STORYMOJA

School of Environment & Technology: Opportunities for PhD Research

Applications are invited for two fully-funded PhD research topics from
the following:

Everyday lives in/of ‘alternative’ cities

This project will focus on the practical and gritty everyday lives in/of
the ‘alternative’ city. An empirically rich and theoretically informed
focus on particular ‘cities’ and/or urban districts that have developed
reputations for being ‘alternative’, within and beyond normative
conceptualisations of diversity, is envisaged. This could include
considerations of social relations, bodies, communities, emotions,
affects, materialities, governance, regulation, and/or citizenships. The
specific case studies could examine particular counter cultures, LGBT
communities, ‘alternative’ music scenes, acts of resistance, or the
student could take a broader more conceptual view of ‘cities’ and the
lives within. This project will adopt a largely qualitative approach
where new methodological developments will be encouraged. The
theoretical, methodological and case study focus will be developed with
the student in relation to their interests. Supervisors: Dr Kath Browne
(email: k.a.browne@bton.ac.uk), Dr David Bissell, Prof. Andrew Church.

Climate variability & human livelihoods in NW India, 1600-1900

This project will use a variety of colonial administrative,
governmental, newspaper and missionary archives to establish a detailed
chronology of climatic variability for northwest India from the early
1600s to 1870, including the occurrence of major droughts, floods and
variations in the onset/cessation of seasonal rains. It will also
examine the scale of impact and nature of human responses to any extreme
climatic conditions during this period, including adjustments to harvest
failure, economic dislocation, disease and social strife, which may be
driven by climatic variations such as changes in monsoonal rainfall
patterns. The research will involve extended periods of archive work in
London, Cambridge, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Supervisors: Dr David Nash
(email: d.j.nash@bton.ac.uk), Dr Rebecca Elmhirst, Dr Georgina Endfield
(University of Nottingham).

Physical dynamics of small estuarine systems

This project will examine the application of empirical formulae, used by
industry to model processes, developed from large estuaries, when
applied to smaller estuaries, with an aim to improve accuracy for the
modelling of smaller systems and the prediction of events. The
investigation will focus on the physical characterisation of estuarine
systems, taking account of chemical and biological factors; this
multi-disciplinary approach is reflected in the supervisory team. The
student will initially collect and analyse data from the Adur Estuary,
Sussex, develop the project by carrying out comparable studies and then
testing theories, in a variety of other small estuaries. This stage of
the fieldwork and analysis will be split between heavily engineered
estuaries and those which are in a near natural state. Supervisors: Dr
Heidi Burgess (email: h.m.burgess@bton.ac.uk), Prof. Andy Cundy, Dr
Chris Joyce.

Enterococcal Surface Protein (esp) gene as a practical microbial source
tracking tool

This project will involve work with a team of researchers investigating
the behaviour of pathogens and pathogen indicators in the natural
environment. The project will provide new insights into the occurrence
of a specific enterococcal surface protein (esp) gene amongst the
species Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium. The esp gene has been
proposed as a potential indicator of human pollution in environmental
waters, but information on its relative prevalence in human and animal
faecal sources and its geographical stability is limited, and hence its
full potential as an MST tool has yet to be determined.  Supervisors: Dr
James Ebdon (email: je3@bton.ac.uk), Dr Huw Taylor.

How to apply

For further information and an application form, contact Edward Rhodes
(School Research Administrator): email e.c.rhodes@bton.ac.uk, telephone
+44 1273 642280. The closing date for applications is Friday 21 November
2008. Interviews will take place on Tuesday 9 December 2008, with a
planned start date for the studentships of 1 January 2009.  Studentships
will cover UK/EU fees, a grant equivalent to those supported by the
EPSRC and funding to cover travel, subsistence and laboratory costs. The
successful candidates will have a first or good upper second-class
Honours degree and normally a good Masters degree in a relevant subject.
All successful applicants will be required to participate in University
Research training and will register for an MPhil with possible transfer
to PhD.

Dr. Kath Browne,

Senior Lecturer,

School of the Environment,

Cockcroft Building,

Lewes Road,

Brighton,

BN2 4GJ,

England.

Tel: +44 1273 642377

Email: K.a.browne@brighton.ac.uk