PhD Studentship - WIRe CDT PhD in Environmental Engineering: Track PFAS: PFAS Inventory for Risk Assessment in Water Treatment Works: Sources, Equilibrium and Exposure Routes

Award summary

Fully funded Studentship with a tax-free annual living allowance of £24,000, a research training support grant + UKRI fees paid.

Overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic and curious PhD researcher to work on a highly interdisciplinary project to discover and quantify the critical per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in the water cycle. Per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) are thousands of pervasive chemicals that have been uncontrollably released to the environment well beyond the safety limits. Water utilities are facing critical challenges to maintain a reliable water supply in a climate emergency and ever-demanding water quality standards, as they aim to achieve a long-term understanding of the magnitude of PFAS problem and associated risks. Here, we aim to determine the processes that control the environmental transport of PFAS chemical mixtures in the water cycle. The researcher will use advanced and state-of-the-art analytical tools to identify and quantify PFAS in different media. This project will involve working closely with water treatment works and our industry partner, WTW. The results from this project will be groundbreaking and enable the development and implementation of PFAS-focused risk assessments.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: September 2024

Award duration: 4 years

Sponsor: EPSRC & WTW

Supervisors: Dr Lucia Rodriguez-Freire at Newcastle University and Neil Gunn at WTW

Eligibility criteria

A First Meng/MSc in a relevant subject or First or upper second class UG degree (2:1). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.

Under the 30% UKRI international recruitment policy, Newcastle will pay the international fee difference for International applicants (including EU) awarded a WIRe CDT studentship at Newcastle (limited to 1 PhD student per academic year).

Further information will be provided at application stage. 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.

International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme. 

How to apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:

• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8209F
• Select ‘PhD Water Infrastructure & Resilience (WIRe)' as the programme of study 

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form
• The studentship code WIRE2403 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal.

Contact details: justine.easten@ncl.ac.uk

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