University College London
| Qualification type: | PhD |
| Location: | London |
| Funding for: | UK Students, EU Students |
| Funding amount: | Not specified |
| Hours: | Full Time |
| Placed on: | 19th December 2014 |
| Closes: | 30th January 2015 |
One PhD Studentship in Modelling the Global Natural Gas Resource
The UCL Institute of Sustainable Resources invites applications for a fully funded (UK/EU fees plus stipend) 4-year PhD studentship funded through the ESRC’s DTC (Doctoral Training Centre) at UCL, for entry in the 2015 academic year (September 2015). The PhD is part of the work programme of Phase 3 of the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), as part of its Resources and Vectors Theme, funded by the Research Council’s Energy Programme, although this PhD is being separately funded by ESRC. The PhD will be carried out in the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources (UCL ISR), and will be supervised by two UCL ISR staff members, Prof Paul Ekins and Dr Christophe McGlade
Specific goals for this PhD studentship
An analogous oil-field model, which includes around 7000 oil fields globally, and which generates projections of oil prices under different scenarios, was developed as part of a UKERC phase II PhD, and is generating a number of novel insights (McGlade & Ekins, 2014).
This model incorporates the major economic factors (such as production costs, investment rates, the oil price, and elastic response to changes in price) and geological factors (such as decline rates and potential capacity additions) affecting oil production. It models the behaviour of oil production companies choosing to develop projects on the basis of required global demand and each project’s net present value. The model iteratively increases the oil price in each year to ensure there is sufficient new capacity coming on-line from new projects with positive net present value to satisfy demand levels provided by TIAM-UCL.
We anticipate that the model proposed for this PhD will follow a similar structure, however the first goal of the PhD will be to determine whether this is actually the case. If it is, this project will be able to draw on some of the insights and code developed for that model. However, there are a number of features unique to gas markets that the PhD will need to address and establish how to model. A particular difference with this PhD will be the need for the student to generate their own new dataset of all gas field reserve and production data. Examples of other factors that the student will need to take into account in the model include:
(i) the high percentage of gas coming from fields associated with oil;
(ii) transport capacity constraints (by pipeline and as Liquefied Natural Gas);
(iii) long-term contracts between producing and consuming nations (the prices of which are often indexed to oil); and
(iv) uncertainty in the costs of unconventional gas production (especially outside North America).
Factors such as geopolitical events and varying degrees of decarbonisation effort will be modelled using different scenarios. These will likely be developed in consultation with other members of UCL and the UKERC research community (see below).
Why this is an independent PhD project
As mentioned above, the project will draw on a number of the insights and findings of the wider UKERC research portfolio. However, the model development including data collection, and how to implement constraints and attributes, such as long-term gas contracts and upstream fiscal policies, will be undertaken by the candidate themselves. The finished model will be an entirely innovative, novel, and standalone project capable of addressing a number of research questions that no model is currently in a position to answer.
The four-year ESRC-EPSRC studentship includes an annual stipend for full-time students of £14,180 and an additional £2,000 London Allowance. In addition, the studentship will pay for all tuition fees. The UCL ESRC Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) has central fund to cover research related expenses, fieldwork, collaborations and overseas institutional visits. The stipend is tax free (conditions apply).
The studentships are only available to eligible candidates. These are UK or EU nationals who have been living in the UK for the past 3 years (see Annex I of the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide for accredited Doctoral Training Centres at http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/postgraduates/dtc/dtc-guidance/index.aspx for full details).
Students should have a UK bachelor's degree in a relevant subject or a closely related discipline, awarded with first-class or upper second-class (2:1) honours, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard from a recognised higher education institute. The studentship will demand high-level modelling skills. For those applicants with a first or 2:1 in their first degree, possession of a master's degree in mathematics, physics, computer science, economics, engineering, or operations research is highly desirable. Candidates without a master's degree may be admitted in exceptional cases where suitable research experience can be demonstrated. An interest in global energy issues is also desirable.
Application Procedure
In Stage 1, you are required to submit a 2-page CV, and a personal statement of up to 2 pages detailing why you wish to undertake this PhD and why you think you are suited for it.
All Stage 1 applications should be emailed to Mae Oroszlany, UCL Energy Institute’s PhD Programme Administrator: email; e.oroszlany<στο>ucl.ac.uk, tel; +44 (0)20 3108 5941
Informal enquiries on the content of the studentship research topic can be made to Prof Paul Ekins(p.ekins<στο>ucl.ac.uk).
The closing date for the receipt of completed Stage 1 applications is 1600 on January 30th 2015. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview, which will take place on Friday 13th February 2015.
Stage 2. The successful candidate will be invited to make a formal application to the UCL PhD programme.
Sustainable Use of Resources & the Environment (SURE) - Doctoral Training Programme
A ‘Sustainability Gap’ PhD in the UCL Institute For Sustainable Resources (ISR)
Description
UCL ISR is offering a fully funded three-year PhD in the area of the ‘Sustainability Gap’ (SGAP)indicator methodology, developed by Paul Ekins and described in the following papers:
The purpose of the PhD is to develop the first full SGAP indicators for the UK, and then for the EU and/or a number of other countries as time allows. The need for such an indicator is pressing, since a number of recent papers discuss e.g. “planetary boundaries”, “comprehensive wealth” or maintain an emphasis on “ecological footprints”, and seek to give guidance for green economy pathways for countries and the international community. However, current emerging or existing environmental indicators do not yet adequately address the challenge of showing systematically progress or otherwise across the whole range of environmental and resource issues, and summarising this information into a single indicator, that can be used in policy making by national governments. This task requires the systematic and science-based approach that can now be provided by the SURE Doctoral Training Programme at UCL.
Required expertise and first degrees
This PhD would be suitable for a student with a passionate interest in environmental sustainability and policy, who could have a range of disciplinary backgrounds. Any post-graduate degree in aspects of sustainable development or sustainability science would be suitable, and this could build on practically any degree in the physical, natural or social sciences. The student would need to have developed skills in data manipulation as the calculation of the SGAP will require extensive working with large datasets.
The SGAP student to be appointed will be able to draw on the first year of work of a number of other SURE CDT students, who focused on the SGAP methodology for their particular resource in the first year of their PhD research at UCL, from 2013-14. These other students have also indicated their ongoing support for the derivation of the full SGAP indicator as envisaged in this PhD. The students and their resource topics are listed below.
Each of these existing students has two elements to their PhDs:
- Application of the SGAP methodology to their resource/environmental issue for the UK over 1980-2010 (or most recent data), so that these PhD elements may be combined into an index that shows the overall SGAP for the UK.
- Application of the same approach to sustainability, in respect of the same resource, to some other empirical issue.
In the event the students were not able to their first year to complete the application of the SGAP methodology and have now moved on to a broader consideration of the sustainable use of their chosen resource. But they made good progress and their work provides a good basis on which this PhD can build.
Supervision
UCL ISR has been created as a cross-disciplinary institute and as such works with departments across UCL. The supervisors of this PhD will be Prof. Paul Ekins and Will McDowall, a Lecturer in UCL ISR. The new student will join a strong group of sustainability-focused PhD students, as described in more detail below.
Studentship details:
- Studentships available for one 3 year studentships
- Funding Body: UCL ISR
- Supervisors: Professor Paul Ekins & Professor Raimund Bleischwitz
- Start Date: September 2015
- Funding: Stipend (£15,863 per year) + research budget (£1,000 per year plus access to additional funding for field work)
Eligibility:
Desirable: A Master's degree in economics, preferably also specialisms and experience in macroeconomics + economic modelling.
International experience, with focus on eco-innovation + G20 countries.
Essential: Students should also have a UK bachelor's degree in economics, awarded with first-class or upper second-class (2:1) honours, OR an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.
How to apply:
Informal enquiries on the content of the studentship research topic can be made to Prof Paul Ekins (p.ekins<στο>ucl.ac.uk).
Applicants should email the following to Mae Oroszlany, UCL Energy Institute’s PhD Programme Administrator: email; e.oroszlany<στο>ucl.ac.uk , tel; +44 (0)20 3108 5941
- Cover letter (addressed to Professor Paul Ekins, UCL ISR) of a maximum one page in length, demonstrating how and why you think you are suitable for this studentship
- One-page CV
- Names and contact details of 2 referees (one of which must be from an academic)
- Certificates and transcripts of results for academic qualifications
Please do not apply formally to UCL at this stage.
The closing date for the receipt of completed applications is 1600 on January 30th 2015. Short-listed applicants will be interviewed in person or via Skype videoconference, date tbc. Successful applicants will then go on to develop a research proposal and apply formally to UCL.
