Law general project area

Scholarship opportunity

This is an opportunity to undertake a fully funded masters’ degree and an interdisciplinary PhD under the ‘Sustainable Transitions – Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme’ at the University of Essex. (All tuition fees are covered and an annual stipend provided throughout the Masters’ and PhD phases.)

The purpose of this programme is to train the next generation of interdisciplinary scholars with the skills and expertise to contribute to ‘sustainable transitions’ at local, national and international levels.

Eligible applicants with an undergraduate degree in law are invited to put forward a proposal for a PhD research project in the field of environment and sustainability as it relates to law and/or human rights (see below for eligibility criteria under person specification). The successful applicant will then undertake the following masters’ degree commencing in January 2027 and further develop their research proposal before proceeding to the PhD phase:

• LLM Law (with the opportunity to specialise in environmental law, human rights, corporate law and other areas.)

Training and support

You will receive a range of training and opportunities in the Masters’ phase of the programme. When you commence the PhD phase you will receive support through the Sustainable Transitions training programme, which offers interdisciplinary research methods, secondary discipline training, and ongoing development. Doctoral scholars also have access to £2,500 through Proficio for training courses and £10,000 for research and additional training. You may audit relevant courses and will be supported by both the Sustainable Transitions management team and your 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

Only UK domiciled applicants who meet the following criteria may apply:

• Not already have a Masters’ degree.
• Be from a low-income household background as evidenced by, for example, being in receipt of a full maintenance loan or Special Support loan during their undergraduate studies.

and/or

Be one of the following categories of ethnicity:

• Black African
• Black Caribbean
• Black Other
• Mixed – White and Black Caribbean
• Mixed – White and Black African
• Other mixed background (including Black African, Black Caribbean and Black Other)

Supervisory arrangements

A supervisor will be allocated in accordance with your specified area of focus.

Supervision

The primary discipline supervisor takes the lead responsibility for supervising the project. For further detail relating to supervision see the Guidance for Applicants (.docx) document.

Additional background information

Departmental lead: Dr Stephen Turner

There are now many aspects of law at the national and international levels that require further research if the international community are to achieve a transition to environmental sustainability. Within different areas of environmental law there are many challenges and opportunities that require analysis in order that they can be developed to pave the way towards sustainable transitions. There are equally challenges within the fields of corporate law, trade law and investment law and other areas too that require further research in the pursuit of sustainable transitions.

For example, within climate change there are questions relating to the role of litigation, the relationship with corporate responsibility, the way that climate adaptation law can be enhanced, the rights of citizens in countries facing inundation due to sea level rise and so forth.

In the field of biodiversity, there are questions relating to the rights of indigenous communities in the global south, the rights of nature, the relationship between biodiversity and climate change, the roles of no-net loss and ecosystem services approaches, and also the most appropriate approaches in the development of the law to achieve adequate protection of biodiversity.

In the field of pollution control there are questions relating to the extent to which human rights should protect citizens from excessive pollution, how circular economy approaches can be integrated into law, the relationship between industry and the environment, and the types of law that produce the most effective results.

There are many other areas too. We invite proposals that explore an aspect of law as it relates to the environment and sustainability. 

How to Apply

Full details available at Sustainable Transitions Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme.