Water Engineering and Development Centre

Postgraduate Research (MPhil/PhD)

At WEDC, we welcome enquiries from future research leaders who wish to undertake one of our research programmes leading to the degrees of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

We encourage research into aspects of sustainable urban and rural infrastructure for water and sanitation in low- and middle-income countries. This may be primarily concerned with technology, or deal with sociological, economic and management factors.

Flexibility

The regulations of Loughborough University for the award of higher degrees are flexible, and you can take full advantage of the benefits resulting from this. By attending full-time at the University, you can carry out research that is continuously supervised. Other options include part-time study at Loughborough, combined with data collection carried out elsewhere.

Eligibility

A requirement for registration is normally a good honours degree, although in certain circumstances other qualifications may be accepted. 

All candidates must demonstrate fluency in written and spoken English, either by English Language qualifications or by the previous use of English as a language of study. Find out more about English language requirements here.

Studentships

Apply for the doctorate programme at WEDC and you may be eligible for a part or full-time research studentship (subject to the nomination, approval and availability of funds and meeting eligibility criteria).

Support

The School provides a rich training environment for all of our research students, with staff delivering mentoring and supervision alongside a 'cohort-based experience'. Our 1000m2 award-winning Research Hub provides a flexible, vibrant research environment that facilitates innovative research practice and collaborative knowledge exchange within and across conventional disciplinary boundaries. Each student has two academic supervisors and a director of research programme. Progress is monitored through regular supervisory meetings and a robust academic progress review conducted at the end of each year by an independent examiner.

All students are provided with a laptop, access to our laboratory facilities, technician support and funds for travel and conference attendance. The LU Graduate School provides transferable and employability training to meet the requirements of the researcher development framework. Students benefit from the School’s extensive seminar programme, quarterly doctoral seminar programme and annual away days. The aim is to stimulate our students, broaden their horizons, and deepen their knowledge in order to mould the research leaders of tomorrow.

How to apply

If you are interested in undertaking a PhD, you should complete a detailed outline research proposal (i.e. 3-5 pages covering background context, aims and objectives and proposed methodology) and identify a subject relevant potential supervisor (see the staff list for contact details).

For enquiries about the application process, please contact our Research Administrator, Berkeley Young, on 01509 222611 or email B.K.D.Young@Lboro.ac.uk.

Current PhD projects

  • Angela Akpovi
    Water Safety Plans for Household Led Supply Systems: Delta State, Nigeria
  • Aliya Al-Alaw
    Rational use of water in buildings
  • Amita Bhakta
    Water, sanitation and hygiene issues for perimenopausal women
  • Alasdair Booth
    Security of public places
  • Patrick Bowan
    Solid waste management
  • Timothy Brewer
    WASH and nutrition
  • Cheryl Choge
    Market failures and Influence Gaps in Sanitation Investments
  • Robert DiFilippo
    Effects of Climate Change on the Hydrologic Cycle in Developing Countries Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise
  • Roses Enang
    Piped Networks Analysis, Nigeria
  • Jordan Ermilio
    Performance evaluation of rural water supply infrastructure in developing countries
  • Elizabeth Green
    Development and validation of sustainability and resilience indicators for the built environment
  • Iniobong James Ikpeh
    Governance of Urban Water Services in Developing countries
  • Thomas Meadley
    Public utilities in developing countries increasing their customer base
  • Oluremi Olaleye
    Integration of Microbiological Risk Assessment Indicators into Water Safety Plans for slums around Lagos Lagoon
  • Mohammed Abubakar Sadeeq
    Low-cost Biomass as sustainable Adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals and reactive dyes from textile and tannery wastewater used for agriculture in developing countries: A case of Nigeria

Recently completed PhD projects

  • Simon Bird
    Decision Problem Structuring for Selection of Fixed Firefighting Systems
  • Cristina Caballero
    Critical coastal infrastructure and climate change adaptation
  • Natalie Curd
    Renewable Energy in the UK
  • Alex Evans
    Institutional arrangements conducive to resource recovery and reuse businesses
  • Nicola Greene
    Intra-annual Variability in Standards of Water and Sanitation in Upper Humla, Nepal: An Investigation into the Causes, Importance and Impact
  • Ruth Hoyland
    Modelling thermal comfort performance of tents used in Humanitarian Relief
  • Uttam Kadam
    Performance Assessment of Heterogeneous Irrigation Schemes in India
  • Katrice King
    Resilience in the Humanitarian Sphere: Stimulating Resilience for Recovery in Haiti
  • Despina Manousel
    Water demand and supply management for the residential sector using integrated resource planning principles
  • Louise Medland
    Developing standards for household latrines in Rwanda
  • Adeola Obadina
    Gender and sustainability in solid waste management: a case study of Nigeria
  • Olufemi Ogunlowo
    Exploration of CNG as Transportation Energy Source in Nigeria
  • Encheng (Dylan) Zhou
    Developing effective institutional collaboration of urban flood risk: A case study of Hangzhou

 

For more information, please contact Dr Lee Bosher by email.

What our students say

Pippa Scott

Pippa Scott describes her experience of undertaking her PhD

Louise Medland

Louise Medland describes her experience of studying for her PhD with WEDC