EPSRC PhD Studentship (Carbon Reduction in Buildings) at the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, UCL

This EPSRC Studentship is associated with the Carbon Reduction in Buildings (CaRB) project at the Bartlett, a major four year study of energy use in the UK built stock that began in October 2004. The studentship is open to all UK/EU applicants for three years' PhD research in a choice of topics associated with the CaRB project.

The Bartlett is one of the leading buildings and energy research departments in the UK and has an international reputation placing it among the forefront of world research in its fields. Bartlett research is multi-disciplinary combining a 'real world' problem-oriented approach with strong intellectual foundations. Fields include a wide range of research associated with building energy use, health, comfort and lighting, along with integrated project management, heritage buildings and numerous others. It is the largest postgraduate Faculty of the Built Environment in the UK with an annual income of £10M and some 850 postgraduate students from over 80 countries.

CaRB is a £3m project funded by the EPSRC and Carbon Trust under the Carbon Vision Buildings (CVB) programme. The Bartlett is one of a consortium of five UK universities involved in the CaRB project, one of three projects in the CVB programme. The CVB research teams include many of the leading specialists in building energy use in the UK.

The primary aim of the CaRB project is to understand and model energy use determinants and trends in the domestic and non-domestic building stocks. This aim involves the collation of large quantities of information from existing data sources on the construction, building services and user activities of the domestic and non-domestic built stocks and their energy use. Additional fieldwork for both domestic and non-domestic stocks is under way now and substantial data resources have already been accumulated. The research is at the frontiers of its field and includes descriptive, statistical and spatial analyses and innovative approaches to data collection, modeling and monitoring buildings and built stocks and user behaviour.

The CaRB project provides an opportunity for a number of interesting and innovative research PhDs in topics ranging from the empirical (involving specialist fieldwork and physical analysis) to the theoretical (involving sophisticated statistical, geographical and geometrical analyses using existing data resources). The detailed content would be agreed with supervisors to fit with the student's research interests and a broad view of the CaRB research goals. The studentship will suit candidates with the capacity and wish to do good research, an interest in buildings and energy efficiency, and a background most probably in architecture, building science, engineering, physics, geography, planning, economics or applied mathematics, depending on the selected topic.

For further information about the Bartlett, and the CaRB project, go to www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk and www.carb.org.uk. For some examples of PhD topics that may be proposed for it, please email Joanna Saxon at j.saxon@ucl.ac.uk by 11 April 2006.

The Studentship will take the form of a remission of fees and, at the discretion of the named supervisor, a stipend of up to a maximum of £14,000 per year. (Please note: EU students are eligible for remission of fees only, depending on residency status).

The closing date for applications is Friday 21 April 2006.

How to Apply:
If you would like to apply to be considered for this PhD studentship, please complete a UCL Application Form for Admission as a Graduate Student (available from: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate-study/application-admission/downloadable-applications/ ) and send it to:

The Graduate Faculty Office
The Bartlett School of Graduate Studies
Faculty of the Built Environment
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT

Please ensure that you have included with the form an outline of your proposed research topic and a covering letter clearly stating the studentship for which you wish to apply; including the words "DTA/CARB 06" in the "Research Subject Area" box on the application form. Be sure to enclose any necessary transcripts, references and other relevant application materials. These should be received by the Graduate Faculty Office by 21 April 2006.