Dear All, The UKRI- and Defra-funded ARISE Initiative<https://easternarc.ac.uk/arise/> is pleased to announce, in conjunction with the Leverhulme Trust’s Sustainable Transitions Doctoral Training Programme<https://www.essex.ac.uk/scholarships/sustainable-transitions---governance-ecological-management-and-society> and following on from the Office for Students’ Transitions and Transformations: The Black Researchers Journey<https://www.essex.ac.uk/blog/posts/2023/01/11/transitions-and-transformations-a-black-researchers-journey> at the University of Essex, that applications are open for a fully funded PhD studentship<https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLM976/phd-studentship-building-coastal-resilience-in-communities-a-combined-governance-and-natural-science-approach> in resilience and sustainability policy. Please note the eligibility criteria, share the announcement widely and encourage your eager undergrads and pre-docs to apply. Thank you in advance for your forgiveness for cross-postings, and thank you all for supporting our commitment to Structuring Inclusion into Political Science<https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/special-collections/structuring-inclusion-into-political-science-recruiting-progression-and-engagement> Research and Education<https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/introduction-to-structuring-inclusion-into-political-science-education/09918798930F383FAABE088F6484985A> by forwarding this announcement! Always, Gina Applications open: PhD Studentship: Building Coastal Resilience in Communities - A Combined Governance and Natural Science Approach<https://www.essex.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/opportunities/building-coastal-resilience> Project Overview ARISE: Advancing Resilience and Innovation for a Sustainable Environment<https://easternarc.ac.uk/arise/> is a ground-breaking £3 million research initiative created and led by Professor Gina Yannitell Reinhardt<https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/REINH47500/Gina-20Yannitell-Reinhardt> at the University of Essex. ARISE studies how to develop resilience within coastal seas and communities, working with local stakeholders to design and test different ‘interventions’, or ways of tackling problems related to climate change, sea level rise, and environmental, political, and social threats. At the end of the project, we will have a powerful and practical toolkit that informs policy and public management scholars and practitioners on how to address the challenges facing our coasts, particularly those posed by the effects of climate change on the natural, human, and built environments. This studentship is an opportunity for a person from an underrepresented group to undertake a fully funded master’s degree followed by a fully funded interdisciplinary PhD research degree under the ‘Sustainable Transitions – Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme’<https://www.essex.ac.uk/scholarships/sustainable-transitions---governance-ecological-management-and-society> at the University of Essex (please see eligibility criteria here<https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLM976/phd-studentship-building-coastal-resilience-in-communities-a-combined-governance-and-natural-science-approach>). The successful applicant would be supervised by and have access to the ARISE initiative in terms of conceptual development, data collection, and opportunities to learn from a diverse and dynamic transdisciplinary group of scholars studying and testing the efficacy and impact of resilience-building policies along the coast of the East of England. Interdisciplinary Focus and Methods The studentship fuses social and natural sciences, combining an understanding of coastal ecology with policy and public management studies. The successful applicant will propose a project related to resilience in terms of natural/physical resources and human/social capital, which could include intertidal areas, coastal defence, the built environment, trust, connectedness, heritage, civic engagement, and more. Potential methods include social network analysis and machine learning, surveys/questionnaires, interviews, focus group mapping, citizen science, participatory action research, survey/field experiments, physical surveys, and/or sampling soil, flora, or other coastal ecology. The applicant does not need a background in all these fields, but would need to have an interest in learning the appropriate methods for the project they propose. The student’s supervisors will be Professor Gina Yannitell Reinhardt<https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/REINH47500/Gina-20Yannitell-Reinhardt> (Government - primary) and Dr Natalie Hicks<https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/HICKS92207/Natalie-Hicks> (Life Sciences – secondary). Training and Support The Sustainable Transitions training programme offers interdisciplinary research methods, secondary discipline training, and ongoing development. Doctoral scholars also have access to £12,500 for training and research and support from both the Sustainable Transitions management team and the ARISE supervisory team. Additionally, all scholars can join the University of Essex’s ‘Centre for Environment and Society,’ which provides events and networking opportunities. Person Specification This project will be ideal for someone passionate about investigating climate change at the local level, learning about coastal community resilience, and deriving lessons to inform public policy makers. The opportunity would suit a candidate with a degree/background in environmental sciences, marine sciences, policy studies, political science, economics, and related fields. It is not necessary for the candidate to have prior training in data analysis or fieldwork, as this can be provided on the programme. Research Proposal The project area is broadly defined, leaving scope for the applicant to develop their own specific research proposal as part of the application. The successful candidate will further develop their proposal in close consultation with the supervisory team. How to Apply Please see detailed instructions here<https://www.essex.ac.uk/scholarships/sustainable-transitions-masters-plus>. Closing Date: 11:59pm GMT on Friday 18th April 2025 Gina Yannitell Reinhardt PhD, SFHEA<https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/fellowship/senior-fellowship> Professor of Government<https://www.essex.ac.uk/departments/government>, University of Essex Director, ARISE Initative<https://easternarc.ac.uk/arise/> Advancing Resilience and Innovation for a Sustainable Environment Centre for Public and Policy Engagement<https://www.essex.ac.uk/centres-and-institutes/public-and-policy-engagement> (she/yeye/ella/她/彼女) T +44 (0)1206 872648 E gina.reinhardt@essex.ac.uk<mailto:gina.reinhardt@essex.ac.uk> W https://www1.essex.ac.uk/government/staff/profile.aspx?ID=4549 ► www.ginareinhardt.com<http://www.ginareinhardt.com/> WE ARE ESSEX I will be on sabbatical leave beginning 17 August 2023. Please plan on my availability being greatly reduced after that date, and please defer all requests for referee/review reports until September 2025 or later.