Funded PhD - De Montfort University

IMPORTANT:  This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders.  Other applicants need not apply.

 

Background

The Sustainable Harborough Challenge is funded by the Big Lottery and will work with a range of local stakeholders and community groups towards addressing environmental challenges and achieving a more sustainable environment. The Challenge will work with these partners through a number of diverse local projects including a low carbon house, enhancing riverside biodiversity, production of locally grown food, and the setting up of locally owned enterprises such as community owned power schemes and a Food Hub.

A key feature of this project will be the ability to record and disseminate what works and what is less successful, both within Harborough and among similar community schemes more widely. Training material will also need to be generated such that the monitoring protocols can be replicated.

Objective

The development and implementation of a monitoring procedure, the analysis of the data collected from it and the generation of related training material will form the basis for an Action Based M.Phil / Phd study with the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD) at De Montfort University Leicester.

Start Date: October 1st 2013
Length of Opportunity: Three Years 
Salary: c. £10,000 plus fees

Benefits of this opportunity

The ability to evaluate how effective individual projects have been, e.g. in terms of their carbon reduction and other forms of social and economic capital, will provide a very challenging, and ‘hands on’, study for an individual with an interest in sustainable community development. The project will also provide the opportunity to contribute to an innovative evaluation methodology and acquire expertise in the generation and delivery of related training materials.

Future employment potential and options

The successful candidate will acquire research skills relating to sustainable development and evaluation; they will also work with a range of qualitative and quantitative data analysis tools. It is expected that the study will provide the candidate with the experience necessary for a range of potential research, sustainability and evaluation roles.

Output 1
A state of the town sustainability report

Output 2
A monitoring framework and set of evaluation reports for projects and sub-projects

Output 3
Training materials for the replication of the evaluation methodology

Output 4
Publish two peer reviewed academic papers and complete a successful PhD thesis.

Key Task 1
Pursue induction programme with IESD and Sustainable Harborough Challenge. Undertake background reading about monitoring and evaluation of community and sustainability projects and engage with the sub-projects under the Harborough Challenge.

Key Task 2
Collect baseline data (e.g. appropriate aspects of the town’s carbon profile) and develop a provisional monitoring framework (e.g. for carbon savings, social networks and economic activity).

Key Task 3
Produce an accessible tool-kit or other aid for similar projects to use for monitoring of sustainability projects (linked to the evaluation framework).
Key Task 4
Undertake evaluation of the project and sub-projects; evaluation of the monitoring framework and tool-kit.

For more information and details on how to apply, please visit the Change Agents UK website:

http://www.changeagents.org.uk/sustainability-jobs/