Recruitment & Admissions

Recruitment Overview

The CEADs team brings together scholars from research institutions in China, the United Kingdom, and other countries. We are committed to studying the carbon emission characteristics of China and other emerging economies, as well as decarbonization pathways, to provide solid theoretical foundations and technical support for low-carbon and sustainable development in emerging economies. The CEADs team, based at The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, is recruiting two PhD students, with multiple scholarship opportunities available for September 2026 entry. Research directions include, but are not limited to, low-carbon technology assessment, environmental input-output table compilation and application, and multi-scale carbon-neutrality pathways.

Requirements

1. Relevant academic background (economics, environmental science, geography, or other related disciplines)

2. A master's degree obtained before August 2026

3. IELTS 7.0, with no less than 6.5 in listening, speaking, reading, and writing (or an equivalent level in another language test)

See https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/english-language-requirements for details

4. Proficiency in at least one programming language such as Python, Matlab, or R

5. Application deadline: 1 December 2025

Scholarship Opportunities

1. Full scholarship: the UCL EPSRC Landscape Award (UELA) 2026/27 project provides four years of full funding, including:

Tuition fees (£100,000)

Living stipend: at least £23,466 per year (2026/27 academic year standard, increasing annually)

Research funds: £5,000 for research-related expenses such as conferences, data collection, and software

EU Horizon project scholarship, providing three years of full funding, including:

Living stipend: at least £23,466 per year (2026/27 academic year standard, increasing annually)

Research funds: for research-related expenses such as conferences, data collection, and software

Project introduction: https://pantheon-decarbonisation.com/about-the-project/

3. UCL institutional scholarship (Research Excellence Scholarship)

How to Apply

Applicants should email the following materials to jing.j.meng@ucl.ac.uk by 1 December 2025 (subject line: PhD application _ Applicant name).

1. CV (Chinese and English versions)

2. Research interests and research proposal (2 pages)

3. Academic transcript

4. Proof of language test results (e.g., IELTS, TOEFL)

About UCL

University College London (UCL) was founded in London, UK, in 1826. It is a world-leading public research university with an outstanding reputation and was ranked 9th in the QS World University Rankings 2025. As one of the founding colleges of the University of London, it is grouped with the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and the London School of Economics as the "G5 super elite universities." UCL is a member of the United Kingdom's Golden Triangle, the Russell Group, the China-UK University Engineering Education and Research Alliance, and SES-5. UCL is known for its diverse and cutting-edge disciplines, and The Bartlett School is widely recognized as one of the world's top and most influential schools of architecture. Climate change and sustainable development are among the most important strategic priorities for The Bartlett School.

About the Supervisor

Professor Jing Meng

Professor Meng is a tenured professor at The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Science and Technology Research. She is also a researcher at the Centre for Environmental, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, University of Cambridge. Professor Meng has long been engaged in interdisciplinary research on topics such as climate change mitigation policy, integrated assessment models driven by low-carbon technology innovation, and the socioeconomic impacts of coordinated emission reduction. As first author or corresponding author, she has published more than 60 papers in journals including Nature, PNAS, Nature Energy, and Nature Climate Change (H-index = 65). She has been named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in Cross-Field for five consecutive years (2020-2024). She is currently Editor-in-Chief of npj Environmental Social Sciences and a council member of the International Input-Output Association. She received the 2023 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Global Environmental Change Early Career Award; was named one of Asia-Pacific 35 Innovators Under 35 in 2022; received the 2020 Future Leaders for Sustainable Development Award; and won the 2018 Nature Communications Earth and Planetary Sciences Top 50 Frontiers Papers Award.

Supervisor profile:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/construction/people/dr-jing-meng

Email: jing.j.meng@ucl.ac.uk