PhD Studentship in Railway Earthworks Monitoring and Risk Management at Loughborough University 2026

This project is part of the prestigious Loughborough University Vice Chancellor’s PhD Cluster – RAINDROP (Resilient eArthwork INfrastructure: Diagnosis, RehabilitatiOn & Prognosis). The Doctoral Researcher (DR) will join a cohort of DRs who will be working on a series of interlinked, interdisciplinary projects for sustainable, intelligent, and climate change-resilient infrastructure slopes.

This PhD is co-funded and co-supervised by Network Rail. The aim of this project is to enhance the utility of InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) in railway earthworks asset management. It will deliver improved InSAR techniques, including an advanced SBAS methodology and AI-driven spatial resolution upgrades, for more accurate monitoring of railway earthworks. Additionally, the project will integrate environmental data through data fusion and develop automated machine learning tools for anomaly detection and risk assessment. The effectiveness of the developed approach will be validated and refined through comparisons with alternative observations and measurements.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Documents
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineOctober 13, 2025
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorLoughborough University
• City to studyLondon
• School to studyLoughborough University
• Course to studyEngineering , Geological Sciences , Geophysics , Geoscience , Physical Sciences
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

The studentship is for three years and provides a tax-free stipend of £20,780 per annum for the duration of the studentship plus university tuition fees.

Requirements

You should be enthusiastic and self-motivated with a first-class/high 2:1 degree in a relevant engineering or physical science discipline (e.g., geophysics, earth science, geospatial engineering/science, remote sensing, computer science). A relevant master’s degree and/or employment experience will be an advantage.

Please note that 1 April 2026 will be the earliest start date available for international applicants.

Application Documents

All applications must include

• a completed studentship application form (instead of a personal statement),
• a two-page research proposal based on the project description outlining how you would approach the project,
• and an up-to-date CV.
• A personal statement is not required.

Only applicants with the minimum supporting documents will be considered for an interview. 

Application Deadline

How To Apply

All applications should be made online. Under Campus, please select ‘Loughborough’ and select Programme ‘Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering’. Please quote the advert reference ‘RAINDROP-NR2-InSAR’ in your application.

For more details, visit Loughborough University Scholarship webpage