HDR Scholarship Opportunity
Faculty of Business and Law/Sustainable Buildings Research Centre, University of Wollongong
We are looking to recruit a high-quality HDR candidate to conduct research with a multidisciplinary team of supervisors for the below project.
The successful candidate:
- Must be eligible to undertake a PhD at an Australian university
- Must be able to commence early 2023
- Must have prior education for a successful application, for example, a Bachelor’s degree AND a first-class honours OR Masters degree, see Apply to UOW: Higher Degree Research
- Will receive a 3.5-year PhD stipend from the University of Wollongong $29,863 (non taxable)
- The PhD researcher will be based at the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre, Innovation Campus, North Wollongong.
- Must email EOI to Associate Professor Matt Pepper (matthew_pepper@uow.edu.au) by the 30th November 2022
Supervision team
- Associate Professor Matt Pepper Business and Law/Centre for Supply Chain Research
- Professor Timothy McCarthy Engineering and Information Sciences/Sustainable Buildings Research Centre
- Dr Clayton McDowell Sustainability Manager, Facilities Management Division, UOW
- Dr Jonathon Mackay Business and Law/Centre for Supply Chain Research
About the project
According to the Australian Government Clean Energy Regulator, ”Scope 3 emissions are indirect greenhouse gas emissions other than scope 2 emissions that are generated in the wider economy. They occur as a consequence of the activities of an [organisation] but from sources not owned or controlled by that [organisation’s] business.” Some examples are extraction and purchase of materials, transportation of purchased fuels, use of sold products and services and flying on a commercial airline by a person from another business.
Scope 1 emissions are GHGs released to the atmosphere as a direct result of an activity of an organisation while scope 2 are the result of indirect consumption of an energy commodity. For example scope 1 would result from burning gas on site while scope 2 would be from the coal burnt to produce the electricity used at the site.
While many organisations, including the University of Wollongong, have declared carbon neutrality targets for scope 1 and scope 2, there is limited evidence of any organisations addressing scope 3. In Australia, the Clean Energy Regulator mandates GHG reporting for scopes 1 and 2 but there is no requirement to report on scope 3.
The proposed research will seek to define the context, boundaries and scope of Scope 3 emissions for the higher education sector. Specifically, this research project will examine the nature and quantity of scope 3 GHG emissions in the higher education sector. In conjunction with comprehensive stakeholder mapping and analysis, the candidate will employ techniques such as the World Resources Institute, Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standards.
Reviewing best practice from universities around the world, the research will compile a suite of scope 3 boundaries. These will be assessed against the standard to determine levels of emissions. Forward projections will be developed to account for changes to emissions throughout the value chain with time. A review of strategies to achieve reductions in scope 3 emissions will also be carried out to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Outcomes
- Definition of Scope 3 GHG emissions for higher education context.
- Comprehensive stakeholder map.
- Benchmarking global best practice and review of current strategies to achieve Scope 3 GHG emissions.
