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PhD opportunities: Civil Engineering

Compare 56 doctoral research opportunities connected with Civil Engineering, including project summaries, funding and application deadlines.

Civil Engineering

Data-Driven Environmental Assessment of Next-Generation Concrete

University of Leeds

About the Project One full/ partial scholarship is available in the School of Civil Engineering in 2026/27. This scholarship is open to international applicants and covers Home (UK) fees plus maintenance at the UKRI rate of £21,805 for 3.5 years. This fully funded PhD place provides an exciting opportunity to pursue postgraduate research in a range of fields relating to materials science and engineering.

Location
Leeds, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
30 September 2026
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

Energy Micropiles for Sustainable Retrofit

University of Leeds

About the Project One full scholarship is available in the School of Civil Engineering in 2026/27. This scholarship is open to UK applicants and covers fees plus and maintenance. This fully funded PhD place provides an exciting opportunity to pursue postgraduate research in energy micropiles, a sustainable solution to provide thermal energy to buildings as well as structural support.

Location
Leeds, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
30 September 2026
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

UK Bridges Moving Under Climate Change: Data-Driven Assessment of Corrosion Risk

University of Leeds

About the Project Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing UK infrastructure. Bridges keep people, goods and services moving every day: they support commuting, emergency access, freight, public transport and local economies. However, many bridges were designed for environmental conditions that are now changing.

Location
Leeds, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
30 September 2026
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

Open uncontrolled burning of plastic waste – measuring / modelling prevalence, emissions and impacts on climate change and human health exposure

Imperial College London

About the Project Solid waste management remains a major sustainability challenge globally, and especially in the Global South, where substantial quantities of (uncollected) waste are often set in fire as a means of disposal or resource recovery. Open burning is responsible for the emission of major greenhouse gas pollutants, including black carbon, contributing to climate change.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
1 December 2026
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Civil Engineering

The investigation of coastal cliff instability due to extreme weather conditions

Imperial College London

About the Project Supervisory team: Dr Tiago Gaspar, Prof. Jamie Standing, Prof. Lidija Zdravković (Imperial College London) Project description: With increasingly evident impacts of climate change, there is a growing focus on safeguarding the resilience of geo-infrastructure under extreme weather conditions.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
18 December 2026
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Civil Engineering

AI-Driven Optimisation of Energy Efficiency and Circular Material Flows in Modern Construction Systems in the UK.

Edinburgh Napier University

About the Project The UK construction sector faces mounting pressure to decarbonise, improve resource efficiency, and meet net-zero targets by 2050. Buildings account for approximately 25% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, with embodied carbon from materials and operational energy use being key contributors (UKGBC, 2023).

Location
Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

AI-driven development and design of meta-composites for constructions.

University of Birmingham

About the Project Composite materials (cement-based or polymer-based) have been extensively used for decades in the construction, repair, and strengthening of infrastructure and the built environment. Despite their widespread application, the design of these materials has largely relied on trial-and-error approaches, which are time-consuming, susceptible to human error, and difficult to generalize to emerging composite systems with tailored functionalities.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Adoption and Impact of Natural Fibre Reinforced Compressed Earth Building Blocks

University of Portsmouth

About the Project Applications are invited for a self-funded, 3 year full-time or 6 year part-time PhD project. The PhD will be based in the School of Civil Engineering and Surveying and will be supervised by Dr Muhammad Ali , Prof. Tamsin Bradley , Prof. Hom Dhakal .

Location
Portsmouth, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Advancing Sustainable Concrete Production through Industrial Solid Waste Utilisation and Carbon Sequestration

The University of Manchester

About the Project This project will focus on the utilisation of industrial solid wastes in concrete formulations by implementing advanced carbonation techniques and further developing methods to enhance reaction mechanisms. The primary goal is to stimulate the reactivity of industrial waste materials, increasing their contribution to strength development.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Applications of Electrokinetic Stabilisation to Treat Subsidence in Low-rise Buildings

University of Birmingham

About the Project Fine-grained soils pose significant challenges to the construction industry in the UK and globally. These soils are known for their problematic characteristics such as shrink-swell and compressibility behaviours, which can cause subsidence and excessive settlement to buildings’ foundations. Conventional ground improvement remediation methods are disruptive, costly, and temporary.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

Artificial intelligence based assessment of safety and ageing of existing masonry structures against climate change

University of Birmingham

About the Project We aim to revolutionize the safety assessment of deteriorated and aged existing masonry structures. The current procedure for this is based on visual inspection, limited localized non-destructive or semi-destructive testing techniques, and numerical simulations.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Automated Hybrid AM–Lightweight Steel Framing (LSF) Systems for Zero-Waste Construction

University of Aberdeen

About the Project These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying.

Location
Aberdeen, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Behaviour of FRP reinforced shear walls under cyclic loading

Kingston University

About the Project In the last 2 decades fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) materials have become a suitable material for strengthening of existing Civil Engineering structures for their resistance to corrosion and high strength among other excellent material properties. FRP internal reinforcement is also becoming the subject of research in reinforced concrete elements as its shows promising results under static and cyclic loading.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Behaviour of shear walls consisting of steel frame and FRP infill plate.

Kingston University

About the Project Thin infill plate shear walls are getting more popular especially for high rise buildings. Their low weight and high ultimate capacity are extremely beneficial for many modern buildings. Existing research in this area is focusing mainly on systems with steel infill plates or hybrid ones, consisting with thin steel plate laminated with FRP layers.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Building flexibility into long-term water resources system planning and management strategies

Kingston University

About the Project Sustainable water resources planning, and management policies need to consider the impact of future changes due to factors like geomorphologic processes, aging infrastructure, demand shifts or variability of water supplies. However, whilst change over time is certain, the extent to which it will affect the physical and social dimensions of the water resource systems is uncertain.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Centrifuge Physical Modelling of Floating Offshore Wind Moorings in Layered Soils

University of Sheffield

About the Project The future of offshore wind energy lies in floating turbines, enabling the capture of wind power in deep waters where conventional foundations (like monopiles and jackets) are not economically viable. Pioneering projects, such as by Hywind (in Scottish and Danish waters) and Ørsted (in Scottish and German waters), have successfully demonstrated that these floating units can be securely anchored using suction caissons (or “buckets”) embedded in the seabed.

Location
Sheffield, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

Digital Twin and AI-Driven Modelling of Seabed Mobility for Offshore Infrastructure

Durham University

About the Project This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience; a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The successful applicant will undertake six-month of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at Durham University.

Location
Durham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Civil Engineering

Dynamic Soil–Monopile Interaction for Offshore Wind Turbines under Seismic Loading.

University of Portsmouth

About the Project Applications are invited for a self-funded, 3 year full-time or 6 year part-time PhD project. The PhD will be based in the School of Civil Engineering and will be supervised by Dr Mehdi Rouholamin , Dr Nikos Nanos and Dr David Begg . Applications are invited for a self-funded PhD project investigating the dynamic soil–structure interaction of monopile foundations for offshore wind turbines.

Location
Portsmouth, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Effects of bio-inspired remediation techniques of contaminated soils on soil strength and erosion control.

Edinburgh Napier University

About the Project The PhD topic will focus on the use bio-inspired remediation techniques that are being used to remove contaminants, such as heavy metals from the soil in conjunction with their potential effect upon the engineering properties of the soil, such as increase of soil strength and further prevention of erosion.

Location
Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Effects of self-cementing properties on the performance of a sustainable capillary barrier cover system by using recycled concrete aggregates

Kingston University

About the Project In supporting the UK Government to fulfil its targets on carbon emissions and environmental protection, there is an increasingly strong emphasis on recycling and reuse of construction waste in civil engineering. In this study, a sustainable capillary barrier cover system incorporating Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) is proposed to be developed.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Enhancement of concrete and mortar mixes using graphene nanomaterials

University of Salford

About the Project Enhancement of concrete and mortar mixes using graphene nanomaterials. Building on established research and data undertaken at the University, there is a breadth of research opportunities available in this field.This includes adapting mix designs, assessing mechanical properties and assessing durability properties. Supervisor profiles: I have a passion for civil and structural engineering research and have had so for over 15 years.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Civil Engineering

Enhancing the performance, condition, safety and reliability of offshore wind energy infrastructure systems using optimal inspections and structural health monitoring

University of Aberdeen

About the Project These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying. Wind turbines are exposed to frequent structural damage increasing the cost of wind energy generation.

Location
Aberdeen, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Exploring the mechanisms of wave propagation in granular materials

Edinburgh Napier University

About the Project Shear wave propagation and associated velocity Vs, are fundamental in characterising the small-strain response of soils. In addition, the shear wave velocity is essential input information in the characterisation of soils under static and dynamic conditions and eventually, in the design of geotechnical structures.

Location
Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Fate, transport, and impact of microplastics in the environment

University of Aberdeen

About the Project These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying. Recent research indicates that microplastics are now ubiquitous in the environment: they have been found in lakes, rivers, and even groundwater.

Location
Aberdeen, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Stay In Place (SIP) formwork for structural concrete elements

University of Bradford

About the Project The concept of using FRP composites for structurally integrated stay-in-place (SIP) formwork for structural concrete elements maximizes the advantages of both FRP and concrete; not only can the high strength of FRP be utilized effectively, but also FRP profiles can serve as permanent formwork.

Location
Bradford, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

From Pollution to Construction: Influence of Microplastics on the Mechanical Behaviour of Cement Mortar and Masonry

University of Salford

About the Project Microplastics are an emerging global pollutant that persist in the environment and contribute to long-term ecological damage. This project aims to transform this waste material into a sustainable construction resource by investigating the effects of incorporating microplastics into cement mortar used in masonry.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Functional and Low Carbon Materials for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

University of Birmingham

About the Project The construction industry accounts for 8–10% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions and faces significant challenges in achieving NetZero targets by 2050. This PhD project offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of next-generation construction materials that are both low-carbon and climate-resilient.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

Geopolymer reinforced concrete structural elements

University of Bradford

About the Project Geopolymers are an alkali-activated amorphous aluminosilicious cementitious material. Common aluminosilicate material used for producing geopolymers is fly ash and slag, both industrial by products. While a good progress has been achieved in developing geopolymer concrete focused on micro-scale level, relatively limited research has been conducted at load-bearing members such as reinforced concrete beams, columns, slabs and others.

Location
Bradford, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Geotechnical Seismic Isolation Technology for Global Earthquake Resilience and Environmental Sustainability

Edinburgh Napier University

About the Project The key idea is that Rubber-Soil mixtures (RSm), derived from car tyres, can be used to modify the foundation and protect civil structures against the action of earthquakes at beneficial economic and environmental costs. Thus, the seismic protection can be engineered in locations where earthquakes are most common, and consequences are least affordable. This is a distinctive Civil Engineering project in that is has direct consequences on human suffering.

Location
Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Impact of Infiltration-Induced Nano- and microplastics Migration on the Strength and Hydraulic Conductivity of Biochar-Amended Sandy Soils

University of Salford

About the Project Nano- and microplastics are increasingly recognised as emerging contaminants within terrestrial environments. They originate from various sources such as road runoff, agricultural activities, and landfill liners, gradually accumulating in the upper soil layers. In permeable sandy soils, these plastic particles can migrate downward through infiltration processes, threatening groundwater quality and altering the physical behaviour of the soil matrix.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Innovative Digital Textile Reinforced Concretes for Structural or Repair Applications

University of Birmingham

About the Project The application of Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) for the repair and strengthening of deteriorated existing structures, as well as for the development of new structural components, has recently attracted significant and growing attention. TRCs consist of continuous textile fabrics embedded within a fine-grained cement-based matrix and offer a unique combination of excellent mechanical performance, high durability, low weight, and corrosion-free behaviour.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Innovative low carbon construction materials for future infrastructure

University of Birmingham

About the Project Achieving decarbonisation targets in the construction sector requires the development of innovative, resource-efficient, and low-carbon construction materials. This project addresses this urgent challenge by exploring next-generation materials and technologies that significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the built environment while maintaining or enhancing performance.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Integrating Machine Learning and Carbonation Treatments for Sustainable Waste-Derived Cementitious Materials

The University of Manchester

About the Project The construction industry’s transition to net zero demands new materials that reduce both waste and CO₂ emissions. Conventional Portland cement production accounts for around 7% of global CO₂ output, while millions of tonnes of alkaline industrial wastes, including steel slags, incinerator bottom ash (IBA), and construction and demolition waste (CDW), remain underutilised or landfilled.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Investigation of Railway Studs and Squats Top-Up Scholarship

University of Queensland

About the Project Rail studs and squats are increasingly important forms of rail damage affecting railway networks in Australia and internationally. Their prevalence has become a growing concern as modern railways adopt higher traction capabilities and more intensive operating conditions, generating increasingly demanding wheel–rail contact conditions.

Location
Brisbane, Australia, Australia
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Large Deformation Numerical Modelling of Drag Embedment Anchors for Floating Offshore Wind

Durham University

About the Project This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience; a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The successful applicant will undertake six-month of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at Durham University. The deployment of offshore wind energy requires operations that interact with the seabed.

Location
Durham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Civil Engineering

Life Cycle Assessment of Alkaline Waste Treatment Pathways for Sustainable Cementitious Materials

The University of Manchester

About the Project The cement and concrete industry accounts for approximately 7% of global CO₂ emissions, driven by limestone calcination and energy-intensive clinker production. At the same time, millions of tonnes of alkaline industrial wastes, including steel slags, incinerator bottom ash (IBA), and construction and demolition waste (CDW) fines, are landfilled or underutilised each year.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Lifecycle damage analysis of offshore wind turbine welded structures using advanced experimental and numerical techniques

University of Birmingham

About the Project Offshore wind energy is one of the most efficient and rapidly expanding sources of renewable energy, and it is increasingly recognised as a key solution for meeting the UK’s short- and long-term energy demands.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Civil Engineering

Manufacturing of Advanced Non-Metallic Pipes for the Oil and Gas Industry

The University of Manchester

About the Project Pipelines, traditionally constructed from steel, form the backbone of the oil and gas industry, facilitating crucial transportation in both onshore and offshore operations. Recent advancements in manufacturability and the distinctive properties of composites, notably carbon fibre composites, have propelled them into the spotlight as a compelling alternative.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Mechano-Chemical Activation of Incinerator Bottom Ash for Use as a Cement Substitute

The University of Manchester

About the Project Incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) generates approximately 3 million tonnes of incinerator bottom ash (IBA) each year in the UK. Around 80 wt.% of the residue is IBA, with coarse fractions (> 4 mm) reused in road and concrete applications, while finer fractions (< 4 mm) are largely landfilled due to contamination and low pozzolanic reactivity.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Modelling Ephemeral and Terminal Gully Erosion on Cut-slopes and Embankments for Climate Resilient Linear Transport Infrastructure.

University of Birmingham

About the Project Roads and railways are the most important types of infrastructure in any country. The construction of roads and railways involve cutting and filling of slopes, hence reshaping of the natural ground. This alters hydrological systems and the stress regimes within slopes which in combination with exposure to climate change scenarios lead to changes in failure mechanisms of the cuts and fills (embankments).

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Modelling slope stability

Kingston University

About the Project Climate change predictions for the British Isles generally indicate that there will be higher winter rainfall in future, but with more frequent high intensity rainfall events at any time of year. Seasonally higher rainfall might be expected to elevate water tables sufficiently to trigger – or reactivate – deep-seated landslides, and high intensity rainfall events have triggered numerous shallow landslides, some with highly damaging impacts, in recent years.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Numerical Investigation and Uncertainty Quantification of Composite Flexible Risers

The University of Manchester

About the Project Pipelines, traditionally constructed from steel, form the backbone of the oil and gas industry, facilitating crucial transportation in both onshore and offshore operations. Recent advancements in manufacturability and the distinctive properties of composites, notably carbon fibre composites, have propelled them into the spotlight as a compelling alternative. Offshore pipes are primarily classified into two types; risers and generic tubulars.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Numerical Modelling of Floating Offshore Wind Moorings in Variable Seabed Conditions

Durham University

About the Project This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience; a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The successful applicant will undertake six-month of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at Durham University.

Location
Durham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Civil Engineering

Numerical modelling of sediment transport and erosion processes

Edinburgh Napier University

About the Project Coastal erosion is one of the key impacts of changing sea-levels as a result of climate change and presents a significant threat to large populations around the world. Erosion is also a key factor to understand river dynamics, landscape change, etc. Within civil/structural engineering, soil erosion plays a significant role in the stability of large dams and embankments (e.g.

Location
Edinburgh, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

PhD Studentship in Advanced Construction Materials: Investigation and Mitigation of Micro-defects in 3D-Printed Concrete

University of Birmingham

About the Project The emergence of 3D concrete printing (3DCP) is reshaping the future of construction, offering unprecedented design freedom, material efficiency, and automation. Unlike conventional concrete casting—where material is poured in bulk—3DCP constructs elements layer by layer via extrusion, introducing unique challenges related to interfacial bonding and structural performance.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

Physics-Informed Machine Learning for Corrosion Prediction

University of Birmingham

About the Project The global infrastructure landscape is dominated by ageing assets, many of which were not designed with today’s loading and environmental challenges in mind. Extending the service life of existing structures has become a vital strategy for minimising the environmental and economic costs associated with demolition and new construction.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

Pipeline decommissioning: quantifying the risks to the commercial fishing industry

University of Aberdeen

About the Project These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying. Over 44,000 km of subsea pipelines have been installed in the North Sea to support oil and gas extraction, many of whichoccur within important commercial fishing grounds.

Location
Aberdeen, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Seabed response to mooring lines for floating offshore wind

University of Sheffield

About the Project This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience; a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The successful applicant will undertake six months of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at the University of Sheffield.

Location
Sheffield, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

Self Sensing reinforced concrete structural elements

University of Bradford

About the Project Self-sensing concrete has recently attracted major research attention and significant commercial interests, aiming to produce smart infrastructures with elegantly integrated health monitoring abilities. The self-sensing concrete is achieved through the addition of fillers (e.g.

Location
Bradford, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Structural Energy Storage in Clay-Based Soils

Imperial College London

About the Project Structural energy storage is an emerging field with the potential to transform sustainable infrastructure in which materials are designed to simultaneously perform mechanical and energy storage functions. While early research has focused on composites and cementitious systems, this PhD project will investigate a largely unexplored alternative: natural clay soils enhanced with conductive and electrochemically active phases.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

The vulnerability and sustainability approaches to assess and maintain the structural integrity of pipes buried in shrink-swell soils

University of Birmingham

About the Project Shrink-swell (expansive) soils are probably the most challenging soils globally. They pose several challenges to the infrastructure and built environment in general. Millions of kilometres of pipelines for transport of water, gas, electricity, and oil are buried in these soils. This means that these pipes are subjected to seasonal instability associated with seasonal behaviour of expansive soils, which change volume with changes in moisture content.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

The vulnerability and sustainability approaches to assess and maintain the structural integrity of pipes buried in shrink-swell soils

University of Birmingham

About the Project Shrink-swell (expansive) soils are probably the most challenging soils globally. They pose several challenges to the infrastructure and built environment in general. Millions of kilometres of pipelines for transport of water, gas, electricity, and oil are buried in these soils. This means that these pipes are subjected to seasonal instability associated with seasonal behaviour of expansive soils, which change volume with changes in moisture content.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Unravelling the chemo-mechanical degradation of concrete

Imperial College London

About the Project Why? Concrete, an artificial rock, is the most abundant material humankind has ever created. With approximately 30 billion metric tonnes used each year, it plays a critical role in our infrastructure. Despite concrete’s numerous advantages for various purposes, there are issues related to its use, particularly the massive carbon footprint caused by cement production and difficulty guaranteeing the long-term durability of concrete structures.

Location
London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Civil Engineering

Vulnerability assessment framework to optimise maintenance of rural unpaved roads in developing countries

University of Birmingham

About the Project Rural unpaved roads serve millions of communities around the world. These roads are estimated to represent more than 70% of the global road network and more than 90% in some regions and countries. They are undoubtedly the backbone of social and economic development in LICs, with difficulties to access education, health and economic services where these roads are unavailable or in poor conditions.

Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Civil Engineering

Waste Utilisation for Sustainable Resource Recovery and Carbon Capture

The University of Manchester

About the Project This project will involve the development of a novel approach that combines waste utilization and carbon capture technologies to address pressing environmental concerns and promote sustainable resource management. By examining various waste streams from different sources, the potential for extracting valuable cementitious materials from waste sources will be identified.

Location
Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Deadline
Year-round applications
Funding
Self-Funded PhD Students Only