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Fully Funded PhD Opportunity
We have a fully funded PhD position to study climate change and heat across school environments. This PhD is interdisciplinary and mixed methods with an entry date of September 2026.
This project is supported by the University of Manchester’s prestigious President’s Doctoral Scholar Award that provides:
- Full tuition fee award for 3.5 4 years (full-time or part-time)
- Annual maintenance stipend at the UKRI rate (拢21,805 per year)
- 拢1000 additional stipend enhancement
- Become part of a network of presidential scholars benefitting from a bespoke suite of training activities.
Full information here:
Application deadline March 18th 2026
娇色导航
This interdisciplinary PhD project will examine how climate change鈥揹riven heat exposure poses a growing societal challenge for human health, educational equity, and productivity, with a specific focus on schools. Rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves across Europe already result in significant excess mortality and hospitalisation. Children in schools are particularly vulnerable: they have limited agency to alter their environments, lower body mass increases susceptibility to heat-related illness, and even moderate increases in temperature can cause discomfort, impair concentration, and reduce learning potential.
The PhD will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to investigate these challenges. Using quantitative climate and infrastructure data, the project will map school exposure to extreme temperatures and identify those most at risk. This will be complemented by analysis of how sustainability and climate issues are addressed within educational policy and curriculum frameworks, drawing on international and decolonial perspectives. The research will also develop an integrative framework linking environmental sustainability, nature relatedness and wellbeing in educational settings.
The successful candidate will be based at the Manchester Institute of Education, a highly interdisciplinary department with strengths in education, psychology and applied social research. Applicants with backgrounds in education, psychology, social science, geography, or environmental studies and an interest in climate-related societal challenges, are encouraged to apply.
The student will be supervised by Sarah MacQuarrie (expertise in teacher wellbeing, nature-relatedness, and school interventions) alongside Ben Parkes and Marcellus Mbah who provide expertise in climate data, environmental sustainability and curriculum research.
Application deadline March 18th 2026