JUST: Justice-Based Sustainability Transformations

We are offering a fully funded PhD scholarship in the Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment for one Home fee rated candidate in 2026. This 3.5 year scholarship covers UK tuition fees plus a maintenance stipend matching UKRI (£20,780 in 2025/26) per year, subject to satisfactory progress. The position is available from 1st March, 2026.

<p>This PhD will explore and co-produce impact-facing research on Just Transitions in West Yorkshire using participatory research methods. The successful candidate will be embedded in a dynamic interdisciplinary team at the University of Leeds and will play a key role in designing and delivering research that is locally grounded, policy-relevant, and community-led.</p> <p>This PhD is affiliated to the <strong><a href="https://www.just.ac.uk/">JUST</a></strong> (Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations) Centre: a new multi-University consortium which brings together experts from five universities across the North of England, along with a range of impact partners including the Young Foundation to design and deliver place-based research and engagement activities to put justice at the heart of sustainability transformations.</p> <p>Situated within the West Yorkshire Place-Based Action Research Team, the successful candidate will work closely with a wide range of local stakeholders including community organisations, grassroots initiatives, local and regional policy makers, and the private sector to co-design and co-deliver Participatory Action Research (PAR) into how justice can be successfully embedded into low carbon transitions, climate change adaptation and green skills development.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.just.ac.uk/">Centre for Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations</a> (JUST) aims to generate innovative, place-based strategies that move communities towards fair and democratic low carbon futures. JUST will work with communities and organisations in the North of England to co-produce strategies which build on local strengths, centre local voices and priorities, and address vulnerabilities and injustices exacerbated by intersecting socio-economic and environmental factors. </p> <p>Situated within the West Yorkshire Place-Based Action Research Team, your role will be to undertake one or more local case studies in close collaboration with regional stakeholders. The thematic focus of this can be shaped by your own interests and experiences, contributing to any of the JUST Centre’s 6 strands of activity: </p> <ul> <li>Principles of Justice</li> <li>Governance, Policy and Change</li> <li>Methodological Innovation</li> <li>Built and Social Infrastructures</li> <li>Social and Solidarity Economies</li> <li>Democratic Innovations</li> </ul> <p><strong>Please specify in your application which strand(s) you are particularly interested in contributing to. </strong></p> <p>The successful applicant will have a strong interest in climate justice and inequality in the context of the United Kingdom. As community engagement is central to this research, we particularly encourage applications from candidates with strong existing networks with community organisations, businesses and policy makers across West Yorkshire, or strong experience in developing such connections.</p> <p>Applicants should have experience in/an aptitude for creative and engaging qualitative research methodologies such as Participatory Action Research (PAR), as well as an interest in interdisciplinary approaches to addressing complex and multifaceted challenges. PAR is a collaborative research approach that involves communities as co-researchers to address issues that matter to them. Methods may include interviews, workshops, participant observation, storytelling, mapping and creative practices like photovoice or theatre, all designed to generate actionable insights and drive social change. </p> <p>The interdisciplinary research team at Leeds also offers opportunities and support to engage in mixed methods research on just transitions, including engaging with communities to ‘ground-truth’ a newly developed quantitative neighbourhood mapping tool which draws upon large datasets to identify barriers and enablers of just transitions across people and places in the UK. These activities will support the integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches within the JUST centre, and the integration of community feedback into the development of the mapping tool. </p> <p>There is also scope and support available for the candidate to explore methodological questions such as the use of critical research methods to embed justice in academic research.</p> <p>The Leeds-based research team work closely with the other Universities in the Centre (University of Manchester, University of Liverpool etc) and there is an opportunity to network and work directly with them as part of you PhD programme. The core supervision team: <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see/staff/2625/dr-diana-ivanova">Dr. Diana Ivanova</a> and <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see/staff/1567/dr-harriet-thew">Dr. Harriet Thew</a> are based in the <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/sustainability-research-institute">Sustainability Research Institute</a> at the School of Earth and Environment where there are several dynamic research clusters you could engage with including groups focusing on <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/sustainability-research-institute/doc/social-political-dimensions-sustainability-1#:~:text=The%20Social%20and%20Political%20Dimensions,intertwined%2C%20and%20not%20always%20complementary...">Social and Political Dimensions of Sustainability</a> and <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/sustainability-research-institute/doc/energy-climate-change-mitigation-1">Energy and Climate Change Mitigation</a>.</p> <p>If you are interested in applying, please contact Dr Diana Ivanova (<a href="mailto:d.ivanova@leeds.ac.uk">d.ivanova@leeds.ac.uk</a>) and Dr Harriet Thew (<a href="mailto:H.Thew@leeds.ac.uk">H.Thew@leeds.ac.uk</a>) to arrange a time to have an informal discussion. </p> <p>Below are some examples of relevant publications from the project supervisors, the JUST team and other colleagues in the Sustainability Research Institute:</p> <ul> <li>Championing sustainable transformations in the North of England: University of Leeds <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/faculty/news/article/5841/championing-sustainable-transformations-in-the-north-of-england">press release</a> - JUST Centre, November 2024.</li> <li>Middlemiss L, Snell C, Morrison E, et al. Conceptualising socially inclusive environmental policy: a just transition to Net Zero. Social Policy and Society. 2023; 22 (4) :<a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-policy-and-society/article/conceptualising-socially-inclusive-environmental-policy-a-just-transition-to-net-zero/79A2CC32D129D07ACE4B5C29461C36C3">763-783</a>. </li> <li>Ivanova D, Middlemiss L. Characterizing the energy use of disabled people in the European Union towards inclusion in the energy transition. Nature Energy. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-021-00932-4">https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-021-00932-4</a></li> <li>Dyer J, Middlemiss L, and Thew H, 2021. Towards just and inclusive community sustainability initiatives: learning from the Mixed Ability movement. justice spatiale-spatial justice, (<a href="https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/177371/">16</a>).</li> <li>Nussey, C., Frediani, A.A., Lagi, R., Mazutti, J. and Nyerere, J., 2022. Building university capabilities to respond to climate change through participatory action research: towards a comparative analytical framework. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 23(1), pp.95-115.</li> </ul>

<p style="margin-bottom:11px">To apply for this project you will need to make a formal application for research degree study through the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees">University's website</a>. You will need to create a login ID with a username and PIN.</p> <ul> <li>For ‘Application type’ please select ‘Research Degrees – Research Postgraduate’.</li> <li>The admission year for this project is 2025/2026 Academic Year.</li> <li>You will need to select your ‘Planned Course of Study’ from a drop-down menu. For this project, scroll down and select PhD Earth and Environment Full-time’.</li> <li>The project start date for this project is 1 March 2026, please use this as your Proposed Start Date of Research.</li> <li><strong>Please state clearly in the research information section that the research degree you wish to be considered for is<em> JUST: Justice-Based Sustainability Transformations</em> as well as <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see/staff/2625/dr-diana-ivanova">Dr. Diana Ivanova</a> and <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see/staff/1567/dr-harriet-thew">Dr. Harriet Thew</a> as your proposed supervisor.</strong></li> <li><strong>You will be required to provide a personal statement which outlines your interest in the project you are applying for, why you have chosen it and how your skills map onto the requirements of the project. Please specify in your application which strand(s) you are particularly interested in contributing to. </strong></li> </ul> <p>More information on how to apply is available on our website <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees">here</a>.</p> <p>You will also need to provide the following documents:</p> <ul> <li>certificates and transcripts of any academic qualifications</li> <li>English language qualification certificates, if applicable</li> <li>a copy of your CV</li> <li>visa and immigration documents, if applicable</li> </ul> <p>If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University's minimum English language requirements (below).</p> <p><em>As an international research-intensive university, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. We foster an inclusive environment where all can flourish and prosper, and we are proud of our strong commitment to student education. Across all Faculties we are dedicated to diversifying our community and we welcome the unique contributions that individuals can bring, and particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to Black, Asian, people who belong to a minority ethnic community, people who identify as LGBT+ and people with disabilities. Applicants will always be selected based on merit and ability.</em></p>

The minimum entry requirements for PhD study is a 2.1 honours Bachelor degree, or equivalent, in a subject relating to your proposed area of research.<br /> <br /> Applicants who are uncertain about the requirements for a particular research degree are advised to contact the PGR Admissions Team prior to making an application.<br />

The minimum English language entry requirement for postgraduate research study in the School of Earth and Environment is an IELTS of 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking) or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid.

<p style="margin-bottom:11px"><strong>Information about the Award</strong></p> <ul> <li>We are offering 1 full-time PhD scholarship in the School of Earth and Environment for one Home fee rated candidate, covering a maintenance grant matching UKRI maintenance stipend (£20,780 in 2025/26) and UK tuition fees for 3.5 years, subject to satisfactory progress. </li> <li> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">If you are unsure whether you are eligible for UK fees/funding, please see our <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/undergraduate-fees/doc/fee-assessment">fee assessment page</a>.</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Duration of the Award</strong></p> <ul> <li>Full-time (3.5 years). The award will be made for one year in the first instance and renewable for a further period of up to two and a half years, subject to satisfactory academic progress.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Other Conditions</strong></p> <ul> <li>Applicants must not have already been awarded or be currently studying for a doctoral degree.</li> <li>Awards must be taken up by 1st March 2026.</li> <li>Applicants will be expected to be available for meetings and fieldwork in Leeds.</li> </ul>

<p>For further information please contact the Postgraduate Research Admissions Team by emailing <a href="mailto:ENV-PGR@leeds.ac.uk">ENV-PGR@leeds.ac.uk</a> or Dr Diana Ivanova (<a href="mailto:d.ivanova@leeds.ac.uk">d.ivanova@leeds.ac.uk</a>) and Harriet Thew (<a href="mailto:H.Thew@leeds.ac.uk">H.Thew@leeds.ac.uk</a>).</p>