Fully-funded PhD Studentship
April 07, 2010
Climate Science And The Risk Society
Swansea University - Department of Geography
Supervisors:
Professor Marcus Doel, Department of Geography
Professor Tavi Murray, Department of Geography Professor Mark
Stallworthy, School of Law
Project and aims
This fully funded Swansea University studentship (joint Geography/Law)
will address the relationship between science and wider society (civil
society, policy- and law-makers, and other social actors) in the
context of climate change - particularly in the wake of the 2009
'climate-gate' affair (when internal electronic communications of the
Climate Change Unit at the University of East Anglia were placed in
the public domain by third party intervention). The focus will be on
how scientific knowledge is mediated by other interests, and the
challenges this raises in a 'world risk society' (Beck) in which
progress has created countless new global uncertainties. This creates
major problems for decision-makers and lawyers. For instance,
transnational and intergenerational impacts on environment and health
are problematic for bounded legal notions of jurisdiction and process,
as well as for normative structures based on individual rights and
predominantly liberal notions of justice. The PhD will contribute to
understanding reasonable expectations for climate science, and the
ways in which principles and respective roles of risk assessment and
management can most effectively be applied in addressing the impacts
of climate change.
The research is timely in engaging with a vital aspect of the
relations between science, civil society, policy- and law-makers, and
other interests in the context of climate change. It will address how
scientific practice and outputs are mediated. The outputs from this
study would be expected to contribute to informing scientists,
decision-makers, and civil society generally, as to the reasonable
expectations for climate science and for ways in which principles and
respective roles of risk assessment and risk management can most
effectively be applied in addressing the impacts of climate change.
Applicant requirements
This project would suit a student with a proven academic track record
in either climate science with a strong interest in social science and
legal issues, or a background in law or social science with an
interest in climate science. Due to funding restrictions, only
candidates from the UK/EU are eligible to apply. The project
supervisors cross the School of Law and Department of Geography at
Swansea University . Initial enquiries can be made to Professors Marcus
Doel (Human Geography; m.a.doel@swansea.ac.uk ), Tavi Murray (Climate
Science; t.murray@swansea.ac.uk ) or Mark Stallworthy (Law;
m.stallworthy@swansea.ac.uk ).
Applications before 10 May 2010 (apply online:
http://www.swan.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/ )
