PhD Studentship: Exploring open source data to improve surface water flood risk assessment

The University of Exeter’s Department of Engineering is inviting applications for a PhD studentship funded by the partner Liverpool Victoria General Insurance Group Limited, to commence on 1 November 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

This PhD project aims to explore how emerging datasets could provide value to the UK’s insurance industry through a combination of data analytics, modelling, and scenario analysis techniques to provide support for strategic decision-making and inform policy.  The candidate will identify the existing data gaps in quantifying flood risk and explore best practices for data processing and integration into hydraulic modelling and risk assessment.  

This project will create a novel methodology for analysing the datasets to achieve meaningful improvements in flood risk assessment research, including assessing potential impact caused by flooding, evaluating the effectiveness of various interventions for flood risk reduction, and quantifying flood risk under plausible future climate, land use changes and socioeconomic development scenarios e.g. urban planning.  The outcome will provide a holistic assessment of flood risk for future strategies and climate adaptation policy making. 

The collaboration involves a project partner who is providing funding and other material support to the project, this means there are special terms that apply to the project, these will be discussed with Candidates at Interview and fully set out in the offer letter.

The collaboration involves a project partner who is providing funding and other material support to the project, this means there are special terms that apply to the project, these will be discussed with Candidates at Interview and fully set out in the offer letter.

For eligible students the scholarship will cover home tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 for 4 years full-time. The student will be based in the Centre for Water Systems https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/centres/cws/) in Engineering Department in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy and spend most of their time at the Streatham Campus in Exeter. 

Research on this project will be desk-based and will require programming skills. It will suit those who are creative and open to new ideas. Occasional visit to a case study area may be needed, though no field work is planned. 

The studentship will be awarded on the basis of merit.  

International applicants need to be aware that they will have to cover the cost of their student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.

The conditions for eligibility of home fees status are complex and you will need to seek advice if you have moved to or from the UK (or Republic of Ireland) within the past 3 years or have applied for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.  

Students who pay international tuition fees are eligible to apply, but should note that the award will only provide payment for UK fees and UKRI equivalent Stipend. International students must be able to demonstrate they are able pay the difference between UK and overseas fees.

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