PhD Studentship: Rainfall-Induced Slope Failure Risk (Network Rail)

About the role

The Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge offers a four-year (1+3 MRes/PhD) studentship funded through the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment (FIBE3 CDT), in collaboration with Network Rail. The project studies the risk of slope failure caused by rainfall on the UK rail network, using Network Rail data and modelling to identify where remediation is needed.

Network Rail manages the UK's rail assets, including many embankments and cuttings, and holds large amounts of data on their condition and performance. Slope failures affect safety and cause economic losses through speed restrictions, so understanding the factors behind them is critical. The project will use available databases and modelling to find the processes and conditions driving failure hotspots, such as local geology, hydrogeological conditions and drainage system performance, and will also look at how climate change alters these risks.

It will use Network Rail data to cluster slope failures, then apply centrifuge and finite element modelling to explain why certain factors matter and how future climate change affects risk. The results will help build machine learning or AI models to spot risk hotspots and focus remediation efforts.

What we offer

• Fully funded studentship covering fees and maintenance, initially available only to eligible home students; a limited number of international students may be considered later.
• A four-year programme (1 year MRes followed by 3 years PhD).

Applications are made online through the University of Cambridge Applicant Portal, stating the project title and supervisor's name, with a £20 application fee. Early applications are strongly encouraged, as an offer may be made before the deadline.