Lead supervisor: Dr Paul Hudson Co-supervisors: Dr Felicia Liu (University of York Department of Environment and Geography) The student will be registered with the Department of Environment and Geography
British coastal erosion is accelerating in the face of climate change, with detrimental impacts on ecosystems, as well as surrounding communities. Coastal erosion management costs are also rapidly growing, for example in England expenditure increased by 37% over 2018-2021. Financing coastal resilience in the face of compound problems of climate change and environmental loss calls for ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable solutions. Using the East Riding of Yorkshire as a case study area, the proposed PhD project seeks to explore how Coastal Adaptation Funds can support long-term coastal resilience for both ecosystems and people from interdisciplinary angles. This is especially relevant as the East Riding of Yorkshire has one of highest erosion rates in England. The project seeks to achieve has the following research goals, each goal corresponds with a peer-reviewed academic article submission to aid the career development of the student: (1) To establish a typology of coastal adaptation funds, identifying of parameters of activities, funding sources, financing mechanisms, and governance structure. Learnings of this typology will be applied assessing the suitability of different adaptation fund. models to the East Riding case study, while also considering their applicability to diverse coastal ecosystems and governance institutions. (2) To investigate the type of nature-based solution, ecosystem services, and natural capital such a fund could support, and to what tangible environmental impacts (3) To establish a comprehensive methodological framework in tracking and tracing socio-economic, and ecological outcomes for coastal adaptation. This project bears direct relevance to existing national government policy initiatives in developing coastal resilience solutions, such as the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, by identifying blended public-private, scalable, and equitable solutions to extend and sustain coastal natural capital and ecosystems. The findings of this project also contribute to the national biodiversity net gain programme commencing in late 2023, and wider debates on nature recovery and sustainable finance. In embarking on this PhD, you will join a supportive department, and develop academic and policy skills that will set you up for a successful career in research, higher education, and beyond. Potentially interested candidates are welcome to contact Paul Hudson or Felicia Liu paul.hudson@york.ac.uk or felicia.liu@york.ac.uk.
Various support and guidance on applying for an ACCE DTP studentship, including how to apply; what we’re looking for (including our assessment rubric); details of financial support, training, and placement opportunities available; and details of our recruitment process, can be found at accedtp.ac.uk.
Entry Requirements: Students with, or expecting to gain, at least an upper second class honours degree, or equivalent, are invited to apply. The interdisciplinary nature of this programme means that we welcome applications from students with backgrounds in any biological, chemical, and/or physical science, or students with mathematical backgrounds who are interested in using their skills in addressing biological, ecological or
evolutionary questions.
Programme: PhD in Environmental Geography (4 years full time or 8 years part time)
Start Date: 1st October 2024 (the student will be registered with the Department of Environment and Geography)
