Port City Particulates: Exploring the Intersection of Indoor Air Quality, Human Behaviour, Public Health and Maritime Net Zero Strategies

N0MES CDT

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Net Zero Maritime Energy solutions (N0MES) has a 4-year funded PhD place available for an exceptional researcher. With the support of the University of Liverpool (UoL), Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and 33 maritime energy sector partners, N0MES PGRs will pursue new, engineering-centred, interdisciplinary research to address four vital net zero challenges currently facing the North West, the UK and beyond:

a) Energy generation using maritime-based renewable energy (e.g. offshore wind, tidal, wave, floating solar, hydrogen, CCS);

b) Distributing energy from offshore to onshore, including port- and hinterland-side impacts and opportunities;

c) Addressing the short- and long-term environmental impacts of offshore and maritime

environment renewable energy generation, distribution and storage; and

d) Decommissioning and lifetime extension of existing energy and facilities.

The PhD Project

In the UK and Europe, people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. Thus, understanding what  we are breathing in indoors, how/where indoor air pollutions were generated, their impact on health, and ways to mitigate pollution are of high importance. Indoor air pollution is a very complicated matter. It depends not only on human behaviours and habits, the types of energy used indoors, the location of the building, but also the type of environment the building is in. 

Port cities are environments that have been reported to have higher outdoor air pollution due to ship emissions, cargo handling activities, land-based cargo traffic, and surrounding industrial zones. There is however little understanding of the links between the nature of port cities, the demography, the behaviour/habits and health of their citizens, the type/location/material/interior of buildings, and indoor air quality. This PhD project will be among the first to investigate this intersection. It will also investigate the impact of net zero strategies generally associated with future port cities, such as green shipping, renewable energy and regeneration, on indoor air quality. This will be a multi-disciplinary research combining internet-of-things technologies, data analytics, qualitative analyses, environmental health and environmental science to collect and analyse quantitative/qualitative data with a view to understanding the links between indoor air quality and the aforementioned factors.

 Successful candidates will work as a team with other PhD students in the domain of air quality and maritime net zero, under the supervision of a multidisciplinary supervision team comprising LJMU academics and public health/air quality experts. You will join the world-leading LOOM research-institute in an inclusive environment, collaborating with 40 other PhD/postdoc researchers. In addition, you will have the unique opportunity to undertake funded secondments to Wirral Council and industry to enhance your experience/network, access real-world applications, and gain career opportunities.

Click here for more information about the N0MES centre at LJMU, the LOOM research centre where the researcher will be hosted, and our research capability.

Applications

We want all of our staff and Students to feel that Liverpool is an inclusive and welcoming environment that actively celebrates and encourages diversity. We are committed to working with students to make all reasonable project adaptations including supporting those with caring responsibilities, disabilities or other personal circumstances. For example, if you have a disability you may be entitled to a Disabled Students Allowance on top of your studentship to help cover the costs of any additional support that a person studying for a doctorate might need as a result.

We believe everyone deserves an excellent education and encourage students from all backgrounds and personal circumstances to apply. an appropriate field of Engineering. Exceptional candidates with a First Class Bachelor’s Degree in an appropriate field will also be considered. 

Important Application Process

Candidates wishing to apply should send your application to Dr Ran Wang [email protected] and Prof. Trung Thanh Nguyen [email protected], with an email title “PhD scholarship in the N0MES CDT”. Please send the below: an up-to-date CV and a transcript,  and a supporting statement [maximum 300 words] detailing; what inspires you within this project, how your skill set matches the project, up to 3 examples showing your commitment to science, piece of science that excites you & anything else to support your application.