PhD Studentship: Digital twinning for post-mining environmental transitions
University of Exeter
Mining is a cornerstone industry that utilises natural capital. Downsizing or cessation of mining occurs when ore deposits become subeconomic or exhausted. The loss of a cornerstone industry, combined with limited economic diversification and negative environmental legacies, are key challenges for resilience in post-mining communities. The PhD project mission is to build sustainability on the natural capital and infrastructure foundations left behind by end-of-life extractive industries. The research has strateg...
Mining is a cornerstone industry that utilises natural capital. Downsizing or cessation of mining occurs when ore deposits become subeconomic or exhausted. The loss of a cornerstone industry, combined with limited economic diversification and negative environmental legacies, are key challenges for resilience in post-mining communities. The PhD project mission is to build sustainability on the natural capital and infrastructure foundations left behind by end-of-life extractive industries. The research has strateg...
Opportunity details
Mining is a cornerstone industry that utilises natural capital. Downsizing or cessation of mining occurs when ore deposits become subeconomic or exhausted. The loss of a cornerstone industry, combined with limited economic diversification and negative environmental legacies, are key challenges for resilience in post-mining communities. The PhD project mission is to build sustainability on the natural capital and infrastructure foundations left behind by end-of-life extractive industries. The research has strategic importance because escalating resource consumption will drive a greater number of mine sites into transition, for reopening of legacy sites, care and maintenance of marginally economic mines, or closure of mines in exhausted ore bodies. Existing strategies for decision-making about reuse of mined landscapes are not adequate. This project builds the UK-based knowledge economy for responsible mining life cycles. The ultimate goal of the project is a decision-making strategy to support mine transition, from the outset of the industrial planning stage and through mine development. Identification of opportunities for economic diversification (and thereby community resilience) must be sensitive to the physical landscape and environmental protections, to minimize industrial pressure on ecosystems. The approaches must be robust enough to apply to multiple geological and geographic contexts because there is an ever-wider range of ore deposits being exploited. The primary case studies are overland (S Wales) and underland (Isle of Portland) mine spaces that are ready for reutilisation. A digital twin is a virtual replica that will be created for each of the two primary case study landscapes. The virtual replicas will be used to model possible reuse scenario and test a...
Eligibility and requirements: Review the official provider page for the current applicant conditions and required documents.
Funding and benefits
Funding eligibility: UK Students, International Students. Funding amount: £21,805 The studentship will provide funding of fees and a stipend of £21,805 per annum for 2026/7..
How to apply
The approaches must be robust enough to apply to multiple geological and geographic contexts because there is an ever-wider range of ore deposits being exploited.
Open the official application information
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Source and verification
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Recorded source check: October 28, 2026. A stored check date does not guarantee that every field is complete or still current. Compare the provider, eligibility, funding and deadline with the live official call before applying.
Benefits
Funding eligibility: UK Students, International Students. Funding amount: £21,805 The studentship will provide funding of fees and a stipend of £21,805 per annum for 2026/7..
Eligibility summary
Requirements
Documents required
Language/test requirements
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