PhD Studentship: Waste Management - Towards Sustainability University of Essex in United Kingdom

[£20,780 living costs stipend per year (2025-26), research allowance of £10,000 in total, home tuition fee waiver. Stipend for 2026-27 to be announced.]

This fully funded PhD studentship at the University of Essex offers a unique opportunity for individuals from underrepresented groups to pursue a research career in waste management and sustainability. The position is part of the ‘Sustainable Transitions – Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme’ and includes a fully funded masters degree followed by a fully funded interdisciplinary PhD. The research will focus on waste management, with potential themes such as sustainable waste management in sensitive ecosystems, the role of state and non-state actors, human rights implications, and technological innovations in waste management. The project must connect waste management with sustainable development and the responsibilities of state and private actors.

The programme is interdisciplinary, jointly supervised by faculty from the Law and Life Sciences departments, and encourages integration of environmental science, public health, and sociology into legal analysis. Research methods may include doctrinal and socio-legal analysis, comparative legal analysis, policy evaluation, law and policy mapping, stakeholder interviews, and systematic review or meta-analyses. The training programme provides initial and ongoing interdisciplinary research methods training, as well as support from the Sustainable Transitions management team and the Centre for Environment and Society.

Funding includes a living costs stipend of £20,780 per year (2025-26), a research allowance of £10,000, and a home tuition fee waiver. Additional support is available through Proficio (£2,500 for training courses) and further research and training funds. Applicants must be UK domiciled, not already hold a master’s degree, and be from a low-income household and/or specified underrepresented ethnic groups. A background in law is required, with an interest in life sciences and environmental sciences. Interest in South Asia or another region of the Global South is desirable, but prior training in hard sciences is not necessary.

The application deadline is 13 April 2026. Applicants should prepare a research proposal within the broad project area and apply online via the University of Essex portal. For more information and to apply, visit the official opportunity page.