Queen's University Belfast

About the project

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Impact of Climate Change on Peat Slope Stability

• Impact of Climate Change on Peat Slope Stability: School of Natural and Built Environment | PHD Applications are now CLOSED
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Overview

Things we take for granted may be greatly affected by climate change in years to come. This includes how we get around, and where we get our energy from. The next decades will require us to better understand how developments in many parts of Britain and Ireland may affect our way of life. Although occurring widely across Britain and Ireland, how blanket bogs will respond to climate change remains poorly understood. This has important implications for infrastructure, with widespread slope failures and bog bursts arising from, amongst others, road maintenance and the installation of wind power facilities in many upland areas. This problem is expected to become more widespread in years to come as the push to develop further renewable energy supplies places more pressure on our uplands. Understanding how water and peat interact lies at the heart of predicting the impact of climate change on infrastructure in uplands. This project will combine field-based and laboratory-based investigations to observe how changes, arising from climate change influence the factors that may lead to slope failure. Field activities will involve using sensors to examine how extreme weather events affect how groundwater flows in peat-covered slopes, and how this affects their stability. This will be combined with laboratory investigations to simulate extreme weather events, to see how these affect the strength of peat soil and its ability to withstand extreme weather, ranging from storms to droughts. Results will be used to reappraise current concepts of slope stability in blanket bogs through numerical modelling, supported by the lab and field data collected.

This project complements work being carried out by the US-Ireland Programme in Sensor Application to Peatland Hydrology in Remote Areas (SAPHIRE), and the development of novel techniques to investigate the impacts of climate change on soil strength, by project supervisors. Activities would include collaboration with researchers at Imperial College London, University College Dublin and Ohio State University. The multiple scales of investigation involved provide a means of developing a thorough basis for understanding how groundwater and soil properties interact, while also giving the researcher the possibility of employing state of the art sensor technology and modelling methods, both in the laboratory and in the field. Field work will be carried out at an existing site, which is among the best instrumented blanket bog research sites in Britain or Ireland. Research currently focuses how water behaves in blanket peat, and how this impacts ecosystems and flood risk. The research programme will build upon this, by relating changes in pore water pressure to peat hydrogeological and geotechnical properties. Laboratory based geotechnical measurements will complement field measurements to assess how fluctuations in water level affect peat strength and hydrogeological properties. Resulting data from both field and laboratory studies will provide the basis for slope stability simulations that will underpin predictions of how changes in climate, including drier summers and wetter winters, will affect the risk of peat slope failure. References Water | Environmental Protection Agency (epa.ie) https://www.epa.ie/publications/research/water/research-378-towards-the-quantification-of-blanket-bog-ecosystem-services-to-water.php Sensor Application to Peatland Hydrology in Remote Environments (SAPHIRE) https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/Research/research-projects/SensorApplicationtoPeatlandHydrologyinRemoteEnvironmentsSAPHIRE/ RESEARCH PROPOSAL Please note that applicants are not required to upload a research proposal as part of the application. Instead, interested candidates should upload a copy of their CV and a covering letter outlining their motivation to undertake a PhD on this theme, and describing any relevant experience in Civil Engineering, Earth Science and/or Environmental Science. This should include any prior experience of field work. APPLICATION PROCEDURE To apply, visit https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/ulogin.php (link to the QUB Direct Application Portal) Apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Civil EngineerinG at Queen's University Belfast, School of Natural and Built Environment. State name of lead supervisor on application form 'Dr Raymond Flynn'. State the intended SOURCE OF FUNDING on your application as 'EPSRC’.

Funding Information

This funded studentship is open to UK candidates. The value of an award includes the cost of approved fees as well as maintenance support (stipend). The level for 2023/2024 is currently £18,622. Candidates should hold the minimum of a strong upper second class (2.1) honours degree (completed or in the final stages of completion) in Civil / Environmental Engineering, Earth Science, Geography or a related subject with field based activity. Candidates should also provide A-level grades (or equivalent). This research would be particularly suitable to somebody with experience in using instrumentation in challenging outdoor environments. Please note that this research project is one of five advertised projects at Queen’s which are in competition for funding. Only four of these will go ahead. The selection will be based on the 4 projects which receive the best application.

Dr Raymond Flynn

More Information

r.flynn@qub.ac.uk

Research Profile

Full-time: 3.5 years

Civil Engineering overview

The research centre will address the topical grand challenges in the civil engineering field, building on existing and developing new international collaborations. Financial support to meet these challenges will be acquired through both internal University initiatives (for enhanced infrastructure and facilities) and external funding from government grants, charities and direct industrial support. Research will address the grand challenges of energy, carbon, clean water, infrastructure; exploring extremes and defining new limits. Key research areas include: Marine renewable energy Groundwater and environmental systems Geotechnics Intelligent infrastructure and high-performance structures Energy-efficient materials Mode of study/duration Registration is on a full-time or part-time basis, under the direction of a supervisory team appointed by the University. You will be expected to submit your thesis at the end of three years of full-time registration for PhD, or two years for MPhil (or part-time equivalent).

QUB ranked 206 in the world (QS World University Ranking 2025)

• The School of Natural and Built Environment brings together researchers from spatial planning, architecture, geography, paleoecology and civil engineering to tackle some of the world's most pressing urban and environmental challenges. https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/Research/
• Civil Engineering is led by the Head of Discipline (Lead of Civil Engineering Dr Madjid Karimirad) supported by team leaders with responsibility for maintaining excellence in its research groups; - such as the Global Environmental Resilience group, the Intelligent and Sustainable Infrastructure group with several joint projects with international Centres of Excellence, as well as the Water and Energy Resources group, including Marine Research, with more than 40 years of research and development for numerical analysis, experimental laboratory and field testing. Further information about our research groups can be found on the School website. https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/Disciplines/civil-and-structural-engineering/
• The School of Natural and Built Environment has a range of state-of-the-art facilities to support our outstanding students and staff conducting leading-edge research and teaching. These include a heavy structures laboratory, rheology laboratory, the Belfast Wave Flume and the Portaferry coastal wave basin. https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/Research/facilities-infrastructure/
• Postgraduates form an intrinsic part of our research community and are actively involved in the School's cross-disciplinary Research Groups, enabling the creation of synergies in areas such as sustainability, infrastructure, water, energy, culture, design and heritage. The School is engaged with major research themes such as urbanism, community, heritage, population and climate change which contributes to the development of policy and practice both locally and globally. Visit our School website and read about the exciting research being undertaken by our current PhD students: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/Study/PostgraduateResearch/
• Civil Engineering is ranked 12th in the UK (Daily Mail University Guide 2025).

Course content

Associated Research The dynamic nature of this research has been key to our success in attracting significant funding from UK research councils, government departments and agencies. The Civil Engineering Research Centre (CERC) is a leading international, interdisciplinary centre that enables scientists and engineers from all areas of civil engineering investigation to work on diverse, yet complementary research. A special feature of the CERC is the extensive and diverse range of research topics being researched by students and staff in the Centre.

Introduction Many of our PhD graduates have moved into academic and research roles in Higher Education while others go on to play leading roles in educational practice, the public sector or within NGO’s. Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability. For further information on career opportunities at PhD level please contact the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences Student Recruitment Team on askEPS@qub.ac.uk. Our advisors - in consultation with the School - will be happy to provide further information on your research area, possible career prospects and your research application.

Dr Carwyn Frost Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Daniel McPolin Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr David Hester Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Debra H Phillips Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Faris Elghaish Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Giuseppina Amato Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Hector Martin Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Jonathan Black Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Madjid Karimirad Reader Natural and Built Environment Lead of Civil Engineering

Dr Mohammed Sonebi Professor Natural and Built Environment

Dr Nipuni Odara Merenchi Galappaththige Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Pal Schmitt Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Raymond Flynn Reader Natural and Built Environment

Dr Rory Doherty Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Siobhan Cox Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Sree Nanukuttan Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Stephen McIlwaine Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Tara Brooks Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Ulrich Ofterdinger Reader Natural and Built Environment

Dr Vasileios Angelidakis Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Dr Xianhai Meng Senior Lecturer Natural and Built Environment

Professor G Hamill Professor Natural and Built Environment Head of School

Professor Marios Soutsos Professor Natural and Built Environment

Professor Su Taylor Professor Natural and Built Environment

Professor Wei Sha Professor Natural and Built Environment

Assessment processes for the research degree differ from taught degrees. Students will be expected to present drafts of their work at regular intervals to their supervisor who will provide written and oral feedback; a formal assessment process takes place annually. This Annual Progress Review requires students to present their work in writing and orally to a panel of academics from within the School. Successful completion of this process will allow students to register for the next academic year. The final assessment of the doctoral degree is both oral and written. Students will submit their thesis to an internal and external examining team who will review the written thesis before inviting the student to orally defend their work at a Viva Voce.

Supervisors will offer feedback on draft work at regular intervals throughout the period of registration on the degree.

Entrance requirements

Graduate The minimum academic requirement for admission to a research degree programme is normally an Upper Second Class Honours degree from a UK or ROI HE provider, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Further information can be obtained by contacting the School.

For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country .

Evidence of an IELTS score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required. Taken within the last 2 years.

International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.

For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs .

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.

Tuition Fees

Northern Ireland (NI) 1 | TBC

Republic of Ireland (ROI) 2 | TBC

England, Scotland or Wales (GB) 1 | TBC

EU Other 3 | £28,900

International | £28,900

1 EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled or pre-settled status, are expected to be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident, however this is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly Student Fees Regulations. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB are expected to be charged the GB fee, however this is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly student fees Regulations.

2 It is expected that EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI will be eligible for NI tuition fees. The tuition fee set out above is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly student fees Regulations.

3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.

All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. All fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

More information on postgraduate tuition fees .

Civil Engineering costs

There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.

Additional course costs

Depending on the programme of study, there may also be other extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies . Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £100 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges. Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen. There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, and library fines. In undertaking a research project students may incur costs associated with transport and/or materials, and there will also be additional costs for printing and binding the thesis. There may also be individually tailored research project expenses and students should consult directly with the School for further information.

Some research programmes incur an additional annual charge on top of the tuition fees, often referred to as a bench fee. Bench fees are charged when a programme (or a specific project) incurs extra costs such as those involved with specialist laboratory or field work. If you are required to pay bench fees they will be detailed on your offer letter. If you have any questions about Bench Fees these should be raised with your School at the application stage. Please note that, if you are being funded you will need to ensure your sponsor is aware of and has agreed to fund these additional costs before accepting your place.

How do I fund my study?

Find PhD opportunities and funded studentships by subject area.

We offer numerous opportunities for funded doctoral study in a world-class research environment. Our centres and partnerships, aim to seek out and nurture outstanding postgraduate research students, and provide targeted training and skills development.

The Government offers doctoral loans of up to £26,445 for PhDs and equivalent postgraduate research programmes for English- or Welsh-resident UK and EU students.

Information on Postgraduate Research scholarships for international students .

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How to Apply

Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply .

If you're interested in a particular project, we suggest you contact the relevant academic before you apply, to introduce yourself and ask questions.

To find a potential supervisor aligned with your area of interest, or if you are unsure of who to contact, look through the staff profiles linked here .

You might be asked to provide a short outline of your proposal to help us identify potential supervisors.

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