Sustainability, Water and Future Resource Security
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Civil Engineering
Abstract
This PhD studentship - 50% funded by a grant of £48k from United Utilities (UU) - builds on UoB's 20-year research portfolio in sustainability, resilience, liveability, and business models advanced and led respectively by Dr Hunt and Professor Rogers. The primary outcome will be a methodology for developing a transparent, robustly-evidenced governance framework for any infrastructure intervention, tested using industrially-supported case studies in water and wastewater systems. With senior co-supervision from UU, the research will explore all 'formal' forms of governance that shape engineering interventions in the water sector (legislation, regulation, taxation and financial incentives, codes & standards, etc.) as well as the 'informal' forms of governance (citizen and societal attitudes and behaviours, societal norms, practice norms, etc.). All of these forms of governance need to be identified, analysed and where necessary re-engineered to align with the scientific evidence, the case for change in the systems in question, and the alternative business models that deliver multiple forms of value (accounting for system interdependencies) when the intervention is implemented, otherwise the intervention will prove ineffective or fail. Industry is desperate for this missing research, as evidenced in UKCRIC's mission maps; the doctoral research is consequently expected to yield very considerable follow-on funding. All other project funding (equipment, facilities, consumables, T&S) is already secured; Lis will join, and complement, the Pipebots RF/PhD team throughout her PhD.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Dexter Hunt (Primary Supervisor) | |
Elisabeth Shrimpton (Student) |
Publications
Shrimpton E
(2022)
A Governance Framework for Implementation of Scientific and Engineering Innovation in Buried Infrastructure Systems
in Frontiers in Sustainable Cities
Bouch C
(2023)
Robotic autonomous asset management: benefit/value-based business model creation
in Infrastructure Asset Management
Vaughan D
(2021)
Marinising a terrestrial concept: Public money for public goods
in Ocean & Coastal Management
Shrimpton E
(2021)
Justice in (English) Water Infrastructure: A Systematic Review
in Sustainability
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
EP/N509590/1 | 30/09/2016 | 29/09/2021 | |||
2278805 | Studentship | EP/N509590/1 | 29/09/2019 | 29/07/2023 | Elisabeth Shrimpton |
EP/R513167/1 | 30/09/2018 | 29/09/2023 | |||
2278805 | Studentship | EP/R513167/1 | 29/09/2019 | 29/07/2023 | Elisabeth Shrimpton |
Description | Natural England Internship |
Amount | £3,902 (GBP) |
Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2021 |
End | 04/2021 |
Description | Presentation at CoP26 Glasgow, November 2021 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | The presentations formed part of a seminar entitled, 'What makes Urban Infrastructure Resilient to Weather and Climate Change? organised and presented under the United Nations 'Race to Resilence' Hub. The presentation showcased research on governance, infrastructure and urban systems and how that research is being augmented and applied to projects such as Pipebots, seeking to bring about transformational change. The presentation was entitled 'Urban Infrastructure and Resilience - the Future of Governance' and discussed some of the governance challenges to transformational change in infrastructure, the role of social and environmental justice and the potential for sensing projects such as Pipebots to form part of a just solution with far wider environmental and social benefits. These presentations show how the academic work being undertaken in the project can provide robust, evidence-backed and practical tools to help move the sector forward to benefit people and planet. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Presentation on governance and innovation in the water sector |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I prepared and delivered a formal presentation on governance and innovation in the water sector to circa 25 practitioners and academics in the sector at their invitation. This sparked numerous questions on the importance (or otherwise) of governance and inhibiting role of regulation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |