Start Date: October 2015.

Supervisor: Dr Konstantinos Chalvatzis, k.chalvatzis<στο>uea.ac.uk.

Project:

The sustainability of energy supply is an issue of increasing importance globally. Import dependence on countries with unstable political regimes and ambitious carbon reduction targets threaten energy supply. The quantitative literature on energy security is based on evaluations that use indices for energy diversity and dependence which present a number of limitations in explaining whole system dynamics and their interrelation with the environment and economy.

The emergence of securitisation in the energy sector happened in parallel to the popularisation of ecological information-based theory. Only recently there have been attempts to use ecological information theory to understand global socio-economic issues.

In this interdisciplinary research project, the PhD candidate will develop and evaluate a new paradigm for energy security based on bio-mimicry; a new example for innovation that promotes learning from natural ecosystems and applying the results to human ecosystems. The selected approach will be to optimise security alongside the objectives for emissions reduction and economic development. Methodologically, the ecological information-based approach has its foundations on network theory and the utilisation of large-scale time-series and matrix data that are used to assess and optimise the robustness of flow networks such as those used to supply electricity, primary energy fuels and other resources. Datasets for this project are publicly available from the International Energy Agency; European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and UN Comtrade Database.

It is expected that the results will be of immediate interest to policy makers (e.g. DECC; DG Energy; DG Environment; DG Clima; and DG Innovation and Industry) with whom the supervisors are already in communication. For businesses the methodology opens a completely new strand of analytics for robustness appraisal in supply chain systems including but not limited to energy.

Entry Requirements:

First Degree: Minimum 2.1 in Business (with a quantitative focus), Economics, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Geography.

Masters: Master’s qualification (with dissertation) on a subject that involves energy studies and data analytics.

Funding:
The Studentship covers tuition fees (UK/EU rates), a tax-free maintenance grant (currently £13,863 per year), and a research training support grant.

International students are welcome to apply but must be able to pay the difference between UK/EU fees and international fees.

Further information:

If you would like to discuss the application process prior to making your application, please contact the Postgraduate Research Office:

• Email pgr.enquiries.admiss<στο>uea.ac.uk
• Tel +44 (0)1603 591709