Quick access link to this webpage: https://tinyurl.com/CMMF-2026-Studentship
Applications are invited for the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation (CMMF) PhD Studentship, a fully funded opportunity for home or overseas students to pursue a full-time PhD at Durham University, one of the UK’s leading research-intensive institutions.
This prestigious Studentship is intended to support a talented individual with strong potential to undertake high-quality research that contributes to building resilience to hazards and risks affecting human societies. The award is particularly focused on research relevant to low- and middle-income populations in the Global South and is aimed at applicants who may not otherwise have the financial means to pursue doctoral study.
The Studentship offers a transformative opportunity for a candidate committed to addressing real-world challenges and producing research with beneficial impacts on people living in the areas studied.
The Studentship is generously funded by the Christopher Moyes Memorial Foundation, established in memory of Mr Christopher Moyes, OBE, to support research that seeks practical solutions to global challenges.
The successful candidate will be associated with the Durham University Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience (IHRR), and registered in the Department of Geography. Their PhD project will contribute to the IHRR’s work to promote research that helps to build resilience to hazards and risks around the world. Geography at Durham is a world-leading department ranked 11th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, and 8th in the Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.
A list of ten indicative PhD project themes and supervisory teams is provided below. These project descriptions are intended to outline the broad research focus and available expertise, rather than to define a fully fixed PhD proposal. The successful candidate will be expected to refine and develop the specific research questions, methods, and case-study focus in collaboration with their supervisory team during the early stages of the PhD.
Candidates may apply to only one project, and one CMMF Studentship will be awarded across all applicants. We particularly encourage applications from individuals who may have faced barriers to accessing postgraduate education and from underrepresented groups.
To apply for the CMMF Studentship, complete the following (each is further detailed below):
Please click on the Online application form (MS Forms) link to access and complete the form. The form will ask you to supply the information outlined below.
Please e-mail the following to pg.geogadmin@durham.ac.uk. Use the e-mail subject header “CMMF 2026_ApplicantSurname_Name”, and file name (all files combined into one PDF) “CMMF2026_ApplicantSurname_Name.pdf”.
*Please note that the University will be closed from 23 December 2025 to 5 January 2026. During this period, general enquiries and e-mails to project supervisors are unlikely to receive a response.
Click on + to the right of each title for further details and supervisors for each project.
Description: Rapid changes to the mountain cryosphere - glaciers, permafrost, and snow - are driving an evolution of both natural hazards and resource security in the world’s high mountain regions. The interaction of chronic hazards related to changing climate and freshwater supplies with catastrophic hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods, landslides, and debris flows, presents a “wicked problem” for local resilience and resource security: how can we meet increasing demand for sustainable energy in an environment of dynamic and evolving risk? This PhD project will assess how cascading mountain hazards intersect with energy infrastructure in High Mountain Asia by combining physical hazard and risk assessment with socio-economic and governance perspectives. The project will identify spatial and temporal hazard and risk hotspots under current and future climate scenarios which can feed into planning for hazard mitigation and energy security in one of the world’s most climate-sensitive regions.
Supervisors: (1) Dr Caroline Clason [Department of Geography, caroline.clason@durham.ac.uk]; (2) Prof Alex Densmore [Department of Geography, a.l.densmore@durham.ac.uk]
Description: 2026 marks the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. Rangelands cover approximately 54% of the Earth’s and 66% of Africa’s land area, supporting the livelihoods and well-being of nearly 2 billion people. However, rangeland socio-ecological systems that sustain local communities are increasingly impacted by hydrometeorological changes and hazards including drought, heat waves, and floods linked to climate change. While challenging on their own, these hazards and shifts in climate interact with biological dynamics related to water security, disease, human/livestock health, and ecological functions underpinning rangeland resilience and wellbeing. Using a systematic review and case study aligned with student-supervisor expertise, this interdisciplinary PhD project seeks to understand how evolving hydrometeorological processes interact and potentially cascade with biological hazards – such as human/animal diseases, invasive species, insect infestations, and distribution of contaminants – in African rangelands. The project will examine how such interactions affect rangeland communities, with the aim of co-developing strategies to build resilience.
Supervisors: (1) Dr Francis Masse [Department of Geography, francis.d.masse@durham.ac.uk]; (2) Dr Caroline Clason [Department of Geography, caroline.clason@durham.ac.uk]; (3) Dr Jed Stevenson [Department of Anthropology, jed.stevenson@durham.ac.uk]
Description: Indonesia is one of the most volcanically active countries in the world, with around 127 active volcanoes. Each year, millions of Indonesian and international tourists visit these landscapes, where sudden explosive activity can cause acute health impacts such as breathing difficulties, injury, and death. Tourists can be particularly vulnerable, as they are transient populations who may not recognise hazards or understand risk reduction, owing to limited awareness, preparedness, or language and cultural barriers.
This interdisciplinary PhD project will analyse the exposure and vulnerability of tourists to volcanic hazards in the Indonesian cultural context, using a case study approach. It will explore knowledge and hazard perceptions (of tourists, guides and hosting communities), communication strategies, and mitigation to support safe and sustainable geotourism. The project will also document the spatial and temporal variations in tourists’ exposures, and potential interventions. The successful student will be trained in social research methods and volcanological hazards. When applying for this project, in your “Fit to Project” please also explain any prior experience with social research data collection and analyses.
Please can prospective applicants send introductory emails to supervisors (1), (2) AND (3)
Supervisors: (1) Prof Michael Crang (Department of Geography; m.a.crang@durham.ac.uk); (2) Prof Claire Horwell (Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University; claire.horwell@durham.ac.uk); (3) Dr Julia Crummy (British Geological Survey; juli@bgs.ac.uk);
Other supervisors include: (4) Dr Melanie Duncan (British Geological Survey; md@bgs.ac.uk); (5) Dr Dicky Pelupessy (Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Indonesia; dickypsy@ui.ac.id); (6) Dr N. Rahma Hanifa (National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia; nura010@brin.go.id)
Description: This PhD project will address key knowledge gaps in how immersive technologies (Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and participatory community demonstrations) can more effectively support community-facing landslide risk reduction. Although such tools are increasingly used in hazard communication, little is known about how they influence real-world preparedness, how communities interpret interactive risk information, or how to represent uncertainty without undermining trust. Existing evaluation approaches also rarely reflect the complexities of local hazard contexts.
This project will develop and test immersive tools that simulate landslide scenarios, visualise early-warning information, and illustrate mitigation options, co-designed with local stakeholders to ensure cultural relevance and accessibility. Conducted in a locality that the candidate chooses, where landsliding significantly affects daily life, the research will use mixed methods to investigate changes in awareness, decision-making, and preparedness over time. A central focus will be creating intuitive strategies, such as environmental visual cues, narrative framing, and layered information, to communicate scientific uncertainty responsibly. The PhD will generate evidence-based guidance for integrating immersive technologies into sustainable, locally grounded landslide risk-reduction programmes.
Prospective candidates should have an interest and background in risk, mixed methods approaches, the geoscience of hazards, and a willingness to undertaken fieldwork in landslide-prone regions. Desirable criteria might include a greater awareness and experience of local cultural and social settings, familiarity with innovative visualisation technologies (AR/VR), and/or practitioner experience in disaster risk reduction.
Supervisors: (1) Prof Nick Rosser (Department of Geography, n.j.rosser@durham.ac.uk); (2) Prof Bruce D Malamud (Department of Geography and Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience, bruce.malamud@durham.ac.uk]bruce.malamud@durham.ac.uk)
Description: Distributed hazards frequently trigger cascading disruptions across essential networks, and these impacts are often most acute for the poorest communities in the Global South, who depend on fragile infrastructure and have limited access to alternatives when systems fail. This PhD project theme examines how inherent traits of networked systems influence their vulnerability to different hazard shocks, and explores how much information about an impending hazard is necessary to produce actionable insights for preparedness, especially in settings marked by structural inequality. The student will have flexibility to select the case study context within the Global South, the type of network (e.g., road, energy, water, or communications), and the hazard or multi-hazard scenario(s) to be investigated. The student will draw from different disciplines that are already working on specific aspects of this theme, by using a critical literature review. Afterwards, methods might include grid-based or network analysis, scenario modelling, workshops, or interviews within a mixed-methods approach. The intended outcome is a clearer understanding of network characteristics that shape vulnerability to distributed hazards, supporting more anticipatory and equitable risk management for populations with the least capacity to absorb disruption.
Supervisors: (1) Prof Alexander Densmore [Department of Geography, a.l.densmore@durham.ac.uk]; (2) Prof Bruce D Malamud [Department of Geography and Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience, bruce.malamud@durham.ac.uk]
Description: Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers significant potential for improving hazard monitoring, predictive analytics, and infrastructure decision-making, its adoption in the Global South remains fragmented due to socio-technical, organisational, institutional, and governance constraints. This PhD project investigates how Responsible Artificial Intelligence (RAI) can be implemented to strengthen hazard and risk evaluation within resilient infrastructure systems in the Global South. Grounded in a human-centred project governance perspective, the study will examine current AI applications in infrastructure and hazard-related projects and explore how RAI principles can be embedded into governance processes throughout the project life cycle. Depending on the direction the student wishes to pursue within the supervisory team’s areas of expertise, the research may involve a systematic literature review and empirical fieldwork, such as an industry-wide survey, expert interviews, or case-based assessments. The project will map existing practices, identify governance gaps, and analyse how stakeholder, data, algorithmic, and impact governance interact to shape responsible AI implementation. The intended outcome is a comprehensive human-centred project governance framework tailored to the realities of the Global South, offering actionable pathways for context-appropriate, sustainable, and responsible AI adoption in hazard and risk evaluation.
Supervisors: (1) Prof Bruce D Malamud [Department of Geography and Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience, bruce.malamud@durham.ac.uk]; (2) Dr Qian Zhang [Department of Engineering, qian.zhang2@durham.ac.uk]
Description: Weather-related hazards—such as droughts, heat extremes, flooding, and crop disease—can trigger cascading disruptions across local, regional, and global food systems, with the poorest and most food-insecure communities in the Global South often bearing the greatest impacts. This PhD project has two interconnected components. First, the student will investigate how hazard shocks propagate through food networks and explore whether concepts from complex systems and network theory—such as critical slowing down, fragility metrics, or tipping-point indicators—can provide early warning signals of synchronous or cascading failure. The student will be free to define the scale, hazards, and methodological emphasis in line with the interdisciplinary supervisory expertise. Second, the student will examine how these hazard-related risks can be communicated effectively to policymakers, researchers, NGOs, and vulnerable communities. This may involve risk communication research, scenario development, qualitative inquiry, or mixed-methods approaches. Together, these components aim to support more anticipatory and equitable food system resilience.
Supervisors: (1) Prof Bruce D Malamud [Department of Geography and Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience, bruce.malamud@durham.ac.uk]; (2) Prof Robert Song [Department of Theology and Religion, robert.song@durham.ac.uk]
Description: This PhD project investigates how communities in the Global South build resilience to wildfire hazards through locally grounded, socially just forms of governance. Focusing on regions where fire risk intersects with existing social vulnerabilities, land dispossession, and climate volatility, this project examines how pre-existing inequalities shape exposure, response capacity, and the possibilities for long-term transformation. Using an integrated methodology, the study combines machine-learning analysis the student will develop statistical and machine learning models to explain the occurrence of wildfires, climate drivers, and socio-environmental vulnerability with qualitative, decolonial fieldwork centred on local knowledge, lived experience, and community priorities. By bringing these approaches together, this PhD project aims to investigate alternative understanding, community-led resilience pathways that move beyond technocratic early-warning models and towards approaches grounded in justice, dignity, and local voice. The findings will offer actionable insights for strengthening resilience to hazards in the fragile settings while addressing the structural conditions that reproduce risk. This proposal offers a timely, methodologically innovative project that combines current methods in machine learning with critical, justice-oriented hazard research to generate genuinely transformative insights for resilience in the Global South. We are looking for applicants with a strong foundation in machine learning or advanced quantitative analysis, who can work confidently with complex environmental datasets, and are also ready to think critically and reflexively about hazards, risk, justice, and resilience in diverse Global South contexts.
Supervisors: (1) Dr Mildred Ajebon [Department of Geography, m.o.ajebon@durham.ac.uk]; (2) Dr Andrés Luque (Department of Geography, a.e.luque@durham.ac.uk); (3) Prof Bruce D Malamud [Department of Geography and Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience, bruce.malamud@durham.ac.uk]
Description: The Western Himalaya faces escalating multi-hazard risks, including recurrent floods, landslides, and slope failures that disproportionately affect marginalised forest-dependent communities. This project investigates how governance regimes—particularly those shaping forest land, tenure, and settlement—produce uneven patterns of hazard exposure, vulnerability, and resilience. State narratives that attribute disasters to “encroachment,” ecological fragility, or local livelihoods often legitimise evictions and restrict land and resource rights, obscuring the historical and structural processes that make habitation both necessary and precarious. Combining ethnography, socio-legal analysis, and archival research, the student will examine how legal categories, forest management practices, and development trajectories intersect with hazard dynamics to shape everyday experiences of risk, belonging, and security. The project offers flexibility for the student to focus on specific communities, hazard types, or governance processes. The overarching aim is to generate a decolonial understanding of how rights, land governance, and resilience are negotiated in one of South Asia’s most hazard-prone mountain regions.
Supervisors: (1) Dr Penelope Anthias (Department of Geography, penelope.f.anthias@durham.ac.uk); (2) Prof Marcus Power (Department of Geography, marcus.power@durham.ac.uk)
Description: Flooding is one of the most disruptive and rapidly intensifying climate hazards in the Global South, where communities heavily rely on linear transportation systems—such as highways, arterial roads, and rail corridors—for mobility, access to services, and supply-chain continuity. This project develops an integrated framework combining hydrological flood modelling with machine learning–based rainfall and inundation prediction to identify hazard hotspots and exposure patterns along critical transport corridors. Building on these hazard layers, the project will evaluate infrastructure vulnerability, service disruption, and cascading socio-economic impacts, with a particular focus on supply-chain interruptions, access to healthcare, and community mobility. An agent-based simulation component will capture behavioural responses of travellers, freight operators, and emergency services under different flood scenarios, enabling assessment of adaptive strategies and equitable resilience outcomes. The project aims to produce policy-ready tools and guidance for improving transport resilience and reducing social vulnerability in climate-exposed regions of the Global South.
Supervisors: (1) Prof Sim Reaney (Department of Geography, sim.reaney@durham.ac.uk); (2) Dr Nima Gerami-Seresht (Department of Engineering, nima.gerami-seresht@durham.ac.uk)
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