Psychology: Fully Funded MSc by Research Scholarship: Environmental Impacts of Swansea Half Marathon and other large events moving to Net Zero (RS601)
Closing date: 15 May 2024
Key Information
Funding provider: Swansea University
Subject area(s): Psychology, Environmental Science / Engineering, Environmental Engineering (Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Psychology)
Project start date:
- 1 July 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-June)
- 1 October 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-September)
Supervisors: Professor Ian Walker (ian.walker@swansea.ac.uk) and Professor Matthew Davies (M.L.Davies@Swansea.ac.uk)
Aligned programme of study: MSc by Research in Psychology
Mode of study: Full-time
Project description:
Hosting large events is big business, worth >£40 billion in the UK alone. However the event industry has a high environmental impact and there is an increasing drive to reduce this. For example, in the entertainment industry, Coldplay’s pledge to reduce their emissions by 50%.
If we are to move towards a sustainable society, engineers and social scientists need to work together to ensure that technology developments are effective in reducing environmental impacts. This project will give the successful applicant the opportunity to build skills in both disciplines.
The student will work with Front Runner (the organiser of the Swansea Half Marathon) to measure the environmental impact using life cycle assessment (LCA) of the Swansea Half Marathon and the effect of changes made by the organiser to make the event more sustainable. This part of the research will be supported by a supervisor in the department of Mechanical Engineering.
The second part of the research will measure competitors and sponsors' reaction to these changes in order to support consequential life cycle analysis of the changes (e.g. what happens if the event stops giving out free t-shirts – is there a real saving or do people choose an event with free t-shirts instead?)
This is a high-profile project with the opportunity to share the outcomes of the research to a wide audience through the Swansea University sponsorship of the half marathon, and it would be expected that the successful candidate will engage professionally with media teams and marketing where necessary.
Due to the transdisciplinary nature of this project, it is understood that the successful candidate will be experienced in some areas and less experienced in others. Most important is that the candidate is willing to engage with content and people outside their subject areas and has a broad understanding of different subject areas even if they have not studied in those areas.
Any queries please email Professor Ian Walker: ian.walker@swansea.ac.uk.
Eligibility
Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) (see country specific qualifications). Given the trans-disciplinary nature of this master's, we do not want to discourage applications from graduates of any discipline. However, applicants holding an undergraduate qualification in Psychology, Marketing, Engineering (with LCA experience) and Environmental Science are particularly encouraged. Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency.
Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA regulations.
If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in.
Funding
This scholarship covers the full cost of UK tuition fees and a stipend of £18,622.
How to Apply
To apply, please complete your application online with the following information:
• ‘Are you funding your studies yourself?’ – please select No
• ‘Name of Individual or organisation providing funds for study’ – please enter 'RS601 - Environmental Impacts'
One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.
We encourage you to complete the following to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University:
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form (online form)
As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via e-mail). We strongly advise you to provide the listed supporting documents by the advertised application closing date. Please note that your application may not be considered without the documents listed:
- CV
- Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient)
- A cover letter highlighting experience (not necessarily academic) of working with people with different skill sets and why you think you are a good fit for this MSc. Highlight any areas where you have prior experience that you think will be applicable to this project (life cycle assessment, surveying, etc.).
- Two references (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference.
- Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable).
- Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)
- Confirmation of EDI form submission (optional)
Informal enquiries are welcome - please contact Professor Ian Walker (ian.walker@swansea.ac.uk).
*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.