PhD Studentship: Adaptation strategies for increasing heat and their contribution to reduce morbidity and mortality

Project Title: Adaptation strategies for increasing heat and their contribution to reduce morbidity and mortality

Closing date: 28 February 2023

The project:

The University of Bristol is part of a consortium led by University of Cape Town (UCT) that has recently been awarded a four-year research grant to investigate the health effects of heat adaptation interventions in Africa. The project will measure the health effects of adaptation to heat in two key groups: people living in low-cost housing and those engaged in manual labour.

This studentship will design interventions for passive cooling and design heat warning systems for use in Ghana and South Africa, based on successful interventions elsewhere and the climates and socio-demographics of Ghana and South Africa. The PhD student will design pilot interventions for passive cooling (for instance insulated roofs), identifying approaches that are affordable within the African context and test how effective these are in reducing night and daytime temperatures, through deployment of heat sensors. They will link with the health researchers on the project to assess what impact these have on selected health outcomes. The PhD student will contribute to the design of heat warning systems (these currently do not exist) and assess their effectiveness by monitoring public perception of warnings and compliance with recommended actions, as well as the reliability of forecasts upon which the warnings are based. It is expected that the PhD student will make extended trips to both Ghana and South Africa to support field studies and will also have access to training provided by the project for PhD students and post-doctoral researchers.

How to apply:

To apply for this studentship, submit a PhD application using our online application system [www.bristol.ac.uk/pg-howtoapply]

Please ensure that in the Funding section you tick “I would like to be considered for a funding award from the Civil Engineering Department” and specify the title of the scholarship in the “other” box.

Candidate requirements:  

The candidate must hold/achieve a minimum of a master’s degree (or international equivalent) in an environmental science, climate science or environmental engineering discipline.

If English is not your first language, you need to meet this profile level:

Profile E

Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.

Funding:

The studentship will cover full tuition fees and a minimum stipend equivalent to the UKRI tax-free stipend of £17,668 per annum (22/23) for 4 years; plus an additional contribution to research and travel costs.

For eligibility and residence requirements please check the UKRI UK Research and Innovation website.

Contacts:  

For questions about the research project please contact Prof Guy Howard or Dr Eunice Lo

For questions about eligibility and the application process please contact CAME Postgraduate Research Admissions 

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