Study with us

The Institute hosts a vibrant group of PhD students working on climate change and environmental topics. They receive their research training in one of the School’s teaching departments, being placed according to discipline. They then carry out their research in the Institute, supervised by members of the Institute and/or by our Associates in other parts of LSE.

PhD Support Grant

We are delighted to announce that, thanks to a generous and anonymous donation from an LSE alum, we have some funds to support activities such as field work, conference attendance, training, data purchase etc. carried out by GRI and GRI-affiliated PhD students. We have received £10,000 which we will disburse during the calendar year of 2024, with further awards expected in early 2025 and 2026. Each year £10,000 will be available in total and we invite you to apply in the relevant year of your expected expenditure.

If you would like to apply for one of these grants in 2024, please send a proposal to gri.phd-enquiries@lse.ac.uk with subject line “PhD Support Grant”. The deadline for proposals is Thursday 13th June, 2024. Late proposals – including those submitted in the Autumn term – will be considered on a first come first served basis if there remain undistributed funds.

Proposals should be no more than 1-page of A4 and should include:

• A brief description of your background and PhD research topic.
• A description of the activities that the grant will support and why they are important for your research and/or personal development.
• A breakdown of how the funds will be used.
• Details of any related or additional funding being sought or already granted for the activities proposed.

Please direct any grant related queries to Prof. Stainforth (d.a.stainforth@lse.ac.uk). General enquires about the process and timelines should be directed to gri.phd-enquiries@lse.ac.uk

General PhD opportunties 

How to apply

The Institute does not handle PhD applications directly. To apply to study in an area of interest please follow the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) application process.

You should apply via the teaching department closest to your interests. This is often the Department of Geography and Environment, which has PhD programmes in Environmental Economics, and in Environmental Policy and Development. Applications to other departments such as Economics, Government, International Relations, Law, Social Policy and Statistics are also welcome.

Funding

There are various funding opportunities for Institute students, including LSE scholarships and, for EU students, scholarships from the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The Institute also awards its own scholarships, usually 1-2 each year. These are comparable to ESRC scholarships in paying your tuition fees and offering a stipend to cover living expenses. Applications are welcome on any topic within the remit of the Institute’s research.

The deadline for applying for an Institute scholarship (to start in the following autumn) is the end of the second week in December. Please provide your name, email address, applicant number, and the PhD programme and Department applied to and send in an email to Gri.Phd-Enquiries@lse.ac.uk. PhD applications can still be submitted for consideration until May but these applications will not be considered for funding. Any such applications will need to be made via your chosen teaching department (see above).

Supervision in the Institute

The following Institute staff are currently available to supervise PhD students:
Marion Dumas
Candice Howarth
Elizabeth Robinson
Misato Sato
David Stainforth
Frank Venmans

In addition, you may wish to consider our Associates.