About the Project
The Countryside & Community Research Institute at the University of Gloucestershire, and UKCEH, are delighted to offer a fully funded Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) collaborative (ESRC DTP) studentship in the Environment and Planning Pathway, starting in October 2026. These particular studentships, known as ‘collaborative studentships’, involve liaison with non-academic organisations at many key stages of the research programme.
This PhD sits within the ‘Environmental Planning’ pathway and is entitled: Citizen Science Across Domains: Participation, Knowledge Exchange and Policy Impact for Freshwater, Biodiversity and Tree Health.
The project focuses on the evolving role of citizen science, as organisations increasingly use it to support environmental recording, monitoring, and public engagement. Citizen science also plays an important social role, with established links to wellbeing, social connectedness, nature connectedness and reduced eco-anxiety. It can help address value-action gaps by offering citizens meaningful opportunities to engage in environmental protection (Pocock et al, 2023).
This doctoral opportunity will examine and compare the dynamics of citizen science across three domains: freshwater, biodiversity, and tree health. Each of these operates under different institutional and policy contexts. By examining these side by side, the project creates an opportunity to better understand how citizen science functions across settings, and what can be learned between them.
The research will explore how participation is shaped, how actors produce knowledge, and how policymakers, regulators, and practitioners interpret and use citizen-generated data. This includes attention to participant motivations and experiences, alongside questions of legitimacy, expertise, and impact. The project will examine the tensions between inclusive participation and the data quality requirements associated with policy and decision-making.
We anticipate that this PhD will be primarily qualitative. The student will undertake in-depth, place-based case studies using methods such as interviews, focus groups, workshops, desk-based study, and participant observation. The project also allows scope to incorporate novel participatory methods, ethnography, survey work or other approaches where appropriate. The student will also be encouraged to develop and apply novel techniques for comparing citizen science across domains, particularly in relation to participation, data credibility, and pathways to impact.
The supervisory team’s existing engagement with citizen science initiatives across the domains will support access to case studies. The student will be encouraged to identify additional projects aligned with their interests, ensuring the PhD develops as a distinctive, theoretically informed and student-led contribution to social science debates on participation, knowledge production and environmental governance.
This project is collaborative in design. The student will work with an interdisciplinary supervisory team and engage with partners across policy, industry, and the third sector. Partners include Defra, Natural Resource Wales, Southern Water, Rivers Trust, and WWBIC. These relationships will support access to case studies and provide insight into how citizen science operates in practice. The project will also offer opportunities for direct engagement with stakeholders, including the potential for a placement with a partner organisation.
Apply for this PhD if you would like to contribute to ongoing debates about participation, knowledge production, and the role of citizen science under contemporary settings. The project will aspire to generate insights that are both theoretically informed and practically relevant, with value for policy and practice across multiple environmental domains.
Applicants from a range of backgrounds are welcomed, including: social science, citizen science, rural studies, environmental management, and human geography.
You will be supervised by Dr Charlotte-Anne Chivers (CCRI), Dr Michael Pocock (UKCEH), and Dr Julie Urquhart (CCRI).
For more information about this PhD, please contact Charlotte Chivers: cchivers@glos.ac.uk
Entry Criteria:
To receive WGSSS studentship funding, you must have qualifications or experience equivalent to an UK honours degree at a first or upper second-class level, or a masters. Students with non-traditional academic backgrounds are also welcome to apply.
Duration of study:
Durations of study varies from 3.5 (PhD) to 1+3.5 (MSc + PhD) years full-time (or part-time equivalent). The duration study is dependent on prior research experience and training needs of the student which will be assessed by completing a Development Needs Analysis. We welcome applications for both full and part-time study.
Research in practice placement:
All WGSSS funded students are required to complete a funded Research in Practice placement of 3-months in total (or part-time equivalent). All students will have the opportunity to complete a placement in academia, policy, business or civil society organisations.
International Eligibility:
WGSSS studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students. International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rate. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
WGSSS is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and creating an inclusive environment for all. We welcome applications from all members of the global community irrespective of age, disability, sex, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.
Assessment:
Short-listed applicants will be invited to interview. As part of the interview process, applicants will be asked to give a short presentation (5-7 minutes) about why you believe the PhD topic is important and what experience you will bring to the project. You will then answer a series of panel questions to explore your ideas, aptitude, and enthusiasm for the PhD. The panel will be supportive throughout, and encourage applicants to take pauses to think and reflect as required.
How to apply:
Applications should be received no later than 01/05/2026, including all required documents. Due to the volume of applications received, incomplete applications will not be considered.
All applications should be submitted to Chris Rayfield (crayfield@glos.ac.uk) stating the reference ‘2022-072-03 Application’ as the subject.
Please include the following documents with your application:
- https://wgsss.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/WGSSS_Studentship_Application_Form_2026_Collaborative.docx
- Academic CV (two pages maximum)
- 2 academic or professional references (candidates must approach referees themselves and include references with their application. The reference must detail the applicant’s research strengths).
- Degree certificates and Transcripts (including translations if applicable)
- If relevant, proof of English Language Competency (see institutional requirements for entry)
Funding Notes
The studentship funded by the ESRC covers tuition fees, an annual tax-free living stipend of in line with UKRI minimum rates (currently £20,780 for 2025-26 full-time) and includes access to a Research Training Support Grant. Full and part-time applications are welcomed. If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) on top of your studentship.
