Cardiff University School of Planning and Geography - ESRC-funded PhD Studentships 

Cardiff School of Planning and Geography invites applications for 3 ESRC Awards for PhD study under the Environmental Planning pathway to start in October 2015. Awards are available on either a 1+3 or +3 basis. A 1+3 studentship provides funding for four years, the first year for taking an MSc, followed by 3 years funding for a PhD. A +3 studentship provides funding for the three years only, and assumes that the applicant will already have had research training from an ESRC Research Training recognised MSc degree.

We encourage applications from planners, human geographers and other social and environmental scientists. You should have or expect to gain a first or upper second class Honours degree, or a Masters degree. Preference will be given to applicants whose proposed research connects with the priority research themes of the School’s four research groups:

•	Environment, Society and Space 
•	Spatial Analysis 
•	Spatial Planning and City Environments 
•	Urban and Regional Governance 

We also have three subject specific +3 studentships available for October 2015 start.

1) ‘Low-carbon planning, innovation and management: the case of Brecon Beacons National Park’  please contact Dr Oleg Golubchikov if you have any queries regarding this studentship ([log in to unmask]) 

The studentship aims to study the governance challenges arising from low-carbon transition in natural conservation areas in Wales and to understand the associated practices of environmental and energy planning, management strategies, innovation, as well as their socio-economic impacts. 

The key research objectives include:

-	Developing an analytical and methodological framework for understanding the significance, opportunities and impact of low-carbon innovations in national parks; 
-	Exploring the governance, actors, factors, linkages, and governance assemblages in the deployment of low-carbon innovations in such areas. 

Using Brecon Beacons National Park as a case study, the research will further: 
-	Study the role of the BBNPA as a key regional development player and community provider (e.g. as a planning and environmental authority, a supporter of social enterprise and development);
-	Identify feasible and sustainable measures to move the Park to a low carbon economy;
-	Explore the implications of such measures for conservation areas and communities linked to them;
-	Examine the role of Welsh Government in managing the transition.

The research will incorporate a mixed methods approach to data collection and analysis. The research design will include a metric of the current energy and carbon profile of BBNP, including with respect to its energy and transport infrastructure, communities’ housing, regional links, visitors and so on, as well as a survey of related best practices from the UK and internationally. It will also involve in-depth interviews with keys actors and stakeholders. Data will be transcribed and interpreted in the context of existing literature. The findings will highlight prospects for policy-making and governance for nature parks with respect to their transition to a low-carbon economy.

The PhD candidate will be able to work in an inter-institutional collaboration between Cardiff University’s School of Planning and Geography (CPLAN), Sustainable Places Research Institute (PLACE), as well as BBNP Authority who will play an active role in the research progress and will use the results for informing and advancing their policies and practices. 


2) ‘What space for place in Wales? Bridging risk perceptions and policy priorities in the spatial governance of climate adaptation.’ – please contact Dr Andrew Kythreotis if you have any queries regarding this studentship ([log in to unmask])  

Research has illustrated how non-state collaboration with governments through governance interventions has been piecemeal and ineffective in promoting climate policy (e.g., Newell, 2000). Different risk perceptions and policy priorities are also evident at different scales of governance (e.g., Nash et al., 2012).  Our previous work suggests local communities in Wales are very aware of climate risks (e.g., flooding) but lack skills, resources and political efficacy to adapt effectively (Whitmarsh et al., 2013).  Yet, addressing ‘wicked’ problems like climate change requires diverse governance perspectives and co-production of solutions by experts and stakeholders (Dietz & Stern, 2008, Kythreotis et al., 2013). Welsh Local Service Boards (LSBs) may offer a promising forum for co-production as they bring together local public and third sector leaders to take collective, citizen-focussed action. 

Using the case study lens of LSBs in Wales, this PhD research will examine the role played by LSB’s in climate adaptation policy across multiple scales of governance. The research will address three main research questions:
i)	How do perceptions of climate change risk and adaptation differ according to different levels of society and political governance – from individual citizens, through local government and LSBs, to elected politicians?
ii)	What available multi-spatial intervention pathways (formally and informally) are there for integrating and addressing climate change adaptation at the Local Service Boards?
iii)	What are the main risk to LSB’s and what has or has not worked for coproduction in dealing with the shared risks?

The studentship will adopt a mixed-methods approach to address this interdisciplinary (psychology, geography, political science) topic. A quantitative survey to LSB members, councillors, AMs, WG officials, Voluntary and Community Sector organisations  and a sample of the Welsh public will examine climate change risk and adaptation perceptions, and evaluate the efficacy and representativeness of LSBs. Follow-up semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of these groups will further explore experiences and identify examples of adaptation good practice.

The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to work with Welsh Government for a nominal period of time during the PhD in developing relevant policy related to their research.  


3) ‘Where the Wild Things Are: Living with Governing Wild Boar’- please contact Dr Gareth Enticott if you have any queries regarding this studentship ([log in to unmask]) 

This project examines the impacts of the reintroduction of wild boar to forests in England, Scotland and Wales as a form of ‘rewilding’. Rewilding can enhance biodiversity and bring socio-economic benefits to marginal rural areas. But it also raises questions over who and how the wild should be governed, and it can create tensions between different land-users.  One such tension is with biosecurity: reintroduced wild animals can act as disease vectors to existing wildlife, farmed and domesticated animals, and people. In these places, what effects does rewilding have and who and how are wild animals governed? Taking the reintroduction of wild boar into forests and woodlands, this project will explore these questions by examining the relationship between rewilding and biosecurity, the governance of wild nature, and the impact of living and working alongside wild boar upon people’s understandings of nature, animality and wilderness. The project will explore the impact of rewilding upon local communities, its social acceptability, and the practical challenges of governing wild animals across institutional territories. These issues will be explored using three locality studies where wild boar have been introduced purposefully and unintentionally. Research questions will be answered in each locality (Dumfries and Galloway, Forest of Dean, and Monmouthshire) using in-depth interviews and participant observation with residents, stakeholders, and policy actors in England and Wales. 

The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to work with Welsh Government for a nominal period of time during the PhD in developing relevant policy related to their research.  
For further information about the School please visit: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/cplan/index.html 
Funding and Eligibility

The studentships cover UK/EU fees plus a maintenance stipend matching the Research Council minimum (approximately £13,863), plus a further grant of approximately £1,875.

Academic Criteria: Applicants must have a 1st or upper 2nd class degree, and / or a Masters degree, in a relevant subject (Batchelors degree only needed if applying for a 1+3 studentship) 

Residency: Full awards (fees plus maintenance stipend) are open to UK Nationals, and EU students who can satisfy UK residency requirements. To be eligible for the full award, EU Nationals must have been in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the course for which they are seeking funding, including for the purposes of full-time education. EU Nationals who do not meet the above residency requirement are eligible for a fees-only award, provided that they have been ordinarily resident in the EU for at least 3 years prior to the start of their proposed programme of study.

Further Information

For further information please contact Dr Andrew Kythreotis:
Email: [log in to unmask]
Tel: 029 2087 6063
Web: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/cplan/about-us/staff/andrew-kythreotis 

How to Apply

Applications should be made including a covering letter, a 1,000 word research proposal, a CV and the names of two academic referees. The research proposal should be structured under the following headings: 
•	aims and purpose of the research
•	overview of the academic literature relevant to your field
•	proposed methodology
•	academic contributions of your research

Applications for the ESRC studentships should be submitted by email to Sian Moseley ([log in to unmask])

All applicants will also need to submit a University online application form for PhD study by the same application deadline via www.sims.cf.ac.uk. 

Application Deadline: Friday 9th January 2015

Sian Moseley
Research Office Manager
Cardiff School of Planning and Geography 
Cardiff University 
Glamorgan Building 
King Edward VII Avenue 
Cardiff CF10 3WA 
Wales, UK 
Tel  +44(0)29 2087 4956
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/cplan