PhD Geographical & Earth Sciences: From Water to Steam - The transition from renewable energy to coal during Scotland’s Industrial Revolution

Applications are invited for an AHRC-funded PhD studentship (3.5 yrs full-time), which will investigate the transition from water to steam power in nineteenth-century Scotland. The studentship is in collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and the National Library of Scotland (NLS), and makes use of HES and NLS collections and expertise. The award is made by the Scottish Cultural Heritage Consortium (SCHC), which is part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnership scheme. Due to begin in October 2018, the project will be supervised by Dr Simon Naylor, Professor Paul Bishop, both at the University of Glasgow; Dr Miles Oglethorpe, Head of Industrial Heritage at HES; and Christopher Fleet, Senior Map Curator at NLS.

The Studentship

This project investigates the transition from water to steam power in 19th-century Scotland. The project will document in a GIS the distribution of water mills across Scotland, as mapped on the mid-19th-century OS First Edition maps, to assess whether or not Scottish mills are preferentially located adjacent to the glacially-steepened river reaches best suited to water wheel efficiency. Using a number of these mills as case studies, notably mills in Scotland’s urban centres, the project will investigate reasons for industry’s switch from water to steam (or, conversely, the persistent use of water power). In doing so the project will use the history of Scottish water mills to ask wider questions about the role of technology in the development of a ‘culture of growth’ during the 18th and 19th centuries; assessing the extent to which the shift to steam was part of an Enlightenment belief in the usefulness of progress. The student will also work with HES and NLS to create a new, publicly-accessible, web-based resource to ensure that the PhD research is available widely.

How to Apply

Applicants should have a good undergraduate degree in Geography, History, Archaeology, or other relevant discipline, and, a Masters-level degree that satisfies AHRC eligibility requirements for advanced research training; or equivalent professional/occupational experience. Applicants should submit (i) a two-page curriculum vitae, including contact details of one academic referee, (ii) a sample of academic writing (approx. 2000-3000 words in length) and (iii) a 1-2 page letter outlining your suitability for the studentship to: Dr Simon Naylor, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ ([Email Address Removed]) no later than Friday 6 April 2018.

Interviews are scheduled to take place at the University of Glasgow in late April 2018. For further information concerning the project, including a full project description, please contact Simon Naylor ([Email Address Removed]).

For further information about PhD research in Geographical and Earth Sciences at University of Glasgow go to:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/ges/researchandimpact/