Postgraduate research & PhD opportunities
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Take a look at our postgraduate research and PhD opportunities we have on offer at the University of Strathclyde.
Advanced BioMaterials for Construction and Civil Engineering
Opens:6 September 2017
This PhD will explore how bacterially generated materials can be modified by incorporation of polymers and nanoparticles to enhance their mechanical properties. In this way, bacterially generated materials could be modified for specific tasks, such as earthquake and weather resistance.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UK, International, The Channels Islands and Isle of ManSubject
Civil and environmental engineering, Mechanical and aerospace engineering, Chemistry, Pharmacy and biomedical sciencesMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
bio-deterioration of concrete and conservation of architectural heritage
Opens:18 October 2017
Bio-deterioration of concrete strongly affects much of our built heritage and is particularly notable in wet territories like the UK or South East Asia. How to effectively solve bio-deterioration of concrete sculptures and buildings is an environmental, societal and scientific challenge.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UK, The Channels Islands and Isle of ManSubject
Civil and environmental engineering, ChemistryMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Engineering vegetation to stabilise slopes at the catchment scale
Opens:12 October 2017
The project focuses on laboratory and field investigation of the effects of root architecture on evapotranspiration processes and hydraulic conductivity of the rhizosphere. This is aimed at designing remedial measures to prevent diffuse shallow landsliding.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UKSubject
Civil and environmental engineeringMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Robotic monitoring and maintenance of civil infrastructure
Opens:12 October 2017
This PhD will practically explore how robotically applied sensors, repairs and smart materials can be used to enhance the integrity and safety of civil infrastructure.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UKSubject
Civil and environmental engineeringMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Health effects of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants
Opens:19 December 2017
This PhD project will assess the effects of air pollutant exposure on the efficacy of medical treatments for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, in collaboration with and the NHS in Scotland and Ricardo Energy & Environment.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UK, The Channels Islands and Isle of ManSubject
Civil and environmental engineeringMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Home fee, StipendApatite Biomineralization Technologies for Waste Treatment
Opens:2 May 2018
There is growing research interest in exploiting biologically-mediated mineral precipitation to develop new methods for nuclear waste treatment. This PhD project will investigate using bacterial apatites to remove radionuclides, such as 3H and 36Cl from gaseous and aqueous waste streams.
Fee status
Subject
Civil and environmental engineeringMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Home fee, StipendAssessing the value of data for engineering seismology
Opens:6 August 2018
The aim of this project is to develop a practical approach to estimate the economic value of data used within engineering seismology, i.e. the assessment of the earthquake loading that a structure or infrastructure may be subjected to during its lifetime.
Fee status
Subject
Civil and environmental engineeringMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Understanding Hydrate Formation in Porous Rock for Enhanced Geothermal Systems Applications
Deadline:8 February 2021 Opens:9 March 2020
Many naturally occurring heat sources are accessed using EGS technology, one of the challenges in this technology is mineral precipitation. This project aims to understand how the precipitation (nucleation) of these minerals occurs in different rock types.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UK, The Channels Islands and Isle of ManSubject
Civil and environmental engineeringMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Home fee, StipendDeveloping an integrated geothermal resource risk assessment toolkit
Deadline:31 January 2021 Opens:26 October 2020
Geothermal energy represents a real and exciting opportunity to decarbonise the heat sector. This PhD project will investigate existing, and develop new methodologies to optimise exploration and de-risk development of deep hot sedimentary aquifers.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UK, International, The Channels Islands and Isle of ManSubject
Civil and environmental engineeringMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Home fee, StipendCarbon geological storage: understanding micro-mechanisms of CO2 capillary breakthrough and localized pathways to assess caprock CO2 leakage hazard
Deadline:15 February 2021 Opens:30 October 2020
This PhD studentship will focus on conducting a micro-scale experimental investigations of crack initiation in clays, to characterize the cracking micro-mechanism occurring when exposed to CO2. The PhD student will be involved in the activities of the International Research Centre for Clay Micromechanics.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UK, International, The Channels Islands and Isle of ManSubject
Civil and environmental engineering, Chemical and process engineering, Chemistry, PhysicsMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Home fee, StipendAssessment of long and short term thermal energy storage in flooded coal mines
Deadline:15 February 2021 Opens:30 October 2020
Thermal energy storage in flooded mines represents an exciting opportunity to decarbonise the heating and cooling sector. This PhD project will investigate feasibility of long (e.g. seasonal) and short (e.g. diurnal) term thermal storage in a single shaft system. It will be in partnership with the Coal Authority.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UK, International, The Channels Islands and Isle of ManSubject
Civil and environmental engineering, Mechanical and aerospace engineering, Chemical and process engineering, PhysicsMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Home fee, StipendUnderstanding Hydrate Formation in Porous Rock for Enhanced Geothermal Systems Applications
Deadline:15 February 2021 Opens:30 October 2020
One of the challenges in enhanced geothermal system (EGS) technology is mineral precipitation, e.g. formation of carbonates or low solubility sulfates, that can block pores and hence hinder extraction. This project aims to understand how the precipitation (nucleation) of these minerals occurs in different rock types.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UK, International, The Channels Islands and Isle of ManSubject
Civil and environmental engineering, Chemical and process engineering, Chemistry, PhysicsMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Home fee, StipendUnderstanding and reducing bias in fracture data collection for improved geoenergy development
Deadline:15 February 2021 Opens:30 October 2020
This exciting PhD project will explore how cognitive and physical bias in fracture data collection (at different scales of enquiry) affect fracture presentation in geological models and, critically, how these uncertainties influence model outcomes for geoenergy and engineering applications.
Fee status
Home (Scottish), EU, Rest of UK, International, The Channels Islands and Isle of ManSubject
Civil and environmental engineering, Chemistry, Mathematics and statistics, Physics, PsychologyMode of Study
Full TimeFunding
Home fee, StipendIndustry-linked PhD Studentship: Developing novel ways to integrate geophysical and geotechnical data for automated ground modelling of offshore wind farms
Deadline:31 January 2021 Opens:9 November 2020
This joint university/industry PhD is aimed at advancing the state-of-the-art in automated ground modelling of offshore wind farms. The project seeks to develop a rigorous, statistical framework to automatically combine geophysical & geotechnical data to improve the quality of the ground model for an offshore windfarm.