The University of Bath is advertising a competitive PhD on carbon accounting for identifying embodied supply-chain risk. UK and international applicants may compete for funding. The deadline is 29 November 2026. The expected start is 4 October 2027. Applicants should consider the research fit and financial conditions together before deciding whether to apply.
Research Focus
The project uses organisational carbon-accounting methods to screen upstream supply-chain risks. It develops input-output approaches and disruption-related datasets. Testing may involve historical events and organisations interested in using the findings. Read the project description as a starting point for identifying a question that interests you, rather than assuming that every possible method will appear in the eventual thesis.
Location and Academic Team
The university base is Bath, United Kingdom. The research concerns global supply chains. Mechanical Engineering hosts the opportunity. It belongs to the faculty’s studentship competition. Dr Samuel Cooper is the named supervisor. The work links environmental accounting with organisational risk.
Who Can Apply
Applicants need a first or 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent, with a master’s advantageous. LCA or input-output-analysis experience, or effective dataset analysis, is preferred. Non-UK applicants not currently studying in the UK must meet the English requirement before the deadline. Check the current programme requirements for the precise qualifications and supporting documents needed. A relevant subject or an eligible nationality does not by itself guarantee admission or an award.
Funding and International Conditions
Competitive funding covers tuition, £1,000 annual training support and a stipend listed at £21,805 for 2026/27. Overseas awards are capped, and visa and Immigration Health Surcharge expenses must be met personally. The stated stipend does not confirm the 2027/28 rate. Review the written award terms before making financial commitments.
Exploring the Research Problem
For optional preparation, imagine that an organisation has a broad indicator of possible exposure but little information about individual suppliers. Ask which decision that indicator can reasonably support and which conclusion would require more detailed evidence. Consider whether a screening result should be interpreted as a precise prediction of a specific disruption. This is a hypothetical research-thinking exercise, not a practical recommendation about a real organisation or a prescribed project assessment.
You could extend the example by comparing two datasets that describe related activities using different categories. Explain what assumptions would be needed to connect them and how those assumptions could affect the final comparison. Identify a check that might reveal a misleading result and what uncertainty would remain even after completing it. A bounded account of these issues can show interest in data-driven sustainability research without claiming that an aggregate measure fully describes every relationship in a supply chain.
Presenting Evidence of Preparation
If you have completed an analytical project, explain the original question, your individual contribution, the information used and the evidence behind the result. Describe a decision about matching categories, interpreting missing data or assessing a comparison that materially affected your conclusion. If you used a life-cycle or input-output framework, state what you actually did instead of relying on the method’s name alone. Distinguish established quantitative skills from subject knowledge you would need to develop, and connect any learning goal to the advertised problem.
If supporting materials are requested, make your individual contribution clear when discussing work completed with other people. Distinguish a class exercise, an unpublished report and a peer-reviewed research output instead of presenting them as equivalent achievements. Explain what your evidence can establish and what remained unresolved, including any limitation that would matter to the conclusion. Adapt these preparation suggestions to the actual application questions, since optional advice does not add requirements to the programme’s document checklist or guarantee a particular assessment outcome.
How to Apply
Use the current programme instructions to establish the submission route and complete supporting-document checklist. Review the exact project title and academic contacts wherever the form asks you to identify your research preference. An informal academic conversation can clarify fit, but it does not replace a formal application or constitute an admission or funding offer.
- View scholarship details and follow the linked institutional application instructions.
- Select the Mechanical Engineering PhD and University of Bath URSA funding.
- Identify the exact project and supervisor, observing the maximum of two project choices, and submit by 29 November 2026.
Before Submitting
Information was checked on 23 October 2026. Reconfirm the deadline and current terms before submission, particularly where your ability to enrol depends on receiving an international award. Keep a copy of the final form and any written clarification that materially affects your eligibility, financial expectations or decision to accept an offer.