Built Environment
Cardiff University
About the Project Electric currents are increasingly passed through the ground and construction materials to strengthen, drain or treat soils, to protect and repair concrete, to earth electrical infrastructure, and to image conditions beneath the surface. In each case, current flows through the water held in the material's pores, so its behaviour is coupled to the moisture distribution.
- Location
- Cardiff, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 3 November 2026
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Kingston University
About the Project Construction waste can take many forms including holding excess inventory of materials, unnecessary movements of construction operatives and vehicles to/from/within a site, idle time between operations, defective work etc. (Formoso et al., 2020). Regardless of the type of construction waste, its impact on project performance is adverse and can be substantial.
- Location
- London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Kingston University
About the Project The decarbonisation of the built environment presents a major challenge for local governments, particularly in cities with large, aging housing stocks and diverse community needs. Traditional approaches to building retrofit are resource-intensive, slow, and often fail to engage residents meaningfully or at scale.
- Location
- London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Edinburgh Napier University
About the Project Aim Floods are among the most destructive natural hazards, threatening ecosystems, urban areas, and critical infrastructure. In Scotland, the increasing frequency and intensity of floods driven by climate change, land-use dynamics, and human activity pose urgent challenges for urban resilience and disaster management.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Kingston University
About the Project Application of non-metallic reinforcement, such as Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP), is getting increasingly popular due to reduced risk of corrosion, high strength, no interference with electro-magnetic fields and other positive characteristics. At the same time a relatively brittle way of failure and lack of sufficient warning before destruction is forcing structural designers to be more conservative and to avoid using the full capacity of the FRP material.
- Location
- London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Kingston University
About the Project The construction sector, covering other professional services, accounts for a substantial value addition of every economy globally and generates substantial incomes in export earnings, especially in advanced economies. This important contribution to the national purse is on the backbone of a fairly fragmented sector characterised by a multiplicity of firms accounting for almost all the skills and output in this industry.
- Location
- London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
University of Reading
About the Project The effects of climate change, including extreme weather conditions, temperature increases, and floods, are increasingly evident worldwide. These changes are starting to have severe implications on people’s health and wellbeing, business operations, and society in general.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
University of Reading
About the Project The advent of Construction 4.0, characterised by the integration of AI, robotics, and digital technologies, has significantly transformed the construction industry. The push for new technology development often stems from the appeal of replicating efficiencies seen in other sectors, such as automation and manufacturing.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Edinburgh Napier University
About the Project The transition to a circular economy in the construction industry is often framed as a technical or environmental challenge, focusing on material innovation, waste management protocols, and economic viability. However, the success of this transition is equally dependent on the human and social dimensions, which are frequently overlooked.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Edinburgh Napier University
About the Project Engineering problems related to conservation and restoration of Cultural Heritage are attracting increasing attention by researchers, offering opportunities for novel research and industry collaborations. Scotland’s historic environment is an essential part of its cultural background and economy but the effects of ageing, environmental conditions and past natural hazards have caused significant degradation, urging for action (Hyslop et al., 2006).
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Edinburgh Napier University
About the Project Natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes generate enormous volumes of waste, much of which is landfilled at high environmental and economic cost. At the same time, disaster recovery demands rapid access to new construction materials. This creates a critical challenge, how can we rebuild communities quickly while reducing waste, carbon emissions, and costs?
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
University of Reading
About the Project Utilising heat pump technology is one of the main recognised solutions for transition to cleaner heat in the UK (DESNZ, 2023). By switching from natural gas boilers to electrical heat pump technologies, questions of performance (e.g., efficiency, comfort expectations, lifespan) are raised. Current practices associated with gas boiler driven heat systems undermine some of these performance issues.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
University of Reading
About the Project Heating accounts for about 37% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the UK (DESNZ 2024). Decarbonisation of heat is, therefore, critical to meeting national net zero carbon targets. Heat networks are centralised heating systems that distribute the centrally produced heat through pipes to multiple end users of heat.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Kingston University
About the Project The construction sector has seen a high share of energy-related carbon emissions globally due to building operation, posing a great threat to achieving net zero carbon targets by 2050. According to the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction, in 2021, the buildings and construction sector accounted for about 34% energy consumptions and circa 37% of energy-related carbon emissions globally [1].
- Location
- London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Kingston University
About the Project In the face of accelerating climate change, sustainability is no longer a peripheral consideration, it is a central imperative across all sectors, particularly in the built environment. While the construction industry increasingly acknowledges the importance of sustainable development, the practical integration of sustainability into day-to-day project delivery remains inconsistent and underdeveloped.
- Location
- London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Edinburgh Napier University
About the Project Housing markets are inherently spatial, shaped by location, neighbourhood characteristics, accessibility, and environmental factors. While traditional econometric models are useful for identifying relationships, these are often inadequate when it comes to capturing the non-linearities and complex interactions surrounding the dynamics of the markets.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Edinburgh Napier University
About the Project On the continent there’s been a growing trend of balcony solar panels [1]. These can be mounted onto the sides of an apartment balcony. These are typically thin film solar panels, mounted horizontally, although some products do allow for monocrystalline panels, or for the panels to be angled to maximise solar gain.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Kingston University
About the Project Background: Buildings account for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 30% of carbon emissions in the UK. Energy saving in the built environment is a critical focus area to meet government targets for reducing carbon emissions, which are supported by the continuous updates to building regulations. Over the past 20 years, significant efforts have been directed at improving the energy performance of new builds and retrofitting existing buildings.
- Location
- London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
University of Reading
About the Project Construction remains one of the most male-dominated industries in the UK, with men making up 85% of the total workforce, including 98% of all manual workers. This picture is often reflected globally, with women accounting for 11% of construction sector employment (RICS, 2022).
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
University of Bath
About the Project This PhD project explores the potential of Brazil nut shells and other agro-forestry residues from the Amazon rainforest as innovative, sustainable construction materials. With growing global demand for low-carbon solutions and circular economy models, the project addresses two critical challenges: reducing waste and promoting inclusive development in rainforest communities.
- Location
- Bath, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
University of Reading
About the Project The combined effects of urbanization and global warming intensify urban overheating and increase both the frequency and severity of climate change–driven extreme heat events with detrimental consequences to public health and infrastructure. This is also related with the materials used in cities and the density of additional heat sources from human activity.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Edinburgh Napier University
About the Project Growing areas of academic and policy interest in the built environment consider the role of cities as homes to the majority of the world’s population and key drivers for health and wellbeing, resilience and sustainable development. However, a range of challenges exist in relation to urban inequalities, people and places and climate change.
- Location
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Built Environment
Kingston University
About the Project During this prolonged period of neo-liberal development our discourse in the West has become fragmented between a growing concern for climate change/sustainability and a continued need to promote intensive growth and prioritise the needs of capital.
- Location
- London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only