Background:
In 2019 the UK became the first major economy to pass laws committing to a legally binding target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To meet this significant commitment, there will need to be major changes across the UK economy. While this legislation and related policy are designed to limit the UK’s contribution to climate change, many of the proposed actions could have wider benefits for the environment. The Royal Society report Effects of net-zero policies and climate change on air quality1 concludes that net zero policies will accelerate progress towards cleaner air but that there are some areas where caution is necessary to avoid undesirable impacts on air quality and thereby human health.
Air pollution and human-induced climate change represent two of the greatest environmental risks to human health. Their causes and impacts are complex and interrelated. Calls have been made for a co-ordinated policy response, but identifying mutually beneficial policies is not as simple as it might seem. The impacts of policy are often dependant on, for example, the economy, technological change, how society or business responds and the wider context in which they occur. And the direction and magnitude of impact on emissions of greenhouse gases or air pollutants may change through the lifetime of the policy implementation.
The project:
In this PhD you will explore specific UK net zero policies from a systemic perspective. Your work will identify opportunities to realise significant co-benefits for air pollution and highlight potential trade-offs that need to be recognised and, if possible, mitigated or minimised. Your analysis will look further than the obvious impacts of desired policy endpoints to explore how different pathways and transitory activities affect air pollution throughout policy implementation. You will use systems approaches alongside evidence synthesis, data analysis and numerical methods to carry out the research, produce novel insights, and identify major knowledge gaps. We will aim to identify specific areas of risk, where possible quantify opportunities, and inform current thinking about how the UK can leverage greater environmental gains from actions to limit our climate impacts.
Your work will benefit from the long-term relationships that your project supervisors have with officials in the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Department for Transport. In particular, the activities around Net Zero and Air Pollution we are carrying out in partnership with Defra are highly relevant.
Student profile:
You should have an interest in air quality and global environmental challenges, with a strong background in natural science or a related area.
Training:
You will be based in the Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories (WACL), in the Department of Chemistry at the University of York, but you will work in collaboration with officials in government and industry. WACL is the largest dedicated atmospheric chemistry facility in the UK. WACL supports an exceptional research environment, providing access to state-of-the-art facilities and a wide range of interdisciplinary expertise. Training will be provided by both the PANORAMA Doctoral Training Programme and the University of York to support you to become an effective researcher, improve your transferable skills and enable you to put your work into a wider scientific context.
All Chemistry research students have access to our innovative Doctoral Training in Chemistry (iDTC): cohort-based training to support the development of scientific, transferable and employability skills: https://www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/postgraduate/training/idtc/
The Department of Chemistry holds an Athena SWAN Gold Award and is committed to supporting equality and diversity for all staff and students. The Department strives to provide a working environment which allows all staff and students to contribute fully, to flourish, and to excel: https://www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/ed/.
For more information about the project, click on the supervisor's name above to email the supervisor. For more information about the application process or funding, please click on email institution
This PhD will formally start on 1 October 2023. Induction activities may start a few days earlier.
To apply for this project, submit an online PhD in Chemistry application: https://panorama-dtp.ac.uk/how-to-apply/
You should hold or expect to achieve the equivalent of at least a UK upper second class degree in Chemistry or a related subject. Please check the entry requirements for your country: https://www.york.ac.uk/study/international/your-country/
Eligibility and How to Apply
See our How to Apply page.
The minimum English language entry requirement for postgraduate research study is an IELTS of 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking) or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid. Some schools and faculties have a higher requirement.
Equal Opportunities:
Within the NERC Panorama DTP, we are dedicated to diversifying our community. As part of our ongoing work to improve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within our PhD funding programme, we particularly encourage applications from the following identified underrepresented groups: UK Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, those from a disadvantaged socio-economic background, and disabled people. To support candidates from these groups, we are ringfencing interviews, providing 1-2-1 support from our EDI Officer (contact Dr. Katya Moncrieff) and hosting a bespoke webinar to demystify the application process. Candidates will always be selected based on merit and ability within an inclusive and fair recruitment process.
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