Studentship at University of the West of Scotland

PhD Funding Opportunity:
Risks, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change of cultural
    heritage in Scotland

Closing date for applications 14 May 2012

    <URL:http://www.uws.ac.uk/research/PHDSCI002.asp>
    <URL:http://www.heritagescience.ac.uk/Funding_opportunities/PhD_Funding>

Climate change together with sea level rise and its impacts on
temperature, rainfall patterns, flooding, coastal erosion, and a
potential increase in storminess will pose a challenge to the
conservation of the cultural heritage. A policy response, such as
the development of adaptation strategies, will be required to manage
the transformational pressures of this changing climate. However,
there is currently a lack of knowledge about the risks of climate
change to the historic environment in Scotland, thereby making the
development of a policy response unworkable. This project will first
involve a scoping study of the threats that climate change poses to
the historic environment in Scotland, including the production of
risk assessment maps using a geographical information system. For
the purpose of this study the historic environment or cultural
heritage is defined as old buildings, monuments, and archaeological
sites. Then, based on the outcomes of this national risk assessment,
a more detailed vulnerability assessment either geographically-based
or focusing on a specific sector of the cultural heritage will be
accomplished. The assessment will be bottom-up, starting with the
identification of the sensitivities of the historic environment to
climate change through interviews with key stakeholders, including
site visits, and surveys; the identification of adaptive measures to
deal with existing vulnerabilities; and the subsequent use of the
outputs from a regional climate model providing projections for
relevant climatic variables. The project will report on the
methodological challenges in measuring vulnerability and aims to
develop a framework of analysis applicable to the cultural heritage.
The outcomes of this risk and vulnerability analysis will form the
basis of an initial assessment of opportunities for adaptation and
inform about the information required for a policy response within
the sector.

This studentship brings together the research expertise of Dr
Alexandre Gagnon in vulnerability and adaptation to climate change
and that of Dr John Hughes in construction, conservation, and
restoration of the built heritage both at the University of the West
of Scotland. This proposal grew from experience gained through an
AHRC-funded Research Network on the transformational and resilience
pressures on immovable Cultural Heritage coordinated by Dr Hughes,
involving academic and heritage organisation stakeholders in
Scotland and Northern Ireland. This project will also benefit from
external supervision from Dr Ewan Hyslop at Historic Scotland. For
further information about the Environmental Initiatives Research
Group, please refer to:

    <URL:http://uws.ac.uk/schoolsdepts/science/environment/index.asp>

This studentship is open to Home/EU candidates with a first degree
in a relevant discipline.

Non-EU students can apply, but will not receive the stipend and will
be required to pay fees.

Candidates must be available to commence their studies in October
2012.

Application deadline is 14 May 2012.
Please quote Project Reference Number PHDSC1002.

All interviews will take place between 21 May and 8 June 2012.

Please note that this project is part of a competitive round and
there is no guarantee that it will be awarded.

Please apply online at

    <URL:http://www.uws.ac.uk/apply/research-apply.asp>

Applications without all relevant documents will not be considered.

If you have any queries please contact

    Charlie Fielding
    +44 141 848 3919
    pgr<-at->uws<.>ac<.>uk

Dr. John Hughes
Research Lecturer
School of Engineering
University of the West of Scotland
Paisley Campus PA1 2BE
Scotland
+44 141 848 3268
Mobile: +44 7791 232 812


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:42
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