PhD Studentship: Strengthening governance and policy for climate, biodiversity and water on the island of Ireland

Dublin City University (www.dcu.ie) is a research-intensive, globally-engaged institution. DCU ranks in the top 100 universities under 50 years old (QS ranking). 

DCU’s School of Law and Government is a research-active school with world-class faculty that ranks in the top 200 departments in the world for Political Science worldwide and a rigorous structured PhD programme and a vibrant, international cohort of almost 50 PhD students.

The DCU Centre for Climate and Society is Ireland’s first academic research centre devoted to promoting perspectives on climate change from the social sciences and humanities. The mission of the Centre is to shape and support societal responses to climate change in Ireland and around the world. 

The PhD project

Land-use policy and governance play a key role in achieving a Paris-aligned, biodiversity-rich, and prosperous society. Brexit will likely reduce the alignment of land use policy and governance in Ireland and Northern Ireland, posing risks for environmental outcomes across a range of domains including climate, biodiversity and water quality, creating a complex regulatory context for businesses and undermining investor confidence. Against this backdrop the central aim of this PhD project is to analyze trends in land-use regulatory and governance arrangements on the island of Ireland, develop scenario-based analysis of risks associated with policy and governance divergence, and identify potential approaches to mitigate such risks. The project will also focus on the theme of just transitions, and how these can be enabled through strengthened policy and governance frameworks across the two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.

The position

This is a full time PhD position within the newly established Co-Centre for Climate+ Biodiversity+ Water and funded by Science Foundation Ireland. The Centre brings together 14 higher education and research institutions across Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain.

The scholarship will provide a stipend of EUR 22,000 per annum and will cover EU fees, both for four years.

The PhD student will be supervised by Dr. Diarmuid Torney and Dr Goran Dominioni. The student will be provided with training in research design, research methods, other coursework as appropriate. They will be encouraged to attend international conferences. Some funding for fieldwork and conference attendance will be provided. The PhD student will be subject to an annual progress review. Progression will be dependent on satisfactory performance.

Requirements

The successful candidate is required to:

• Hold a Master’s degree in political science, law, public administration, economics, environmental studies, or a cognate discipline (or equivalent) with first class honours or high second class honours;
• Have a demonstrated understanding of climate change politics/policy;
• Have excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Pre-existing knowledge of Irish/UK politics is an asset;
• Relevant professional experience is an asset.

Closing date June 14th

Informal enquiries to: Dr. Diarmuid Torney, Associate Professor, School of Law and Government: diarmuid.torney@dcu.ie and Dr Goran Dominioni, Assistant Professor, School of Law and Government: goran.dominioni@dcu.ie.

Application procedure: Applications should be submitted by email to louise.laing@dcu.ie using the subject line “Co-Centre for Climate+ Biodiversity + Water PhD scholarship” and include:

• One-page motivation letter;
• CV listing academic qualifications, research experience, publications;
• Sample of written work (2,000–4,000 words);
• Copy of the highest degree obtained and transcript of academic grades;
• Contact details (at least two references).

Interviews: Week commencing June 24th

Start date: 9th September 2024

Dublin City University is an equal opportunities employer

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