communities respond and react to this on-going challenge is critical, as they predominantly determine resilience, and are a crucial element of effective flood risk management. Yet currently, public awareness is very low (Rollason et al. 2018), despite vast amounts of flood risk information readily available (Haer et al. 2016). That is where effective communication, particularly visualisation (flood risk mapping), is key to building personal and collective resilience that will ultimately build understanding of the realities of flood risk and shape the most appropriate local responses. However, current flood risk mapping practices are unsuccessful (don’t match end-user requirements or cannot be understood) (Meyer et al. 2012; Warburton, 2016; Percival et al. 2020) and crucially need to become effective to ensure flood resilient actions are taken, as these approaches are generally still the most ideal platform for conveying essential flood risk information and therefore achieving this.

To move towards this goal a PhD student will join our flourishing School of Biological & Environmental Sciences, at Liverpool John Moores University and work under the supervisory team of Dr Sarah Percival, Dr Kostas Kiriakoulakis and Dr Ian Walkington (GeoSmart Information). The PhD research will aim to help communities become more resilient to flooding and will involve exploration of visualisation approaches to the communication of flood risk, that are able to capture and integrate the preferences and experiences of flood stakeholders into the decision-making process. To achieve this (1) A programme of surveys and focus groups/workshops with flood stakeholders (e.g., Environment Agency, DEFRA, National Flood Forum) will be established to (a) further explore key flood risk visualisation criteria and needs (central hub of information, community knowledge, interactivity, terminology, variety of visualisations) i.e., different elements for different users; (b) trial variations of visualisation delivery - 2D vs 3D (Augmented Reality); (c) evaluate redeveloped visuals; and (2) A review and dissemination of the key outcomes including identification of best visualisation practices that reflect flood stakeholders’ requirements and underpin impact i.e., the results will provide planners, managers, Local Authorities a proactive format for flood risk communication practices in areas that have high flood risk levels but no history of flood events. Helping make a step change in the way communities improve resilience to increasing flood risk, a local, regional, and national challenge.

To accomplish these objectives the PhD student will have access to numerous flood stakeholder groups via the Supervisory team and state-of-the-art gaming computers, tablets, and HoloLens via the newly established Flood Resilience Hub at LJMU. The methods and outcomes of this project will particularly help develop the applicants’ skills in networking, facilitation, GIS, software development and visualisation techniques.

Funding Notes

This is a fully funded PhD studentship (consisting of full UK tuition fees for three years and student stipend at UK Research Council rates). The nature of the funding means only UK/Home/Settled/Pre-settled status students are eligible to apply for this studentship.

References

In addition to holding a masters or strong degree (e.g. 2.1 or higher) in Environmental Science, Ecology, Geography or an equivalent biological/Environmental sciences field, the ideal applicant will be able to demonstrate significant interest in and prior experience of disaster risk science particularly flooding and communication techniques. A good working knowledge of GIS and strong organisational skills. Risk and resilience science, visualisation approaches, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively with a team would be advantageous. Full training in GIS techniques, advanced statistical analysis and appropriate research methodologies will be provided by the supervisory team and through our Doctoral Academy.

For an informal discussion or to enquire about this opportunity candidates are strongly encouraged to email Dr Sarah Percival (s.e.percival@ljmu.ac.uk) for more information and arrange a discussion.

We are committed to make biological/environmental research more inclusive and are therefore keen to support candidates from groups that have long been underrepresented and/or marginalised. If you belong to such groups, we would like to offer dedicated pre-application advice and mentorship, so that you can prepare the strongest possible application. Please contact Dr Nicola Koyama or Prof Stefano Mariani.

Both the Faculty of Science and the School of Biological & Environmental Sciences have dedicated Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Groups, with the School EDI Coordinator leading collective action to promote and embed a culture of equity, diversity and inclusivity. We have a proactive Student EDI group, a Cultural Diversity Student network for ethnic minority students, and a group of Inclusion Ambassadors, who are staff trained to deal with microaggression and harassment. As a School, we embarked upon activities to begin to decolonise programme curricula almost two years ago: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/faculties/faculty-of-science/school-of-biological-and-environmental-sciences/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/decoloniality and earlier this year were awarded an Athena Swan Bronze award in recognition of our equality initiatives and action plan.

To apply, email a CV and covering letter detailing your suitability for the project and contact details of two referees to Dr Sarah Percival (s.e.percival@ljmu.ac.uk). Applicants need to be available for interview (by video) on January the 12th and able to start at short notice (in February 2023 intake).