Guide the next generation of multi-disciplinary energy researchers
Our aim is to train a focussed community of pioneers dedicated to the growth of new knowledge and leadership in the wide range of areas associated with energy demand in the built environment. We believe a key foundation for this will be a steady flow of cutting-edge MRes Research Dissertation and PhD projects defined and supervised by like-minded academics from both UCL and Loughborough.
Inter-disciplinarity
With the enquiry of energy demand reduction requiring investigation of a wide range of, sometimes, disparate disciplines we are particularly keen for academics to define and supervise projects that cross domain boundaries to add new dimensions to existing disciplinary understanding and techniques.
Virtually all of our MRes and PhD students are working across disciplines. Frequently, they are drawing on theories and methods from more traditionally academic fields and applying these to energy problems. They thus need the knowledge and skills to work in a multi-disciplinary way, respecting the knowledge domain of contributing disciplines and being able to assimilate insights from multiple academic perspectives. In many cases we would like their research, particularly in the PhD, to become inter-disciplinary, through either evolution of theories and methods to the new domain of energy research, or through identification of new disciplinary niches and the intersection of their native disciplines and energy research. Such work is challenging, and greatly enhanced by co-supervision from outside the energy field.
Benefits for you
Primary or co-supervision of our students will give you the opportunity to explore the implications of your research for the energy field. It will also allow you to build working relationships with research staff within the UCL Energy Institute and within the Civil Engineering Department at Loughborough University.
Projects, both MRes and PhD, will be developed with input from our external stakeholder community and we would actively encourage new supervisors to bring new stakeholders with them into supervisory relationships with our academic staff.
We offer access to a vibrant community of stakeholders and academics dedicated to rigorous intellectual enquiry, as well as a large pool of engaging and committed students. You will help to define MRes Research Dissertation and PhD projects and supervise these alongside an Advisory Supervisor from the Centre and potentially from an external stakeholder. All students are fully funded and have an additional annual research project budget of up to £2,000/year.
Next steps
If you are interested please get in touch with one of the Centre Academic Managers at UCL or Loughborough University.
- It’s been a great pleasure to study at the UK’s premier centre for energy demand research in the built environment. The MRes at Loughborough University provided me with the broad and multidisciplinary range of knowledge and skills required for doing research in this area. The academic staff and fellow LoLo students have been very friendly and supportive which made the four years of my studies even more enjoyable. The Loughborough matched pair test houses and the centre’s generous research budget gave me the opportunity to carry out scientific experiments which made the foundation for a number of journal publications and successfully finishing my PhD in three years.
Arash BeizaeeLoLo Doctoral Research, Loughborough University - “To obtain a competitive advantage and better protect their brand, enlightened industry players are seeking to embed an understanding of energy use, carbon emissions reductions and energy demand performance in their organisation and their products / services. This requires a high level of technical resource, including appropriately trained PhD’s. LoLo is at the forefront of addressing this skills gap”
David AdamsTechnical Director, Willmott Dixon Energy Services (Chair, LoLo Advisory Board) - The MRes in Energy Demand Studies at UCL synthesises current energy demand issues and provides an opportunity to explore the issues from a multi-disciplinary angle and at different scales. It is a privilege to have been taught by the very best in the field and this combined with the nature of the taught element in small groups, supported with regular seminars and tutorials, allowed me to engage at an advanced intellectual level. As a student we also have access to staff's expertise and opportunities to draw on the UCL Energy Institute's research projects and data, supporting our own research interests and pursuits. The programme in particular provides a strong basis to become an independent researcher in the field.
Sofie PelsmakersLoLo Doctoral Researcher, UCL Energy Institute - "…I am acutely aware of the global need for energy researchers who have in-depth knowledge in energy demand reduction but also a broader knowledge of the whole energy system and an awareness of the multiple academic perspectives needed to deepen that knowledge... We believe that our industry in the UK has to actively prepare itself to tackle major strategic challenges in the coming decades, and that appropriately trained doctoral students will be key to this. UCL and Loughborough University are internationally leading universities which have research strengths across the full range of disciplines required to tackle these problems and train the next generation of researchers and leaders for the energy industry."
Pascal TerrienFormer Chair, LoLo CDT Advisory Board/R&D Programme Director - Sustainable cities, EDF - Being a part of the LoLo Centre has been a brilliant opportunity to meet like-minded people from a wide range of backgrounds, it's been very exciting to see this problem from so many different points of view which has given me an appreciation of the breadth of the issue and the number of different aspects that must be addressed in order to tackle it effectively. This multidisciplinary approach in particular is something that I don't think I would have gained in a traditional engineering department and will hopefully give depth and scope to my PhD.
Richard JackLoLo Alumni, Loughborough University - It is fantastic news that the LoLo CDT rebid has been successful. As part of the CDT I draw on training and support provided through the collaboration with Loughborough University, as well as a wide range of more general events hosted by UCL Energy Institute. Moreover, being surrounded by fellow PhD students at similar stages and working in varied but related fields means there is always someone to share experiences with.
Mike FellLoLo Doctoral Researcher, UCL Energy Institute