PhD studentship in Travel Behavior

Quality of Life and Travel Complexity in the Changing Urban Environment
(In collaboration with MRC-McLean Hazel Ltd, an Edinburgh-based
transport consultancy)

This PhD studentship will use complex secondary datasets to explore
how travel patterns and behaviour (including commuting and other
trips) have changed over time in urban Britain. The project will study
the effect of demographic restructuring, including the growth of more
single person households, on travel patterns, as well as geographical
variations in travel behaviour between cities, towns and rural areas
in Britain. Of particular interest will be the links between travel
behaviour and quality of life, including health, housing, social
inclusion and general well-being. It is hypothesised that because of
demographic and societal restructuring travel behaviour is becoming
more complex, and transport policy therefore much more interdependent
with a range of urban policy areas. By unpacking the explicit links
between transport and other aspects of quality of urban life, more
efficacious urban policies can be defined, implemented and evaluated.

[University Supervisors: Paul Boyle and Maarten van Ham]

The successful applicant will join the School’s Population, Health and
Welfare Research Group, and will also play an active role in the
ESRC-funded Longitudinal Studies Centre – Scotland and the ESRC-funded
Centre for Population Change. The School is an internationally
renowned, exciting and innovative centre which is well resourced and
provides a supportive environment for postgraduate study. The
successful applicant will work closely with academic staff at the
forefront of the discipline.

The studentship is offered as +3 award, and requires the applicant to
have a Masters degree in a relevant social science discipline.
Applications from individuals with applied or business/industrial
experience are also welcome. The studentship will start in October
2008 and includes payment of tuition fees (at the EU rate) and an
annual stipend of £14,300. Further details can be obtained from Paul
Boyle (P.Boyle@st-andrews.ac.uk).

Deadline for submission of application: Wednesday 30th July at 5pm

Submission of Application

Application for this position should include: (i) a full CV (including
a full academic history and contact details of 2 referees including
their email addresses) and (ii) a brief covering letter explaining why
you are interested in the project and how your skills, attributes and
experience make you a good candidate for the award.

Once completed return them to:

Helen Olaez
School of Geography and Geoscience
University of St Andrews
St Andrews KY16 9AL

or electronically to Helen at ho10@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Please note that an offer of a studentship is dependent on acceptance
of your application by the University at which time you will be
required to provide evidence of qualifications.