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Doctoral Research
The range of doctoral topics at the ECI reflects the international and interdisciplinary nature of the ECI's science and research.
The Environmental Change Institute does not offer an independent doctoral programme but senior ECI researchers are able to supervise students who are admitted to the DPhil programme in the School of Geography and the Environment or other DPhil programmes around the university.
Current doctoral students supervised by ECI researchers
Liana Anderson
Remote Sensing of carbon dynamics and land cover change over the Amazon
Juan Carlos Arredondo
Adaptation to climate change in Mexico: reducing the barriers and maximising the benefits of corporate and government responses
Elinor Breman
Long-term vegetation dynamics at the grassland-savanna ecotone in South Africa
Cecilia Chavana-Bryant
Relationships between leaf life-cycle and Earth Observation-derived indices in Amazonian rainforests and savannas
Kathryn Clark
The Role of Landslides in the Peruvian Andes in Determining Forest Ecology and Carbon Transport
John Cole
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): Foreign investment in sustainable infrastructure in developing countries
Daniel Curtis
Low carbon ICT
Christian Ellermann
Climate change policy in China: Tracing successful sustainable development policies and measures
Katie Fenn
Quantifying the seasonal variation in carbon and nutrient dynamics in an ancient broadleaved woodland at Wytham Woods near Oxford.
Cecile Girardin
Ecosystem carbon dynamics from Andes to Amazon
Alex Guerra Noriega
Weather-related disaster risk in mountain areas: The Guatemalan highlands at the start of the 21st Century.
Kate Halladay
Climate and Andean montane forests: the role of clouds
Steven Heathcote
Attitudinal gradients in Bromeliad Ecology and Physiology
Kho Lip Khoon
Carbon cycling in Bornean Tropical Forest
Gavin Killip
Low-carbon refurbishment of UK housing and small-business premises: a study of delivery options
Lucy King
The interaction between the African elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) and the African honeybee (Apis melifera scutella) and its potential application as an elephant deterrent.
Natasha Kuruppu
Climate Change and Variability in the Pacific Region: Piloting Adaptation Strategies to Facilitate Sustainable Development in the Water Sector of Kiribati.
Debora Ley
Sustainable development, climate change and renewable energy in rural Central America
Danae Maniatis
Deforestation of the Congo Basin: patterns, drivers and conservation
Philip Mann
Energy planning in the developing world - synergies and trade-offs between increasing energy access for poverty reduction, energy security and climate goals.
Arnoldo Matus Kramer
Adaptation to Climate Change in the Tourism Sector of the Rapidly Urbanizing Yucatan Caribbean Coast
Antony Millner
Managing climate risk in the developing world: Information and Insurance.
Alexandra Morel
Environmental Monitoring and Governance of Malaysian Oil Palm
Yuko Ogawa
Assessing the potential impacts of climate change on Japanese forests
Bernardo Peredo
Biodiversity, local development and poverty alleviation in Bolivia in a market economy: Irreconcilable Differences or Windows of Opportunity?
Mike Riddell
Hunting, Livelihoods and Conservation in Northern Republic of Congo
Jan Rosenow
Moving towards a low energy future in the domestic sector? Social transition and the role of public policy
Norma Salinas
Impacts of climate change on tropical cloud mountain forests.
Sharad Saxena
Urban Transport Investment Decisions – Balancing efficiency, environment & equity
Caroline Schmidt
Avoiding deforestation and the geography of law in the Brazilian Amazon
Joel Scriven
Carbon forestry on an Amazonian frontier: Barriers and Opportunities
Allen Shaw
A political economy analysis of energy planning in India
Erika Trigoso
Vulnerability to drought and community adaptation in the Andean high-plateau.
Royd Vinya
Hydraulic Architecture of ten Miombo woodlands Canopy tree species
Cindy Warwick
Integrating Water and Development Under the Water Framework Directive: A Political Ecology Approach.
Rebecca White
Carbon governance in a consumer age: an investigation of the UK’s food system.
Katharine Wilkinson
'God-made' Heaven and Earth... 'Man-made' climate change: American evangelical discourses on global climate change
Przemyslaw Zelazowski
Spatial and temporal land change patterns in the Eastern Peruvian Andes: remote sensing, understanding, and making projections
Visiting Students
Xiu Yang (Aug 08 - Feb 09)
Comparative study on British and Chinese building energy consumption
Applications
Applications for the DPhil in Geography are coordinated through Ruth Saxton and there are a number of university and college fellowships available to support doctoral studies.
Details on the application procedure can be found on the School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE) website.Choosing a supervisor
Dphil students are required to identify primary and secondary supervisors. If you wish to work with an ECI researcher you should contact them directly to discuss your proposed topic. The following ECI staff are available as primary DPhil supervisors:
However, many members of the Geography academic staff have environmental interests and may co-supervise with staff of ECI if they are interested in the project and are not already oversubscribed in terms of supervision.
A modest number of doctoral research positions and fellowships are associated with ECI projects and in a few cases will be accommodated within ECI research space.
Recently Completed DPhil Students
James Paterson (July 2009)
The effects of climate change on structure and function of calcareous ash woodlands in the UK.
Adam Bumpus (June 2009)
Carbon Development: a political ecology analysis of carbon offset projects for local development and global climate benefits.
Nathalie Butt (May 2009)
Investigation of the climate drivers/constraints of plant distributions across the Amazon basin.
Ana Malhado (December 2008)
The functional biogeography of the Amazon forest canopy.
Janice Golding (June 2008)
Change in plant biodiversity in south-central Africa
John Gates (Oct 2007)
Groundwater recharge and paleohydrology of the Badain Jaran, NW China.
Mandar Trivedi (Sept 2007)
Conservation in a changing climate: the potential to exploit microclimate heterogeneity and management.
Mary Menton
The Effects of Logging on Non-Timber Forest Products in the Brazilian Amazon: Ecological and Socio-economic Perspectives.
Tom Simchak (MLitt student)
Changing Cultures and Identities in Shetland's Oil Era
Ben Champion (Sept 2007)
Alternative Agro-Food Networks in Eastern Kansas.
Graham Sinden (April 2007)
Impact of renewable energy sources on future UK electricity supply.
Janice Golding
Change in plant biodiversity in south-central Africa
James Keirstead (Summer 2006)
Behavioural Responses to Photovoltaics in UK Households
Lydia Mason
Transboundary water disputes in North America
James Keay-Bright
Climate change: future perspectives for dryland degradation in the eastern Karoo
Stefan Buzhar
Residential energy pricing, demand side energy efficiency and social welfare in transition: the missing policy link
Scott Henderson
Biological invasions on island ecosystems: a case study of Psidium guajava in the Galapagos Islands
Genevieve Patenaude
Comparative analysis of forest remote sensing
James Watson
The effects of forest fragmentation
Richard Pearson
Modelling of climate change impacts and biodiversity
Jane Carter Ingram
Conservation and habitat degradation in Madagascar
Lauren Rickards
Capable, enlightened and masculine: Constructing English agriculaturalist ideals in formal agricultural education 1845-2003
Sarah Darby
Making consumption visible: feedback on domestic energy use