Vacancy information
The Department of Chemical Engineering at UCL (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/) is one of the top research and teaching departments in the UK, with world-class standing. The department offers several undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and has an extensive research portfolio across a wealth of areas, from the molecular scale to the scale of industrial plants. It hosts 35 academics undertaking collaborative, ground-breaking research, focused on solving many of the grand challenges of our society.
The Department is seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated PhD student to advance the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to support decision- and policy-making, in particular regarding the transition to a low-carbon economy. The studentship is in support of a prestigious Research Fellowship awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering with the title: AMBITION – Absolute environmental sustainability for a low carbon economy within planetary boundaries (https://raeng.org.uk/news/academy-announces-three-new-research-fellowships).
The post is fully funded for 3.5 years starting in September 2023. The post-holder will have the opportunity to present results at international conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals of high international standing.
Studentship description
Absolute Environmental Sustainability is an emerging - and potentially revolutionary - concept that combines Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with variables representing the bio-physical limits of our planet (known as Planetary Boundaries) to enable discerning whether a system (i.e., a product, an industry or a country) is truly environmentally sustainable. The ability to assess environmental sustainability in absolute terms is paramount because, although the environmental performance of individual products is being improved, our society is generally moving away from a state of environmental sustainability. The reason for this seeming contradiction is that improvements in eco-efficiency are insufficient to offset increasing levels of consumption caused by growing population and per capita affluence.
This studentship will aim to develop a standardised framework for Absolute Environmental Sustainability Assessment that integrates the Planetary Boundaries concept within the LCA methodology. The framework will be a key tool in shaping the transition to a low-carbon economy by identifying scenarios and technologies that are truly environmentally sustainable. The research will operationalise the framework using state-of-the-art environmentally-extended input-output models to investigate the environmental performance of the UK economy, identifying hot-spots in key industrial sectors, developing alternative technological scenarios and uncovering the extent of “leakages” of environmental impacts to other countries.
Person specification
The successful candidate will have completed or be close to completing a first-class degree at the MEng or MSc level in Chemical or Environmental Engineering, or a related discipline.
The successful candidate will be a dedicated student, preferably with a strong interest in sustainability, industrial ecology and environmental issues. The ability to work independently while being a productive member in a collaborative team, within the context of a dynamic research field and a demanding environment, is a must.
Demonstrable prior knowledge of research methods and modelling approaches (particularly Life Cycle Assessment), and of Python coding are desirable, but not necessary requirements.
Eligibility
A first-class degree at the MEng or MSc level is required.
Funds are available to cover UK and overseas students.
Applications should be submitted through: https://evision.ucl.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=RRDCENSING01&code2=0035
Please nominate Dr Andrea Paulillo as supervisor and include a statement of interest
For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Andrea Paulillo at: [Email Address Removed].
For further information on the MPhil/PhD course as well as the recruitment and selection process, please click on the link below:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/study/mphilphd
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