Managing Single Use Plastics in Construction
Doctoral Training Grant Funding Information
This funding model includes a 36 month fully funded PhD Studentship, set in-line with UK Research & Innovation values. For 2025/6, this will be £20,780 per year. The tax-free stipend will be paid monthly. This PhD Studentship also includes a Full-Time Fee Scholarship for up to 3 years. The funding is subject to your continued registration on the research degree, making satisfactory progression within your PhD, as well as attendance on and successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice.
All applicants will receive the same stipend irrespective of fee status.
Application Closing Date:
Midday (UK Time) on Wednesday 17 September 2025 for a start date of 2 February 2026.
How to apply
To apply, please follow the below steps:
- Complete the BCU Online Application Form
- Complete the Doctoral Studentship Proposal Form in full, ensuring that you quote the project ID. You will be required to upload your proposal in place of a personal statement on the BCU online application form.
- Upload two references to your online application form (at least one of which must be an academic reference).
- Upload your qualification(s) for entry onto the research degree programme. This will be Bachelor/Master’s certificate(s) and transcript(s).
- International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification. Please see the list of English language qualifications accepted here. Please check the individual research degree course page for the required scores.
Frequently Asked Questions
To help support you to complete your application, please consult the frequently asked questions below:
Project title: Managing Single Use Plastics in Construction
Project Lead: Dr Solomon Adjei
Project ID: 28 - 41456693
Project description:
This project investigates the problem of the use of single life plastics in the construction industry to identify alternative solutions to reducing the environmental impacts of the problem. The project involves working with plastic manufacturers, builder’s merchants and construction teams to identify alternative approaches to manage the use of plastics, draw up a time scale for reducing single use plastics and to propose/design alternative materials to replace the use of single use plastics.
The project seeks to:
- Learn how other industries are dealing with the issue of single use plastics
- Provide a clearer understanding of the single life plastics problem mapping out the key actors and factors influencing their current practices
- Identify soft and hard measures that can influence the attitudes and behaviours towards single life plastics including organisational relationships within the supply chain
- Test the identified measures in a real-life context to determine the possible barriers and enablers
- Investigate alternative materials as a replacement for single use plastics in the construction industry
Anticipated findings and contributions to knowledge:
The research anticipates helping to project a solution to the problem of single use plastics in the construction industry which has been a big source of environmental concern to the industry.
The research hopes to help the industry understand the problem of single use plastics better by tracing the use of plastics and the waste generated throughout the entire life cycle from manufacturing, to design, handling and end of life. This is expected to help identify best practices which can be adopted by the industry to improve the environmental burden of the industry.
Beyond the immediate benefits of improving the use and management of single use plastics, this research seeks to find an alternative material which could be used in place of plastics for wrapping and transporting building materials. This will make a significant contribution to the industry, especially reduce the environmental burden and help firms to reduce their carbon footprint as well as the plastic tax anticipated to be rolled out in the industry.
Person Specification:
Entry Requirements:
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To apply for our Built Environment PhD Research Degree you should have, or expect to be awarded, a Master’s degree in a relevant subject area from a British or overseas university.
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Exceptional candidates without a Master’s degree, but holding a first class or upper second class Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject area, may be considered.
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We also welcome enquiries from potential PhD researchers with appropriate levels of professional experience.
Essential Criteria:
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Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills; ability to work independently and collaboratively.
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Understanding of sustainability principles, waste management, and data analysis software (SPSS, R, or Nvivo).
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Commitment to sustainability and effective project management is essential.
Desirable Criteria:
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Knowledge of the construction industry, environmental policy, Single Use Plastics and green certifications.
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Familiarity with LCA, BIM, and modelling/simulation tools.
Overseas Applicants
International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification, such as International English Language Test System (IELTS) or equivalent with an overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0.
Contact:
If you have any questions or need further information, please use the contact details below:
- For enquiries about the project content, please contact: Solomon.adjei@bcu.ac.uk
- For enquiries about the application process, please contact:research.admissions@bcu.ac.uk