PhD Studentship: NERC Resilient Flood Futures (FLOOD-CDT). Improving flood protection across scales: novel geophysical methods to investigate vulnerable linear flood defences

Newcastle University

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK šŸ‡¬šŸ‡§

Award Summary

100% of home fees covered, and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of Ā£19,237 (2024/25 UKRI rate), plus research project costs.

Overview

The Centre for Doctoral Training for Resilient Flood Futures (FLOOD-CDT) will train the next generation of research practitioners who will make a tangible difference to future flood management in the UK and internationally. Our goal is to provide a nurturing and inspiring training environment to develop the independent future leaders we need who can translate research and innovation into practice. Find out more here: https://flood-cdt.ac.uk/

The Environment Agency operates ~78,000 flood and coast defence assets in England with a value of Ā£26bn. This includes 7,000 km of linear river and coast defences (flood walls, embankments, channels and culverts). Proactive maintenance of this vast network is increasingly difficult and costly due to deterioration under the pressures of environmental change.

Near-surface geophysical methods provide a non-invasive and comparatively rapid approach to ground investigation (GI) by imaging the subsurface. Localised geophysical characterisation and monitoring have proven highly effective in identifying areas of vulnerability in engineered earthworks (Holmes et al., 2022, Boyd et al., 2024). These studies suggest that intrusive GI and remedial work are best targeted using the outputs from geophysical and geodetic surveys. Furthermore, combining different data sources (geodetic, geotechnical, geophysical) with long-term monitoring significantly increases the understanding of an asset and reduces the uncertainty about its current condition (White et al., 2024).

This project will attempt to translate our understanding at the local asset scale to larger network scales. It will investigate optimal strategies of combining rapid screening of defences at the catchment scale with targeted localised non-invasive investigation, making use of novel geophysical methodologies (mobile sensor arrays, UAVs and advanced 3D imaging techniques) and geotechnical sampling.

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

15th September 2025

Award Duration

3.5 years

Application Closing Date

Wednesday 8th January 2025

Sponsor

Natural Environment Research Council

Supervisors

Mihai Cimpoiasu (British Geological Survey) and Ross Stirling (Newcastle University)

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (inc. Geography, environmental science, engineering etc.). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.

Home and international applicants (inc. EU) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills. 

How To Apply

You must apply through the Universityā€™s Apply to Newcastle Portal 

Once registered select ā€˜Create a Postgraduate Applicationā€™.  

  • Use ā€˜Course Searchā€™ to identify your programme of study:  
  • Search for the ā€˜Course Titleā€™ using the programme code: 8040F 
  • The Research Area is: Civil Engineering (Environmental)
  • Select PhD Civil Engineering (full time) as the programme of study

You will then need to provide the following information in the ā€˜Further Detailsā€™ section:  

  • A ā€˜Personal Statementā€™ (include your research interests in flooding and rationale for your choice of project)
  • The studentship code FLOOD258 in the ā€˜Studentship/Partnership Referenceā€™ field
  • When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal – select ā€˜Write Proposalā€™. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal.

In the ā€˜Supporting Documentationā€™ section please upload:

  • Your CV giving details of your academic record and stating your research interests

In your application you will also need:

  • The name two current academic referees together with an institutional email addresses
  •  Academic transcripts and degree certificates (translated if not in English)
  • Ā·Language certificate (IELTS/TOEFL), if applicable.

Contact Details

Mihai Cimpoiasu – mcim@bgs.ac.uk


POSITION TYPE

ORGANIZATION TYPE

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

DEGREE REQUIRED

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