More than 30% of the global population live within 100km of the sea, with estuaries and coastlines home to many of the world’s largest cities.
Today, human-induced climate change is increasing both the likelihood and severity of floods and droughts, leaving coastal and estuarine populations particularly vulnerable in an uncertain future climate.
People and societies must learn to ‘live with water’ and build resilience at the individual, local, regional, national and global scales.
The Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships Centre for Water Cultures brings together experts from the sciences, arts, humanities, and health sciences to explore how our relationships with the environment must change in order to sustain cities, communities, and cultures for the generations of tomorrow.
The University’s Leverhulme grant will create at least 24 new PhD opportunities, with fully funded four-year scholarships available.
Stewart Mottram, Deputy Director at the Centre, said: “Our research recognises that water has long shaped the cultures of the many communities living in the world’s coastal and estuary regions, and that we can learn vital lessons for our future relationship with water by studying how this relationship has changed over time and across cultures.