Leverhulme Doctoral Programme for Regenerative Innovation (Regnr8-i)

NOW RECRUITING  Four fully-funded PhD Scholarships at the Leverhulme Doctoral Programme for Regenerative Innovation (Regnr8-i) based in the University of Dundee.

This is the third of four annual recruitment rounds inviting applications for UK Doctoral, International Doctoral and UK Master’s Plus Scholarships, each 48 to 60 months, respectively. The community will grow to 24 full-time equivalents by 2027 and from inception we will create an outstanding cross-institutional community of postgraduate researchers. Strongly aligned to the University of Dundee’s commitment for research excellence with impact, Regnr8-i will create a new area of transdisciplinary research and will deliver a step-change in understanding of the emerging field of regenerative innovation and practice. Currently there are 14 researchers already on the programme: learn what projects our researchers are working on.

A unique feature of this proposal is our growing collaboration with the Eden Trust, the renowned conservation charity working with the University and others to establish a new Eden Project Dundee, which received planning permission in 2024.  Eden will support Regnr8-i’s innovation agenda, particularly in relation to regenerative agriculture, clean energy, circularity and social inclusion through ecologically-inspired educational outreach. This collaboration will add flair and dynamism to Regnr8-i’s research culture and enhance public engagement. All Regnr8-i Scholars will undertake a three-month placement with the Eden Trust, either in Dundee, or within its international network of ‘New Edens’.

We propose regenerative innovation as a paradigm to succeed sustainability and tackle the widely recognised global condition of polycrisis. Through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Place-Based Actions (PBA), the aim is to deliver vitality and prosperity for all life (human and other-than-human). This seeks to align human consciousness and actions with living-systems principles. Productive imagining (Futuring) is an important conceptual tool wherein society is afforded civic capacity to imagine alternative futures without being constrained by current cultural, social, political, or economic conditions.

Regenerative systems create positive feedback loops between ecological and social systems, enhancing the productivity and resilience of all. This requires an understanding of the complex interactions between natural, human, and technological systems, a willingness to experiment with new methods and an ability to imagine new futures. Regenerative actions require collaborations to frame specific problems and co-design prospective solutions.

The following is a list of 13 project titles currently being advertised for recruitment this year, please click on the link to learn more about each project:

• Carbon-Negative Self-healing Enzymatic Construction Materials – contact lead supervisor Dr Sina Askarinejad 

• Designing Regenerative Futures: Empowering Young People through Craft Practice and Place-Based Innovation (in Dundee) – contact lead supervisor Dr Jen Ballie 

• Discovering Novel Catalysts for Carbon Capture and Green Hydrogen Production for Climate Resilience – contact lead supervisor Dr Hrishit Banerjee 

• The Role of Accounting in Prefiguring Regenerative Organising: An Exploration of Grassroots Urban and Nature-based Innovation – contact lead supervisor Professor Colin Dey 

• Regenerating Rivers: Flow Physics Informed Tracking and Removal of Microplastics in Rivers – contact lead supervisor Dr Anirban Guha 

• CRAFT – Co-designed Regenerative AI Flow Country Toolkit: Credible, Fast Decision Support for Peatland Rewetting – contact lead supervisor Dr Eric Hall 

• AI for Regenerative Finance: Sustainable, Inclusive, and Transparent Capital Flows – contact lead supervisor Professor Di Luo 

• Non-Invasive Optical Imaging for Oral Health: Regenerative Innovation Towards a Restorative and Equitable Health System – contact any supervisor Professor Michaelina Macluskey, Dr Chunhui Li, Dr Simon Shepherd 

• Future Health & Social Care Systems: Regenerating Healthcare Pathways for Equitable Health and Wellbeing – contact lead supervisor Dr Meiko Makita 

• Police, Communities and the Climate Crisis – contact any supervisor Professor Megan O’Neill, Professor Sue Dawson 

• New-Eden-Tay: Nature-Based Innovations for Adaptation, Resilience and Restoration of the Watersheds of Eden and Tay Rivers in a Changing Climate – contact lead supervisor Dr Paula Stella Teixeira 

• Beyond Net-Zero Housing: Community-Driven Decision Tools for Energy Retrofit Based on Carbon-Sequestering Materials – contact lead supervisor Professor Hing-Ho Tsang 

• Co-designing Regenerative Therapeutic Spaces – contact lead supervisor Professor Mel Woods

ELIGIBILITY FOR 2026/27 RECRUITMENT ROUND

Applicants for the standard four-year doctoral scheme are expected to hold (or be about to achieve) a First Class or an Upper Second Class Honours AND a Master’s degree, in appropriate discipline(s) for their intended PhD topic. Those interested in the Master’s Plus pathway will complete as part of the Regnr8-i programme a one-year Research Masters (MSc/MRes) prior to commencing their four-year PhD. Both the UK Doctoral and Master’s Plus Scholarships are open only to applicants that qualify for UK home fees status and/or who meet the requirements for UK domiciled candidates from underrepresented backgrounds (see online application form for further details of eligibility criteria).

English language requirement: IELTS (Academic) overall score must be at least 6.5 (with not less than 5.5 in reading, listening, speaking and 6.0 in writing). The University of Dundee accepts a variety of equivalent qualifications and alternative ways to demonstrate language proficiency; please see full details of the University’s English language requirements here: www.dundee.ac.uk/guides/english-language-requirements. 

APPLICATION PROCESS – PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A 2-STAGE PROCESS

Please consult the PhD projects on offer.

Step 1 - Applicants to make contact as early as possible ahead of the deadline with the lead supervisor and establish suitability of candidacy, and any particular needs that are relevant to the project.

Step 2 - Formal applications can be made via the Scholarship Application Form.

The deadline for applications is 9^th January 2026, but you should make contact and discuss shared visions as early as possible. We especially welcome interest and will offer mentoring and a guaranteed interview to those candidates from under-represented groups, specifically UK-domiciled black and minority ethnic (BME) students and those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds (a pre-requisite for the Master’s Plus pathway).

From the Supervisor-led selection process each project will generate a ‘Preferred Candidate’. Final appointment of Studentships will be made by formal interviews during the week commencing 26^th January 2026, involving an interview panel of Programme Directors and current Regnr8-i scholars.  Successful candidates should be available to start their Studentships in October 2026.

Advert information