PhD Studentship on Justice and Energy Transitions with Emphasis on Critical Minerals

Supervisor: Dr Clement Sefa Nyarko, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow

Start Date: October 2026

Duration: 3.5 years (full time)

Funding: Tuition fees (Home) + annual stipend + research support allowance

King’s College London invites applications for a funded PhD studentship within the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project Justice in Critical Minerals Governance and Energy Transitions, led by Dr Clement Sefa Nyarko. The studentship offers an opportunity to pursue cutting‑edge doctoral research on justice, governance, and community perspectives in global energy transitions, especially in regions shaped by the extraction of critical minerals essential for clean energy technologies.

The project responds to rising international concern about the environmental, social, and political implications of mineral extraction in the shift to net zero. While global decarbonisation accelerates, communities in mineral‑rich regions often face exclusion from decision‑making, unequal benefit distribution, and persistent injustices. This PhD will contribute to understanding these challenges through rigorous, community‑centred, interpretive research.

The successful candidate will be based at the African Leadership Centre in the School of Global Affairs. The ALC is recognised for advancing innovative, ethical, and African‑led approaches to peace, security, leadership, and development. As part of this community, the student will benefit from academic mentorship, specialist training, leadership development, and engagement with global scholars and policy partners.

The PhD will align with the Fellowship’s aims while allowing the student to shape their own research agenda. Possible themes include:

• justice and equity in critical mineral supply chains;
• community experiences and interpretations of justice in resource‑rich regions;
• governance, leadership, and accountability in extractive contexts;
• bottom‑up or participatory approaches to studying energy transitions;
• innovative qualitative or interpretive methodologies, including Hermeneutical Ethnography.

King’s provides an exceptional research environment, extensive doctoral training, and support for fieldwork, conferences, and publication development. The student will collaborate with international partners and may have opportunities to engage with field sites in Africa, Latin America, or Australia, depending on project design.

Candidate Requirements

Essential:

• Master’s degree (completed or near completion) in International Development, Political Science, Environmental Studies, Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, Law, or related fields.
• Strong interest in interpretive, ethnographic, or community‑centred approaches, including analysis of narratives, symbols, silences, and other non‑verbal forms of meaning‑making relevant to justice in extractive contexts.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to use bottom‑up, participatory, or co‑creation methodologies that foreground community voices and lived experiences.
• Experience using qualitative or multimodal analysis software (e.g., NVivo, Atlas.ti, MAXQDA) to code and interpret interviews, fieldnotes, images, gestures, symbols, and other narrative or non‑verbal artefacts.
• Interest in natural resource governance, energy transitions, environmental justice, or extractive politics.

Desirable:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Fieldwork experience in Africa, Latin America, Australia, or other extractive regions.
• Background in sustainability transitions, Indigenous studies, or environmental governance.

How to Apply

Part 1: Email a single PDF to clement.1.sefa-nyarko@kcl.ac.uk by 25 May 2026 with the subject line: Application for PhD Studentship on Justice in Energy Transitions.

Include:

• Research proposal (max. 2,000 words) outlining focus, questions, cases, significance, and methodological innovation, plus bibliography (not included in word count).
• Sample of written work.
• Personal statement (1–2 pages).
• Academic transcript(s). • Two references (at least one academic; professional references acceptable if qualifications were completed over five years ago).

Part 2: Submit an application via King’s Apply to the PhD programme Leadership Studies with Reference to Security and Development at the African Leadership Centre.

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