About the Project
It is estimated that around 9 million (pre-1970s) UK homes still have lead pipes, despite lead being banned for use in water pipes in 1969. There is no safe level of lead; it accumulates in the body over time and poses significant health risks, particularly for the development of children and unborn babies.
Water companies carry out programmes of lead replacement including customer side pipe replacement. The challenge of replacing lead pipes is made harder by responsibility for replacement being split between home-owners and water companies, and low public awareness of the risks associated with this 'hidden danger'. Despite the scale and challenge of this environmental health issue, there have been surprisingly few studies exploring how to effectively promote customer adoption of lead pipe replacements (e.g. Klemick et al., 2024). This PhD aims to address this significant societal challenge by exploring the drivers of and barriers to lead pipe replacement by consumers. The outcome of the PhD will be the development of practical, evidence-based tools aimed at increasing uptake of replacement across customer groups.
Applying insights from risk research and behavioural science, the PhD will take a mixed methods approach (including using experimental methods). It has three objectives:
- To identify barriers and drivers to uptake of lead pipe replacement amongst diverse property owners (owner occupiers, private landlords, housing associations, commercial owners etc.).
- To test behaviour change interventions (e.g., different messages, timing) to drive adoption of lead pipe replacement.
- To explore upstream opportunities to embed lead pipe investigation into property conveyancing.
The studentship is funded by UKWIR, the leading independent research organisation for the UK and Irish water sector. The student will work closely with Wessex Water and other water companies to ensure the research has real-world impact in tackling this major environmental health risk.
Project keywords:
Risk perception, water, public health, behaviour change, lead
Candidate Requirements:
Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a First Class or high Upper Second Class UK Honours degree (or the equivalent) in Psychology, Marketing, or other relevant subjects. A master's level qualification would also be advantageous.
Non-UK applicants must meet our English language entry requirement by the application deadline.
Preferred start date: 11th January 2027
Enquiries and Applications:
Informal enquiries are encouraged and should be directed to Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh - lw2253@bath.ac.uk.
Formal applications should be submitted via the University of Bath's online application form for a PhD in Psychology prior to the closing date of this advert.
IMPORTANT:
When completing the application form:
- In the Funding your studies section, select 'Other' as the studentship for which you are applying, specifying 'UKWIR' in the space below.
- In the Your PhD project section, quote the project title of this project and the name of the lead supervisor in the appropriate boxes.
- Ensure that you upload to your application (in addition to the required academic documents): a personal statement (no more than 2 pages) explaining your motivation, skills, experiences related to the research area and your career plan.
Failure to complete these steps will cause delays in processing your application and may cause you to miss the deadline.
More information about applying for a PhD at Bath may be found on our website.
PLEASE BE AWARE: Applications for this project may close earlier than the advertised deadline if a suitable candidate is found. We therefore recommend that you contact the lead supervisor prior to applying and submit your formal application as early as possible.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
We value a diverse research environment and aim to be an inclusive university, where difference is celebrated and respected. We welcome and encourage applications from under-represented groups.
If you have circumstances that you feel we should be aware of that have affected your educational attainment, then please feel free to tell us about it in your application form. The best way to do this is a short paragraph at the end of your personal statement.
Funding Notes
Students applying for this project will be considered for a fully funded 3-year PhD studentship comprising payment of tuition fees at the 'Home' rate, a doctoral stipend (£21,805 per annum, 2026/27 rate) and access to funds for research expenses.
This studentship is open to those that qualify for 'Home' fees only. You will likely need to hold UK or Irish citizenship, EU (Pre-)Settled status in the UK, or another form of indefinite leave to be eligible for Home fees. Additional information may be found on our fee status guidance webpage, on the GOV.UK website and on the UKCISA website.
References
Plimmer, G. (2022). Millions of UK residents face poisoning risk from lead water pipes. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/7107f067-43d5-4030-afbc-123da2313771
Klemick, H., Wolverton, A., Parthum, B., Epstein, K., Kutzing, S., & Armstrong, S. (2024). Factors Influencing Customer Participation in a Program to Replace Lead Pipes for Drinking Water. Environmental and Resource Economics, 87, 791 - 832.