How to apply for a Sustainable Resources MPhil/PhD

Hydrogen Energy Systems
Supervisor: Professor Paul Dodds

There are numerous research questions about hydrogen energy systems that could be the subject of a PhD. Where and at what scale will hydrogen demand likely develop over the coming decades? As a key challenge for the development of hydrogen systems is the lack of existing hydrogen infrastructure, how can we develop hydrogen infrastructure in a way that minimises the cost of hydrogen and the risks of both unmet demand and expected demand not materialising? To what extent might ammonia have a role as an energy carrier in the future? How can hydrogen contribute to UK energy security, affordability, and UK economic competitiveness and growth?

Academic background: Operations research, economics, process engineering

The future of oil refineries in low-carbon economies
Supervisor: Professor Paul Dodds

The aim of this PhD will be to understand how demands for products from oil refineries might change in the future as the global economy decarbonises, and what the implications are for the number and design of refineries. Oil refineries manufacture a wide range of products for energy and non-energy uses. Demands for some outputs, such as diesel, are expected to greatly reduce in the future, while others will be much less affected. This PhD will use UCL’s TIAM-UCL model to explore future changes in demands. The extent to which existing refineries can be redesigned or new refineries created to meet these changing demands will then be examined.

Academic background: Chemical or process engineering

Non-cost barriers to decarbonised heating
Supervisor: Professor Paul Dodds

Heat decarbonisation studies for residential and non-residential buildings tend to focus on cost and carbon savings. Yet a range of other factors are important, for example the size, reliability, noise and responsiveness of the heating system. The first aim of this PhD will be to understand the relative importance of non-cost barriers in the UK for natural gas and hydrogen boilers, electrical storage and heat pump systems, and heat networks. This information will then be used to develop decarbonisation strategies that account for non-cost factors and their implications (e.g. for the political feasibility of decommissioning existing gas networks).

Academic background: Social sciences, economics

Modelling the need for energy storage in low-carbon electricity systems
Supervisor: Professor Paul Dodds

Energy system models tend to underestimate the need for storage in low-carbon electricity system due to (i) inadequate temporal resolution; (ii) assuming of perfect foresight for storage charging and discharging; (iii) ignoring potential value from ancillary markets; and, (iv) ignoring local network capacity limitations. This PhD will examine how each of these areas might be addressed. Several models will be available to examine hypotheses, including low- and high-resolution versions of the UK TIMES model and the hourly-resolution highRES planning and dispatch model

Academic background: Operations, research, economics, process engineering

Rethinking the structure of energy system models
Supervisor: Professor Paul Dodds

The structure of energy system models (e.g. TIMES models from IEA ETSAP) typically reflects the structure of national energy statistics, which focus on the supply side. Yet other structures would be possible, for example to reflect lifestyles by reimagining energy service demands. This PhD will examine the feasibility, challenges and potential benefits of adopting novel model structures for understanding decarbonisation pathways.

Academic background: Operations, research, economics, process engineering

Designing local energy system models
Supervisor: Professor Paul Dodds

Energy systems models are most often designed on a national scale, but there is increasingly a move to regional models. There are many approaches to defining regions (e.g. geography; energy infrastructure considerations; political system; population density; transport system). The choice should reflect the questions a model is required to answer. While national governments have used energy system models for a long time, there is increasing interest from local governments, who have different competencies and different questions. In this PhD, interviews will be held with local and national government stakeholders in the UK to understand their needs. The PhD will then explore how a regional version of the UK TIMES model could be redeveloped to meet those needs.

Academic background: Operations, research, economics, geography

Professor Paolo Agnolucci - Accepting new students
Econometric Assessment
I am an applied econometrician covering panel and time series methodologies both at micro and macro level with a focus on Quasi-Experimental Analysis of policy impacts, impact of climate change, energy demand, crop yield modelling and food trade. Please check my publications for more information about my research.

Dr Nadia Ameli - Accepting new students
Financing the low carbon transition
My research interests are financing the low-carbon transition and energy system transition

Dr Isabela Butnar - Accepting new students
Energy systems, policies and markets
My research interests are environmental sustainability (Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), hybrid energy modelling - LCA), Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR), and land based climate mitigation (bioenergy energy systems, afforestation).

Dr Alvaro Calzadilla Rivera - Not currently accepting new students
Sustainable, circular, resource-efficient economies and societies
My research interests are Computable General Equilibrium modelling of economic, energy, environmental and resource policies; Climate change impacts on economic systems; The economic impact of low-carbon transition scenarios; Global food production and food security; Circular economy.

Dr Carole Dalin - Not currently accepting new students
Human-ecosystem interactions and sustainability, Sustainable, circular, resource-efficient economies and societies
My research interests are environmental impacts; environmental sustainability of food production; water for food - hydrological modelling; environmental impacts embedded in food trade; Sustainable and healthy food systems; crop modelling and climate change.

Dr Olivier Dessens - Not currently accepting new students

Professor Paul Dodds - Accepting new students
Energy systems, policies and markets
I am only considering students interested in the "The future of oil refineries in low-carbon economies" project described below. My general interests are energy System modelling and hydrogen energy systems.

Oil refineries manufacture a wide range of products for energy and non-energy uses from fossil fuels. Demands for some refinery outputs, such as diesel, are expected to greatly reduce after 2030, while others are likely to be much less affected. Refineries could change the way their units operate, or invest in new equipment, to change the proportions of each petroleum product that is produced. They could also invest to enable greater use of fuels such as biomass and low-carbon hydrogen to reduce the lifecycle emissions of their products. This aim of this PhD is to investigate how demands for products from oil refineries might change in the future as the global economy decarbonises, and what the implications are for the number and design of refineries. We are looking for a high-achieving student to apply for a UK EPSRC CASE studentship for this PhD. The UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA) will be the CASE sponsor and will provide access to information on and contacts in UK refineries. The future roles of oil refineries in the transition to net zero are being developed by UKPIA and the work of this PhD will significantly inform this development.

Academic background: Chemical or process engineering.

Dr Teresa Domenech Aparisi - Not currently accepting new students
Sustainable, circular, resource-efficient economies and societies

Professor Paul Ekins - Not currently accepting new students
Sustainable, circular, resource-efficient economies and societies, Innovation for sustainability transitions

Professor Michael Grubb - Accepting new students
Energy systems, policies and markets, Financing the low carbon transition, Innovation for sustainability transitions

My own areas of primary research interest and expertise concern:

• Electricity regulation for high-renewables systems
• Dynamic economics of energy transitions, including factors determining pace of change and related financial structures, nationally and internationally
• Policy strategies for decarbonising energy intensive industries, particularly trade-exposed sectors.
• In addition, I am increasingly interested in the multi-level and geopolitical dimensions of the above, including the roles of major emerging economies. I generally do not supervise PhDs with a prime focus on modelling (many others at our Institutes do modelling). 

I tend to view these challenges in terms of the ‘Three Domains’ (www.) of innovation and transition processes, see Planetary Economics: Energy, Climate Change and the Three Domains of Sustainable Development - winner of 2021 Marcel Boiteux International prize for “outstanding book contributing to energy economics and its literature” by International Association for Energy Economics, now available for free download here.

Dr Xavier Lemaire - Not currently accepting new students
Improving energy access and resource use in the developing world, Sustainable, circular, resource-efficient economies and societies
My research interests are environmental impacts; environmental sustainability of food production; water for food - hydrological modelling; environmental impacts embedded in food trade; Sustainable and healthy food systems; crop modelling and climate change.

Dr Lorenzo Lotti - Not currently accepting new students
Sustainable, circular, resource-efficient economies and societies

Dr Will McDowall - Accepting new students
Sustainable, circular, resource-efficient economies and societies
My research interests are eco-innovation; low-carbon innovation policy; hydrogen energy; energy scenarios; energy policymaking; circular economy.

Dr Julia Tomei - Accepting new students
Improving energy access and resource use in the developing world
Energy access; resource use; low and middle income countries; qualitative research; governance; policy and politics; land use change; justice and equity.

Professor Jim Watson - Accepting new students
Energy systems, policies and markets, Improving energy access and resource use in the developing world
Energy policies - including for emissions reduction, energy security and innovation; transitions to net-zero