Postgraduate research opportunities Developing a mixed methods approach to support the dual ambition of delivering the low carbon heat transition and eradication of fuel poverty in Scotland

This timely PhD, funded by the Centre for Energy Policy, Energy Action Scotland and the Energy Technology Partnership, will develop insights on economically, politically, and socially feasible pathways to delivering the Scottish Government’s heat decarbonisation and fuel poverty eradication goals. Meeting these goals requires policies informed by improved understanding of how specific actions – including on pricing, fiscal interventions and/or energy supplier activity on heat networks and energy efficiency - may lower energy bills for fuel poor customers. This innovative endeavour co-supervised by the Universities of Strathclyde and Edinburgh and in collaboration with Energy Action Scotland will strengthen understanding to inform government, industry and regulatory decision-making, drawing on lived experiences of people experiencing fuel poverty.

The PhD project will be guided by three fundamental objectives:

1. To improve understanding of the current energy policy landscape in relation to heat decarbonisation and fuel poverty in Scotland in particular, and relative to the UK (including reserved competencies).
2. To develop a mixed method approach capable of interrogating the impacts range of policy, industry and regulatory interventions on heat decarbonisation and fuel poverty goals, involving both applied economic analysis (including economy-wide scenario analyses) and a case study approach based on cross-country learnings from a ‘lived experience’ perspective.
3. To contribute to framing, identifying and building consensus amongst policy, industry, regulatory and third sector actors around policy pathways to a low carbon heat transition characterised by greater equity and substantial reductions in fuel poverty.

Further information

We're interested to support the development of a range of methodological approaches, including computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling involving applied scenario development, systematic review of existing evidence, system dynamics and other energy systems modelling approaches, and/or analysis that supports wider public policy decision making through an understanding of the political economy.

This is an opportunity to join a growing team of researchers, academics and knowledge exchange professionals at the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Energy Policy (CEP). CEP was part of the School of Government and Public Policy’s submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which Times Higher Education has ranked as number 1 across the UK in the Politics and International Studies Unit of Assessment.

Virtually all of the School’s research outputs were rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ and 100% of the impact of this research, which included a CEP impact case study, was rated as outstanding (4*). At CEP, the students will have access to a team of researchers working across the Net Zero space and would benefit from interaction with them, as well as access to personal development training fund which is provided centrally from the University. These funds could support, for example, attendance at conferences and participation in relevant training.

Successful candidates will undertake a PhD project where there is clear potential to realise socioeconomic (improving access to affordable energy and in turn people’s wellbeing) and environmental (reducing demand for energy through energy efficiency, low-carbon heating solutions) impact.