Loughborough University

World-leading energy research and teaching, and strong links with industry in an excellent learning environment.

Loughborough is one of the UK’s leading universities, and for over 100 years has produced new knowledge and understanding that permeates research and teaching at all levels. With one of the UK’s largest green campuses, it provides an uplifting environment in which to study. In UK league tables, Loughborough is one of the top five universities and has provided the best student experience for six consecutive years.

The School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering

Engineering is at the heart of global efforts to provide a safe, secure and affordable energy to our towns and cities, but architecture, construction and social and economic factors are crucial to managing energy and to the design and acceptance of resilient and low-carbon energy systems.

The School’s Building Energy Research Group (BERG) has a 45-year pedigree and forms the hub of multi-disciplinary energy research at Loughborough. Its 45 staff, Research Associates and PhD students undertake world-leading research. The Group has core strengths in resilient energy systems, low-energy building design, building performance monitoring, and modelling and prediction at the building, city and national scales. Access to supercomputer-enabled modelling and data analytics, unique laboratory test facilities, four full-scale test houses, and national-scale energy data sets, creates the UK’s premier environment for building energy research (REF2014).

Energy Resilience Research

To address the full complexity of the energy challenge, ERBE CDT students often pursue multi-disciplinary projects.  Joint supervision with staff from other Loughborough Schools is therefore common, notably electrical and electronic engineering, the social sciences and design. This wider expertise in energy systems, ergonomics and design, and human behaviour at the individual and societal level, enables new insights. Many PhD projects have immediate impact and are pursued in collaboration with stakeholder partners including national energy supply companies, building design and consultancy firms, construction companies and central government.

ERBE students are embedded in a rich, self-supporting, research environment. They are provided with their own laptop and co-located with their PhD supervisor and over 60 other PhD students. Projects are co-created with their supervisors and stakeholder partner.

The ERBE training is second to none and based on 10-years of CDT experience. With our collaborators at UCL and MaREI, we shape the energy leaders of tomorrow who go on to influence academia, practice and policy.

Who we are looking for

Applications are invited from graduates with a good first degree (1st or 2:1) in one of the following areas: physics, mathematics, engineering, chemistry, natural sciences, materials science, data analytics, computer science, statistics, social science, architecture or other building and energy-related disciplines.

Applicants with other relevant qualifications or extensive relevant industry experience who can show evidence of a scientific and engineering research capability may also apply.

Loughborough University offer funding to UK students. There are limited funded places for EU and overseas students with the same or equivalent qualifications. Self-funded students are welcome to apply.

All students must meet the minimum language requirements of the relevant organisation.

“In collaboration with our partners in industry and government, we are looking forward to training students to make an impact in the energy and buildings sector, in particular energy flexibility and resilience. We will be offering a 4 year PhD programme of training and research, that builds on the successes of the LoLo CDT in Energy Demand.”

Professor Kevin Lomas – Director at Loughborough University