PhD Studentship - Living with Coastal Landslides

Supervisor(s)

1. Dr Hannah Worthen University of Hull
2. Dr Anna Bird University of Hull

Enquiries email: livingwww@hull.ac.uk

Funding for: UK students

Subject areas

• Physical & Environmental Sciences
• Historical & Philosophical Studies

Project description

As the UK’s climate continues to change, its coasts are becoming increasingly dynamic and hazardous environments. The combined pressures of more frequent storm events and sea-level rise, linked to climate change, are increasing the risk of coastal landslides. These events, which are natural geological processes, tend to be sudden and often unpredictable, and their impacts on homes, agricultural land, infrastructure, and heritage assets can have profound social, economic, and cultural consequences. Entire communities can be displaced or affected by the ongoing anxiety of living with unstable cliffs and recurring landslip activity. As climate change accelerates these processes, there is a compelling need to address how communities can live with both the risk and the reality of coastal landslides.

Existing scientific datasets, such as those held by the British Geological Survey (BGS), provide valuable records of landslide events. However, they rely on landslides being reported to and recorded by the BGS and as such are not always comprehensive or systematic. Crucially, these datasets also lack the social and human stories that accompany the physical record of landslide occurrence. As a result, the lived experience of communities affected by coastal instability—how people remember, respond to, and adapt to these events—is often missing from discussions of coastal change.

This project addresses this gap. It seeks to bridge geological and social perspectives, situating coastal landslides within broader questions of how people live with water, risk, and change. By combining the BGS GeoCoast dataset with archival research and community-derived narratives, the project will produce a richer, more inclusive understanding of coastal landslide histories and their implications for resilience in the context of climate change.

By working across disciplinary boundaries, the project will demonstrate how scientific and cultural knowledge systems can be brought together to reimagine resilience. Coastal landslides, rather than being seen solely as destructive forces, can be understood as part of a broader dynamic between people, place, and environment—one that demands care, creativity, and collaboration. By integrating the scientific, historical, and social dimensions of coastal landslides, this project will contribute to building a more inclusive, adaptive, and empathetic approach to coastal resilience in the UK.

Advert information