PhD Studentship: Permissible Population Policy as a Means of Averting Harmful Climate Change University of Essex in United Kingdom

[Home tuition fee waiver; living costs stipend at UKRI recommended level (£20,780 for 2025-26); research allowance of £10,000 for authorised research costs.]

The University of Essex is offering a fully funded PhD studentship under the ‘Sustainable Transitions – Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme’. This interdisciplinary project investigates the impact of global population size and structure on climate change, aiming to identify and evaluate morally defensible national and global policies for managing population as a means of climate change mitigation. The research will combine normative and empirical approaches, advancing scholarship in ethics and political philosophy to define the moral goals and constraints guiding population policies, while also drawing on demography and climate science to assess the empirical effects of such policies on climate outcomes.

The project’s interdisciplinary nature requires the candidate to engage with both moral reasoning and empirical evidence, ensuring that any proposed population policy is justified in its goals, does not violate individual rights, and is supported by evidence of its impact on climate change. The successful applicant will benefit from the Sustainable Transitions training programme, which includes initial and ongoing training in interdisciplinary research methods and secondary disciplines relevant to the project. Scholars are also encouraged to audit relevant masters and degree-level courses to broaden their expertise.

All doctoral scholars receive support from the Proficio programme, which provides £2,500 for training courses, and Sustainable Transitions scholars are entitled to a £10,000 research allowance for authorised research costs such as supplies, equipment, and fieldwork. The studentship covers a home tuition fee waiver and a living costs stipend at the UK Research and Innovation recommended level (£20,780 for 2025-26). Scholars will join the University of Essex’s ‘Centre for Environment and Society’, gaining access to ongoing events and networking opportunities.

This opportunity is ideal for candidates with a background in international relations, political science, political economy, public policy, or political theory, and a strong foundation in political theory, ethics, or normative political philosophy. A clear interest in climate change and population policy is essential, and further training in healthcare, educational policy, or population science can be provided as needed. The project area is broadly defined, allowing applicants to develop their own specific research proposal, which will be refined in collaboration with the supervisory team.

Applications must be submitted via the University of Essex postgraduate research portal by 13 April 2026. For more information and to apply, visit the official opportunity page.