Key information
Given the urgency of the climate crisis, many governments, businesses and international / transnational organisations call for ‘climate action’ to either mitigate impacts on or support adaptation to climate change.
- Code
- EGIS2025-MM
- Funding
- Fully funded
- School
- Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Award
- PhD
- Supervisor
- Mary Menton
- Start date
- January
- Closing date
- Friday, 26 September 2025
- Duration
- 42 months
Given the urgency of the climate crisis, many governments, businesses and international / transnational organisations call for ‘climate action’ to either mitigate impacts on or support adaptation to climate change. At the same time, grassroots movements and allied organisations and communities increasingly call for ‘climate justice’ vis a vis the disproportionate impacts of climate change and climate action itself on the peoples and communities who least contribute greenhouse gas emissions and are most negatively impacted by the climate crisis.
Building on frameworks and theories from political ecology, environmental justice, and critical geography and decolonial approaches, this PhD will explore the intersection between climate action and climate justice. The scale and location of focus are open but could build on current collaborations in Latin America (especially Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia) and/or the Guardians Under Pressure project in SE Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines).
Methodological approaches can be wide ranging but would expect to engage with experiential, creative methods, as well as participatory and ethnographic forms of engagement with communities, social movements, and/or institutions.
Applications are encouraged from individuals who are members of groups traditionally underrepresented in academia and those who are members of, or have long-standing collaborative relationships with, racialised or traditional / Indigenous communities.
Project supervisor
Entry requirements
Candidate criteria
This project is available to Home and Overseas students.
You must possess a minimum of 2:1 at undergraduate level and preferably a masters degree.
Applications and enquiries
To apply you must complete our online application form.
Please select PhD Environment as the programme and include the full project title, reference number (EGIS2025-MM) and supervisor name on your application form. Ensure that all fields marked as ‘required’ are complete.
Once have entered your personal details, click submit. You will be asked to upload your supporting documents. You must complete the section marked project proposal; provide a supporting statement (1-2 A4 pages) documenting your reasons for applying to this particular project, outlining your suitability and how you would approach the project. You must also upload your CV, a copy of your degree certificate and relevant transcripts and an academic referee who will be able to provide a technical reference in the relevant section of the application form.
Please contact Assistant Professor Mary Menton for further information or an informal discussion.
Please contact egis-pgr-apps@hw.ac.uk for technical support with your application.
English language requirements
If your first language is not English, we'll need to see evidence of your English language ability.
The minimum English language requirement for entry to this programme is IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) with no score lower than 6.0.
If you do not have IELTS 6.5, we offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement for this programme prior to commencing your studies.
For more information about your application and our English Language requirements, please see Section 10 of our page on English Language Requirements as part of your application.
Funding information
This scholarship will cover tuition fees and provide an annual stipend (paid in line with UKRI recommended rates, £20,780 in 2025-25) for 42 months.
Thereafter, candidates will be expected to pay a continuing affiliation fee (currently £130) whilst they complete writing up their thesis.
Why Heriot-Watt
We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.
We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.