Fully Funded MSc by Research: Environmental Impacts of Swansea Half-Marathon and Other Large Events Moving to Net Zero

Funding providers: Swansea University

Subject areas: Psychology, Environmental Science / Engineering, Environmental Engineering (Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Psychology)

Start date: 

• 1 July 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-June)
• 1 October 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-September)

Project description:

Hosting large events is big business, worth >£40 billion in the UK alone. However, the event industry has a high environmental impact and there is an increasing drive to reduce this. For example, in the entertainment industry, Coldplay’s pledge to reduce their emissions by 50%.

If we are to move towards a sustainable society, engineers and social scientists need to work together to ensure that technology developments are effective in reducing environmental impacts. This project will give the successful applicant the opportunity to build skills in both disciplines. 

The student will work with Front Runner (the organiser of the Swansea Half Marathon) to measure the environmental impact using life cycle assessment (LCA) of the Swansea Half Marathon and the effect of changes made by the organiser to make the event more sustainable. This part of the research will be supported by a supervisor in the department of Mechanical Engineering.  

The second part of the research will measure competitors and sponsors' reaction to these changes in order to support consequential life cycle analysis of the changes (e.g. what happens if the event stops giving out free t-shirts – is there a real saving or do people choose an event with free t-shirts instead?)

This is a high-profile project with the opportunity to share the outcomes of the research to a wide audience through the Swansea University sponsorship of the half marathon, and it would be expected that the successful candidate will engage professionally with media teams and marketing where necessary.

Due to the transdisciplinary nature of this project, it is understood that the successful candidate will be experienced in some areas and less experienced in others. Most important is that the candidate is willing to engage with content and people outside their subject areas and has a broad understanding of different subject areas even if they have not studied in those areas. 

Eligibility

Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University). Given the trans-disciplinary nature of this master's, we do not want to discourage applications from graduates of any discipline. However, applicants holding an undergraduate qualification in Psychology, Marketing, Engineering (with LCA experience) and Environmental Science are particularly encouraged. Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency.

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is open to applicants eligible to pay tuition fees at the UK rate only, as defined by UKCISA regulations . 

Additional Salary Information

This scholarship covers the full cost of UK tuition fees and a stipend of £18,622.