Assessing green urban interventions to improve sustainability and biodiversity

This exciting opportunity is based within the Building, Energy and Environment research group in the Faculty of Engineering, which conducts cutting edge research into the sustainability of buildings and environmental quality of the built environment.

Vision

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to investigate the sustainability and biodiversity benefits of urban green space interventions. Working with an interdisciplinary team of academics in architecture and environmental sciences, you will contribute to new insights into the effectiveness of these interventions, helping to inform the design of future schemes aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability and biodiversity in urban contexts.

Motivation 

Urban green initiatives such as community gardens, pocket parks, and other small scale green interventions are becoming increasingly common as cities strive to improve thermal comfort, support user well being, and counteract the decline of natural ecosystems. Despite their growing popularity the environmental benefits of such interventions are not yet well quantified and there is limited research integrating sustainable architecture and ecological perspectives to address the challenges posed by climate change.

Aim

Using a combination of environmental monitoring, experimental investigation, and spatial mapping applied to selected case studies this research will assess positive environmental outcomes of selected city-wide green initiatives and evaluate established sustainability and biodiversity metrics in this context. 

Supervisory team

You will have the opportunity to work with a cross-faculty supervisory team in the key areas of sustainable architecture and ecology to advance research on green urban spaces.

You will work with:

• Dr Renata Tubelo, Assistant Professor in Sustainable Architecture and Climate Literacy, Faculty of Engineering
• Dr Lorna Kiamba, Associate Professor in Environmental Design and Architecture, Faculty of Engineering
• Professor Sofie Sjogersten, Professor in Environmental Science, Faculty of Science
• Dr Sarah Luke, Assistant Professor in Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science

Candidate requirements

Essential competences:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Independence and self-motivation
• Analytical mindset and good problem-solving skills
• Strong organisational and time management skills

Desirable competences:

• Background in architecture and interdisciplinary fields
• MSc and experience in ecology, sustainable architecture and environmental science
• Desire to undertake interdisciplinary research
• Confidence in using qualitative e.g., experimental investigation, and basic quantitative methods e.g., monitoring
• Ability to collaborate and engage to different stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills and ability to handle data confidently

Eligibility and funding

This studentship is open to UK/home and international candidates. 

After a suitable candidate is found, funding is sought from the University of Nottingham as part of a competitive process. This will cover home tuition fees and UKRI stipend.

PhD start date: October 2026

How to apply

Application deadline: 9 March 2026

To apply, please email your CV and supporting statement to Renata Camboim Salatino Tubelo at renata.tubelo@nottingham.ac.uk

The University of Nottingham actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. We - the Faculty of Engineering - provide a thriving working environment for all our postgraduate researchers (PGRs) creating a strong sense of community across research disciplines. We understand that research culture is important to our PGRs so we work closely with our Postgraduate Engineering Society and PGR research group representatives to support and enhance the postgraduate research environment.

As a PGR at the University of Nottingham you will benefit from training through our Researcher Academy’s training programme. Based within the Faculty of Engineering you will have additional access to courses developed specifically for our engineering and architecture PGRs including sessions on how to write a paper, communicating your research, and research integrity. 

We offer dedicated postgraduate study spaces, have outstanding research facilities and work in partnership with leading industrial partners.