CEADs Team: Professor Yuli Shan at the University of Birmingham Recruiting PhD Students
Professor Yuli Shan's research group at the University of Birmingham, part of the CEADs team, is recruiting PhD students for autumn 2026 entry. The group can support applications for fully funded scholarships including CENTA, Centre-UB, ESRC, and CSC.
Main Research Areas
Multi-scale greenhouse gas emission inventories: integrating bottom-up and top-down methods, together with IPCC methodologies, machine learning, satellite inversion, and related approaches, to develop multi-scale emission inventories with a focus on developing countries;
Low-carbon technologies and emission reduction pathways for key sectors: assessing the mitigation potential, costs, and co-benefits of conventional and emerging low-carbon technologies for power, industry, transport, buildings, and other key sectors, and developing technology pathways and implementation strategies for deep sectoral decarbonization;
Lifestyle change and demand-side emission reduction: starting from consumer behavior and everyday practices, quantifying the emission reduction contribution of lifestyle change in the AI era and analyzing its driving mechanisms, to support the transition toward low-carbon and sustainable lifestyles.
Admission Requirements
Applicants should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a master's degree in climate change, environmental science, geography, economics, behavioral science, or a related discipline. Undergraduate study should meet the UK 2:1 honours degree standard or an equivalent level;
IELTS 6.5, with no component below 6.0, or an equivalent English language qualification. Please refer to the University of Birmingham admissions website for details;
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/apply/international-entry-requirements
Applicants with research experience in input-output analysis (IO), life cycle assessment (LCA), integrated assessment models (IAM), machine learning, inversion models, or related methods are preferred;
Applicants with relevant publication experience and proficiency in at least one programming language (Matlab / Python / R) are preferred.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should send the following materials to y.shan@bham.ac.uk by November 20, 2025. Email subject: Ph D Application 2026 - Your Name.
CV in English
Personal statement: research interests and research experience (1 page, in English)
Research proposal (2 pages, in English)
Contact information for two referees (name, affiliation, email)
Available Scholarship Programs
CENTA PhD Studentship
Deadline: January 7, 2026
Research topic: focusing on integrated technology-behavior pathways to address key bottlenecks in residential decarbonization.
Funding: full tuition fees; UKRI standard doctoral stipend (GBP 20,780 for the 2025/26 academic year); research and training support grant (GBP 8,000).
https://centa.ac.uk/studentship/2026-b27-techno-behavioural-pathways-for-net-zero-housing-retrofits-nz-housing
Program highlights:
Use LCA methods to assess the emission reduction potential of residential decarbonization technologies;
Use behavioral modeling to reveal the influence of resident behavior on decarbonization outcomes;
Combine IAM approaches to assess the synergies, performance gaps, and rebound effects of technologies and behavior;
Collaborate with the international energy and services company EQUANS, with a 3-18 month placement opportunity;
Participate in the UKRI-funded INHABIT research project.
ESRC PhD Studentship
Deadline: December 1, 2025
Research topic: applicant-defined, referring to the admission requirements, and aligned with the strategic priorities of the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/mgsdtp/studentships/howtoapply/
Centre-UB PhD Studentship
Deadline: January-February 2026
Research topic: behavioral mechanisms and emission reduction effects of low-carbon lifestyles in the AI era.
https://www.centre-ub.org/studentships/
CSC China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship
Deadline: January-February 2026
Research topic: applicant-defined, referring to the admission requirements, and aligned with priority funding areas such as sustainable cities.
Supervisor Profiles
Professor Yuli Shan
Professor in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham, and Director of the Joint Centre for Climate, Environment and Health (co-established with Nanjing University). He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Highly Cited Researcher, a contributing author to the IPCC Sixth and Seventh Assessment Reports, and a lead author of China's Fifth National Climate Change Assessment Report.
Professor Shan has long focused on the development of methods for compiling multi-scale greenhouse gas emission inventories. He co-founded China Emission Accounts and Datasets (CEADs) and conducts interdisciplinary research on climate change mitigation and regional sustainable development, providing data support and theoretical foundations for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality governance practices at multiple levels. He has published more than 100 SCI/SSCI papers in leading international and Chinese journals including CNS sub-journals, Science Bulletin, and National Science Review. He has led or participated in multiple research projects funded by the Royal Society, UK research councils, the EU Horizon program, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He has received more than 30 academic honors, including recognition among the world's top 2% scientists, the German Green Talents Award, the Chinese Society for Industrial Ecology Young Scholar Award, and the University of Birmingham Founders' Award. He serves as an editor for Science Bulletin, Sustainable Futures, and Scientific Data, and holds roles including board member of the Sustainable Urban Systems section of the International Society for Industrial Ecology and executive council member of the Chinese Input-Output Association.
Personal webpages:
https://www.shanyuli.com;
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/gees/shan-yuli
Professor Zongbo Shi
Professor in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and a member of the European Association of Geochemistry. His research focuses on air pollution, global geochemical cycles, and related fields. He has published more than 100 SCI papers in journals including Science Advances and Environmental Science & Technology. He previously served as coordinator of the major UK-China research program on air pollution and human health in Chinese megacities, and has led multiple major research projects funded by UKRI and the Wellcome Trust, with total funding exceeding GBP 10 million. He has also participated in several major projects. He currently chairs a Natural Environment Research Council review panel under UK Research and Innovation and serves as an academic editor for Environmental Chemistry and PLOS ONE.
Personal webpage:
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/gees/shi-zongbo
About the University
The University of Birmingham is a world top-100 university. Founded in 1825, it is located in Birmingham, the United Kingdom's second-largest city. It is ranked 76th in the QS World University Rankings, 93rd in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and 94th in the U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings. It was ranked first among UK universities most targeted by top employers in 2024 (High Fliers Research report), and received Gold in the UK Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in 2017. The University of Birmingham is one of the UK's red brick universities. It received a Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1900 and is a founding member of the Russell Group, Midlands Innovation, the Universitas 21 network, and the global alliance of advanced study institutes. The university has educated 11 Nobel Prize winners, three UK prime ministers, and five foreign heads of government. Notable alumni include UK prime ministers Stanley Baldwin, Neville Chamberlain, and Robert Anthony Eden; Nobel laureate and inventor of the mass spectrometer Francis Aston; Li Siguang, the founder of modern Chinese geology; Yao Tongbin, a contributor to China's Two Bombs, One Satellite program; and Ke Jun, a founder of metal physics and metallurgical history in China.
Climate change, sustainability, and environmental science are among the University of Birmingham's strengths and strategic priorities. In the latest UK Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), the Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences area in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) ranked third in the UK. The school has a strong academic tradition; Li Siguang, the founder of modern Chinese geology, graduated from the school. Its academic team includes Professor Roy Harrison, Fellow of the Royal Society; Professor Peter Kraftl, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences; and Professor David Hannah, UNESCO Chair in Water Sciences.
In addition, the University of Birmingham has established international research platforms including the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action (BISCA) and the Joint Centre for Climate, Environment and Health (co-established with Nanjing University). These platforms combine climate science, emission reduction technologies, environmental governance, policy design, and social behavior change, helping translate research outcomes into policy, urban, community, and industry practice. They provide doctoral students with a high-quality research environment for interdisciplinary training, policy engagement, and international collaboration.
