Integrating intersectional social justice into climate policy, action and leadership

About the Project

This project is about making the theoretical and empirical case for more meaningful social inclusion and more diverse leadership in climate policy and action than currently exists in the UK. It will be located within environmental/climate politics, while being an explicity transdisciplinary project. The following is a description developed by the supervisors with the expectation that the successful candidate will have their own perspective and interests and that the final details of the project will the product of a collaborative process.

From the supervisors’ perspective, we would like the project to involve:

• a critical analysis of existing picture of power relations, justice, diversity and inclusion in the mainstream climate field.
• building on existing research in the JUST Centre and by JUST Centre academics (e.g., Snell & Middlemiss 2025; Ahmad et al. 2025; MacGregor et al. 2024, 2026; Tobin et al. 2023) to develope a novel theoretical framework for research, policy-making and leadership that i) integrates intersectionality as a method of addressing intersecting axes of difference and inequality, in particular race, gender, class, disability, and migration status, within the climate field; and ii) mobilises intersectionality to facilitate more meaningful inclusion of and leadership by hitherto othered/invisibilised/homogenised groups in the climate field.
• empirical research (either mixed qual-quant or qual only) that interrogates the transformative potential of more meaningful inclusion of and leadership by a diversity of actors and stakeholders.There is scope for the PGR to decide what this empirical research will entail and what axes/groups/actors they wish to work with (but there must be a strong evidence-based rationale for which groups will be engaged).
• an impact and comms plan, which will be embedded in the research programme from the start and have clear set of outcomes (academic and public/policy-facing) that contribute to changing thinking and action in the field.
• a publication plan.

Academic Criteria:

• Bachelor's (Honours) degree in a cognate subject at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent); and
• Master's degree in a relevant subject - with an overall average of 65% or above, a minimum mark of 65% in your dissertation and no mark below 55% (or overseas equivalent)

English Language:

All applicants must provide evidence of English language proficiency:

• IELTS test minimum score – 7.0 overall, 7.0 in writing.
• TOEFL (internet based) test minimum score – 100 overall, 25 in all sections.
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) UKVI/SELT or PTE Academic minimum score – 76 overall, 76 in writing.
• To demonstrate that you have taken an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a majority English speaking nation within the last 5 years.
• Other tests may be considered.

In line with the JUST Centre’s policy on justice, equality, diversity and inclusion (JEDI), we welcome applications from diverse applicants, especially those from under-represented groups. Candidates with an interest in transdisciplinary approaches to social science research are strongly encouraged to apply. Professional experience in climate leadership and/or racial/gender/disabilioty/LGBTQI+ justice advocacy/activism will be a desirable criterion for the studentship.

The application deadline will be 11:59PM (BST) on 29th May 2026. Apply online for a PhD Politics at the University of Manchester.

Under Section 6 Research Details select ‘Yes’ to Are you applying for an advertised project. Insert the project title as stated at the top of the advert. It is recommended when entering the name of the supervisor to simply enter this and not use the supervisor search function.

Indicate in Section 9 Funding Sources your intention to apply for the JUST Centre Studentship.

Please ensure all required supporting documents are included at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered. Your application must include the following:

• Bachelor's academic transcript and certificate.
• Master's academic transcript and certificate.
• If you have completed more than one Bachelor's or Master's degree, provide evidence for each. If your transcripts are in a language other than English, you must provide an official English translation. If your weighted average mark or GPA is not included on these documents, include an official document from your university verifying this information.
• An academic CV
• Supporting statement of a maximum of 700 words indicating why you would like to undertake this studentship and how your focus, experience, and skills link to the research outlined above
• Example of a piece of academic writing produced by you of up to 5,000 words (you may consider submitting two shorter pieces if this deals separately with conceptual and empirical analyses). This may be an academic essay or chapter(s) from a dissertation, in which case, an abstract or introduction outlining the context/aims/research questions of the study must also be included. In Section 12, upload the Writing Sample under Research Statement/Proposal and label it clearly as "Writing Sample."
• You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your most recent institution).
• A PhD Proposal is not required.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please contact Prof Sherilyn MacGregor (Sherilyn.macgregor@manchester.ac.uk)

Formal interviews: Interviews are expected to take place - TBC.

Funding Notes

3.5 year studentship starting in September 2026 covering Home fees, Stipend and RTSG.