3 PhD Fellowships, University of Hull, UK (2018)

This post is for 3 PhD Research Fellowships fixed term for 36 months in Sustainability of the Circular Economy. Available at Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Hull (UK)

Background: Establishing a circular economy (CE) (such that the maximum value is extracted from materials and waste generation minimised) is a major policy area within the European Union and elsewhere. Explicitly seen as increasing economic competitiveness and laying a foundation for environmental employment, CE policies are designed to increase resource efficiency and decrease carbon dependency. Notably, the many different fields of activity comprising the CE (e.g., re-use, recovery, recycling, eco-design amongst others) operate with varying degrees of effectiveness in different places and for different materials. These fields of activity have not been critically analysed as an interrelated social, technical, environmental and, significantly, spatial phenomenon. This project (Circular Economy: Sustainability implications and guiding progress: 'CRESTING') will advance the critical analysis CE by the training of 15 early stage researchers (ESRs, i.e., PhD students). They will be analysing circular economy -related activity and initiatives in a range of geographic and economic settings. CRESTING is divided between 5 work packages (WP) analysing: current discourse and policy contexts (WP1); corporate engagement with the CE (WP2); public sector engagement in the CE (WP3); the potential for local economic development and employment from the CE (WP4); and measuring life cycle impacts and developing sustainability indicators relevant to the CE (WP5). With multidisciplinary and international supervisory teams including non-academic partners within each WP, CRESTING will 1) analyse the sustainability implications of the CE; 2) analyse the spatial dimension of the CE and 3) translate these analyses into specific actions for managing the transformation to the CE.

Requirements: The successful candidates must hold a minimum of a BA/BSc degree, and ideally a Masters (all positions other than Hull's require a Masters degree). A wide range of degree subjects is accepted for this multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary network. Training in the environment/sustainability is welcomed, ideally including evidence of training in related aspects such as policy, governance, business, management, economics, human geography, public administration. Candidates must comply with both EU and Hull University eligibility criteria. Due to the EU rules to promote mobility, you are not eligible for a position in a country where you have lived (worked, studied) for more than 12 months in the last 3 years. You are thus eligible for this position no matter what your nationality, unless you have studied or worked in the UK for more than 12 of the last 36 months. For applicants finishing or who have just finished their degree, this typically means that you can be graduating from any university except a UK university.

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3 PhD Fellowships, University of Hull, UK (2018)