University of Leeds PhD Scholarship

University of Leeds is advertising a fully funded PhD scholarship in the Political Economy of Production and Consumption Transformations within the Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment. The project sits in the Production and Consumption Transformations (PACT) Centre, funded by UK Research and Innovation and the UK Government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

This PhD is designed for a student interested in ecological economics, political economy, governance, public policy, sociology, human geography, environmental studies, sustainability science, and related fields. The research will examine how production-consumption chains can be transformed to support climate goals, social-ecological goals, and a just transition. Possible topics include sectoral dynamics, actors and coalitions, institutional arrangements, industrial strategy, and policy levers that bridge production and consumption.

The project may focus on a specific sector such as construction or automotive, and it explores structural conditions including regulation, economic governance, geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts, capital dynamics, and social norms. The scholarship also offers an opportunity to spend up to six months on secondment at DESNZ.

Supervision is by Richard Bärnthaler, Sam Betts-Davies, and Charlie Dannreuther. Richard and Sam are based in the Sustainability Research Institute, while Charlie is based in the School of Politics and International Studies. The post encourages applicants to contact Richard Bärnthaler for questions.

Eligibility: applicants should normally hold at least a first-class or upper second-class UK Bachelor’s Honours degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline; some research degrees may require a Master’s degree. International applicants must meet the University’s English language requirement, stated as IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component or equivalent.

Funding: the scholarship is fully funded for one UK-status candidate and covers UK tuition fees. The post explicitly notes that the opportunity is available only to UK residents due to funding restrictions.

Deadline: 30 June 2026. Start date: 1 October 2026. Applications should be submitted online through the University of Leeds research degree application portal, with the project title and proposed supervisor clearly stated in the research information section.