Institute for Climate and Society – PhD Scholarship 2025

Dublin City University (DCU) is offering a PhD scholarship through its Institute for Climate and Society, focusing on analyzing public understanding of climate change, biodiversity loss, and water quality. This opportunity is part of the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water, a collaborative research initiative addressing interconnected environmental challenges across Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain.

The research aims to explore how specific communities—namely rural, farming, fishing, border, and coastal populations—perceive environmental issues. By analyzing both textual and visual content from social media platforms created by individuals and organizations within these communities, the study seeks to understand the construction and communication of environmental concerns.

• Duration: Four years
• Stipend: €25,000 per annum
• Coverage: EU tuition fees
• Additional Funding: Support for research equipment, materials, fieldwork, and conference travel

Supervision and Training: The PhD candidate will be supervised by Dr. David Robbins, Associate Professor at DCU’s School of Communications. The program offers training in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including large data set analysis and visual research techniques. Students are also encouraged to attend international conferences to present their research findings.

• Academic Qualifications: Master’s degree in media studies, communications, environmental studies, computer studies, or a related field, with first-class honors or high second-class honors.
• Knowledge Base: Understanding of climate change, biodiversity, and water policy.
• Research Skills: Interest or experience in quantitative methods, particularly large data analysis; knowledge of visual analysis methods is a plus.
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and oral communication abilities.
• Additional Assets: Familiarity with Irish and UK media landscapes concerning climate change; relevant professional experience.

The deadline is on 12 March 2025

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