The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Sustainable Civil Engineering, launched in 2014, provides a different type of doctoral training experience. CDTs aim to train future experts for industry and research, retaining the depth, rigour and focus of a conventional PhD while providing a broad training experience through a taught component, the Grand Challenge Project and cohort based activities.

Research undertaken by the CDT is at the very forefront of research in sustainable civil engineering across six key themes:  uncertainty associated with future change, whole life cycle, delivering maximum value from existing infrastructure, multiple use infrastructure, developing the circular economy and low carbon construction. This research spans across all major areas of research within the Department.

The CDT has a number of core industrial partners who represent a strong collaborative team from across the major industrial sectors associated with sustainable civil engineering. These core partners include Anglian Water, Arup, Atkins, Bam Nuttall, Buro Happold, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, EIT Climate KIC, GCG, Laing O’Rourke, MWH, Robert Bird Group, CSI, Shell, and Useful Simple Trust.

Industrial partnerships and strong collaborations are central to the CDT funding model, which is based around a 50:50+ funding scheme for each studentship. Leveraging EPSRC investment, the CDT provides a cost effective mechanism for industry to support and contribute to high quality collaborative civil engineering research.

Read more on the CDT here and watch our video below