Lloyd s Register Foundation International Water Security Network funded PhD Studentship on Human Dimensions of Urban Water Security

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1 Further Particulars Lloyd s Register Foundation International Water Security Network funded PhD Studentship on Human Dimensions of Urban Water Security Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of the West of England, Bristol Lloyd s Register Foundation, a UK registered charity and sole shareholder of Lloyd s Register Group Ltd, invests in science, engineering and technology for public benefit, worldwide. Following the award of a number of PhD Studentships as part of a Lloyd s Register Foundation funded project, the University of the West of England, Bristol invites applications for 1 or more doctoral studentships commencing in October Possible topics for studentships that would fit within the broader network are discussed in greater detail below. These studentships will play an important part of an interdisciplinary research project involving 3 partner universities in the UK, the USA and the Republic of South Africa. The student will be expected to play a significant role in interacting with the wider project and contributing to the overall programme of work, particularly with respect to informing the knowledge exchange elements. Outline of wider project This project is founded on the realisation that technical fixes (e.g. desalination) alone cannot deliver enhanced water security. Experience around the world has shown that there has been insufficient attention to the changing nature of governance over increasingly scarce water resources, and in particular the potential contributions of more democratic governance to improved water security. Therefore the central purpose of this five-year project is to explore emergent water security complexes at local, regional and global scales in four broadly conceived world regions: Europe, Asia, sub-saharan Africa and the Americas. These regions have both unique and common water security challenges and there is therefore much to be learned from a shared collaborative research programme. Moreover the consortium partners bring pre-existing nodes of acknowledged expertise together into something new and innovative: a cross-national, cross-disciplinary global consortium involving: 1. Bristol Group for Water Research (BGWR), University of the West of England, Bristol, UK (BGWR, Project Lead) 2. AQUASEC Center of Excellence for Water Security, Tucson, Arizona 3. Monash University South Africa, Ruimsig, South Africa A sustained programme of basic and applied research conducted by these key water research centres and coordinated by the BGWR will yield a wealth of case studies of water governance challenges and innovations from around the world. Simultaneously we will undertake to train future scholars, specialists and practitioners in the area of water management for sustainability and security, particularly at Masters and PhD levels, through a Lloyd s Register Foundation Postgraduate Scholarships Programme. We also anticipate the development of some socio-legal and technical innovations, particularly in the areas of social media, legal innovations and the development of practitioner-facing toolkits for enhancing water security. Structuring the project

2 with two broad cross-cutting themes, risks and vulnerabilities and adaptive capacity means that there will be considerable interoperability within and across the work packages managed by different partners. Several lasting legacies will be created including: a cadre of specialists in different aspects of water security with training at postgraduate level and, where appropriate, direct experience of public, private and third sector water services and management organisations an international, publically available, dataset describing best practice, innovations and key challenges across the main and cross-cutting themes rich cases studies of urban regions, especially port cities, of particular interest to public and private organisations with vested interests in water security and also in insuring against water security-related loss In the course of this project we will deliver more than 2000 days of academic time, 7 PhD studentships, 14 MSc studentships, 15 years equivalent in postdoctoral research associate time across the 3 consortium member institutions. These themes will be pursued collaboratively and results disseminated through scholarly, industry-facing and public communication channels. Through this project Lloyd s Register Foundation International Water Security Network will become an acknowledged world leader in policy and practice for water security. Aims and Objectives Whatever specific subject is agreed, the research must incorporate attention to significant policy dimensions and be orientated towards providing a clear public benefit through research. We also encourage students to approach their subject from the general perspective of studies of the socionatural and/or critical political ecologies of water. We anticipate that a student from one of several disciplinary backgrounds including human geography, sociology, psychology, economics, law or civil engineering would be suited to the posts and bring useful conceptual viewpoints to the research. Proposed Methodology We anticipate that a range of methodological approaches may be relevant and we will work with the successful applicant to identify suitable approaches based on their skills. Possible methods include the use of questionnaire surveys, case study methods and analysis of documentary evidence to identify, audit and evaluate the extent to which current behaviour change policies attempt to either provoke or opportunistically use disruption (as opposed to, for example, incentivisation) as a key element of their implementation. These methods are already used extensively by the host research centre, allowing for the provision of suitable support for the student. Plans for Dissemination The principal outcome will be a completed PhD thesis. Research results will be further disseminated to academic, practitioner and public audiences throughout the PhD via conference and workshop presentations and publications in academic journal articles and grey literature at key points. Findings will also be shared internally with the project team to inform the other elements of the project, and the student will be expected to contribute to a number of the project s stakeholder workshops.

3 University of the West of England, Bristol The studentship will be based in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, UWE. UWE more than doubled research funding from HEFCE as a result of the Research Assessment Exercise in 2008, one of the largest increases in the country. Geography and Environmental Management made a significant contribution to this achievement with over 70% of research being deemed of international or national importance. The successful applicant would be a member of the postgraduate community within the Faculty of Environment and Technology and be based in the Bristol Group for Water Research. Bristol Group for Water Research Managing increasingly scarce water resources is one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. Now more than ever it is vitally important that applied research on technical water issues needs to link up with "blue skies thinking" so that new solutions can be found. The BGWR is centrally interested in making those linkages between water sector practitioners and theorists, between the growing water NGO community and academics, between local communities at risk of flood and/or drought and interdisciplinary specialists. The BGWR is perfectly placed to address these issues and is currently working the following sorts of research initiatives: water demand management: towards sustainable policy inshore and offshore fishing rights implementation of the Water Framework Directive Flood modelling, planning and mitigation The Water-energy nexus With respect to taught provision and knowledge exchange we offer: Foundation degrees in flood risk, civil engineering and water management Postgraduate diplomas, certificates and degrees in integrated catchment management, countryside conservation and management and civil engineering Short courses in water sector regulation, water quality management, local government responsibilities, etc. Further information about the BGWR can be found at The Studentships The award will cover university tuition fees for full time or part-time registration. For full-time students it will also provide the standard RCUK maintenance award of 13,760 per annum for three years. A limited travel budget has been allocated through the project for travel to workshops and other events; the student will also be able to apply for additional funds from the UWE Department of Geography and Environmental Management to attend conferences. Supervision and Training The supervisory team for the programme could consist of any of the following: Mr Thomas Appleby (area of expertise: water law) Dr Hazem Gouda (area of expertise: surface water engineering) Dr Enda Hayes (area of expertise: water-energy nexus)

4 Dr Chad Staddon (area of expertise: water as a socio-natural construct; water economics and policy) Dr Alan Terry (area of expertise: water resource management, food security and development in sub-saharan Africa) In Year 1, fortnightly supervisions will be held with one or more of the academic supervisors and joint termly meetings will be held with the all supervisors. In Years 2 and 3, meetings will be held at least monthly with individual supervisors and termly with the whole supervisory team. Students without a Master s degree with a strong research training component may be required to undertake training in basic research skills and will have opportunities to undertake additional training where necessary. Person Specification Essential skills, qualities and knowledge: A first class or upper second class honours degree in geography, sociology, economics, environmental science, transport studies or other relevant discipline. Candidates would normally be expected to hold a Master s degree in a relevant area by 1 September Knowledge of at least one of the following research areas: water economics and policy (especially demand management), surface water planning, pro-environmental behaviours, climate change policy especially as regards water. Ability to be self-motivated, well-organised, and to respond to constructive criticism. Willingness to take a full part in the UWE postgraduate community, and the research activities in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management and Institute for Sustainability, Health and Environment at UWE. Desirable skills, qualities and knowledge An interest in or understanding of theories on social practice and socio-technical systems and their application to environmental behaviour. Experience of working with, for or in the field of environmental regulation or water management. An understanding of the current discourses around behaviour change. Experience of primary data collection. An understanding of how to work with both quantitative and qualitative data. Ability to work critically with policy literature. Ability to collaborate with the researchers from a range of different disciplines. Experience of giving public talks. DEADLINE: MONDAY 26TH AUGUST 2013 Further Details about the Proposed Topic Areas: Topic 1:- determinants of water consumption behaviour in cities The water industry is rife with myths about the drivers of urban water demand, but through the establishment of the UWE Student Village Observatory (in conjunction with Bristol Water), we seek to challenge these myths with the accumulation of both observational and experimental data pertaining to both the drivers of water demand and effective measures for managing that demand. Through linkages to other projects students will be encouraged to see water

5 consumption in the Bristol Urban region in comparison with other urban regions around the world Topic 2: - managing water-energy relations (the water-energy nexus ) The water-energy nexus has been identified as a key area of importance in a world of increasing demand for both services, and increasing urbanization. This work topic intends to contribute to knowledge and understanding of how these interactions play out within different urban contexts. Urban environments will be assessed quantitatively and qualitatively to establish the role of the Nexus: their energy and water demands, carbon impact and current and potential actions to improve sustainability and security. This research will identify existing and future pressure and risk points over time, while developing recommendations for sustainable and secure management of water and energy in the future, taking account of long term climate challenges. Topic 3: legal foundations of near-inshore marine and estuarine environmental regulation Intertidal and inshore marine governance and coastal zone management with an emphasis on legal research skills particularly focussed on marine resource management and conservation. Topic 4: engineering cities for surface water management (water sensitive cities). Floods are part of nature; they can cause significant damage and destruction of infrastructure, property and may also loss of life. The UK and Europe has recently been subject to a rise in the number of reported flood disaster events. As climate change makes floods more frequent, public bodies, businesses, communities, families and individuals will all need to prepare to respond to the threat of floods. The issues to be investigated in this research area include the social, economic, environmental and technical. Topic 5: factors influencing water security in developing areas. Lack of access to water services is a key barrier to socio-economic development, especially for girls and women. We have identified four possible themes that are in urgent need of further study in order to aid policy makers, NGOs and communities in their quest to improve water security including: improving physical water resource security; improving water quality using appropriate costeffective technologies; new models of finance for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) infrastructure, including an evaluation of micro-finance initiatives; and related evaluating water governance, especially at the interface between community and formal agencies of water delivery.