Sheffield Hallam University Global Partnership Scholarship: Codesigning Citizen River Science to Empower Equitable Climate–Water Governance
The Sheffield Hallam University Global Partnership Scholarship offers a unique joint PhD opportunity focused on codesigning citizen river science to empower equitable climate–water governance. This project responds to urgent environmental challenges highlighted by the IPCC, including flooding, drought, rising river temperatures, and declining water quality. These issues disproportionately affect socially and economically disadvantaged communities, who often have limited influence over climate resilience and river management decisions.
The research aims to address these inequalities by collaborating with communities in South Yorkshire (UK) and Victoria (Australia). The successful candidate will work closely with local groups to understand their concerns, identify priorities, and develop practical tools for monitoring river health and climate impacts. Activities include organizing workshops, selecting environmental indicators (such as litter, turbidity, invertebrates, algae, and flow), and co-developing accessible monitoring tools like bank surveys, water-quality sampling, smartphone observations, and flood/drought logging. Fieldwork will be conducted in both regions, with a year spent in Australia working with partner communities.
Training will be provided in hydrology, citizen science, participatory methods, GIS, and environmental governance. The project emphasizes shared learning and codesign, integrating diverse cultural perspectives and experiences to generate new insights into inclusive, community-led environmental monitoring. Outcomes will support adaptive capacity, climate literacy, and long-term public involvement in environmental decision-making, ensuring that the voices of those most affected by environmental change are heard.
As part of the joint PhD programme, students will be enrolled at both Sheffield Hallam University and La Trobe University, benefiting from the research communities, networking, and collaborations of both institutions. Supervisory support will be provided by academics from each university, and students will have access to a wide range of professional and personal development resources.
The scholarship covers tuition fees at ‘Home’ student rates, a PhD bursary (£22,152 per annum for 2025/26), one economy return airfare between the UK and Australia, and single person Visa-length Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the period of residency at La Trobe. La Trobe University will also provide a tuition fee scholarship for the joint programme. International students must cover the difference between Home and International tuition fees themselves, as the bursary cannot be used for this purpose. The scholarship is available for 3.5 years of full-time study, with an additional 6 months unfunded writing-up period if required.
Applicants must hold a strong, relevant undergraduate degree (minimum 2.1) and/or a relevant master’s qualification (minimum merit). International students must demonstrate English proficiency with a recent academic IELTS score of 7.0 overall (no component below 6.5) or equivalent, or a UK Master's degree (merit minimum) awarded within two years preceding the doctoral start date. All degree results must be confirmed before applying. Required application materials include a research proposal (max 1,500 words), a personal statement addressing four specific questions, copies of qualifications, certificates, transcripts, passport and visas, and details of two academic referees.
The application deadline is 23:00 (GMT+1) on June 1, 2026. Late applications will not be accepted. For further information and to apply, visit the project page.
