Critiquing screen and digital media representations of Multilateral Environmental Agreements and Negotiations

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three year PhD to commence in October 2026.

The PhD will be based in the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries, and will be supervised by Professor Cressida Bowyer, Dr Tom Sykes and Dr Oliver Gruner.

Candidates applying for this project may be eligible to compete for one of a small number of bursaries available. Successful applicants will receive a bursary to cover tuition fees for three years and a stipend in line with the UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26).Bursary recipients will also receive a total of £1,500 for project costs/consumables.

Costs for student visa and immigration health surcharge are not covered by this bursary. For further guidance and advice visit our international and EU students ‘Visa FAQs’ page.

This funded PhD is only open to new students who do not hold a previous doctoral level qualification.

Humanity is facing a triple planetary crisis consisting of the interconnected issues of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. These existential global threats require coordinated and urgent multilateral global action. The United Nations, through a number of bodies and agencies, exemplifies multilateralism by providing a platform for global cooperation on a wide range of issues. Yet the world is currently experiencing a crisis in multilateralism, compounded by growing geopolitical divisions, economic inequality and the rise of nationalism. 

The outcomes of recent multilateral negotiations, such as the failure to reach consensus during the United Nations Environment Programme Global Plastics Treaty talks, and the slow pace of progress in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change fail to reflect the urgency of action required. A key area of concern is equality of participation in multilateral talks. This is reflected in country delegations, the presence of lobbyists, and media representation. 

The media plays a critical role in shaping public perceptions of environmental issues by determining both what to think about and how to think about it. By influencing and framing public opinion, media sets the agenda and tone for environmental discourse. 

This PhD is an opportunity to identify and interrogate dominant tropes, narratives and images relating to multi-media coverage of environmental negotiations and how these inform public perceptions and policy outcomes. This critique could also engage with wider determinants shaping these representations, such as AI, gatekeeping, the political economy of the state and corporate media, and the influence of lobbies. The student should approach the project from a decolonial perspective in order to address recurrent distortions, generalisations, and misconceptions in the portrayal of environmental concerns. The project might propose an historical framework of such constructs, and could also make recommendations for more ethical, accurate and just reporting.

How to apply

We’d encourage you to contact Prof Bowyer (cressida.bowyer@port.ac.uk), Dr Sykes (tom.sykes@port.ac.uk) or Dr Gruner (oliver.gruner@port.ac.uk) to discuss your interest before you apply, quoting the project code.

When you are ready to apply, you can use our online application form. Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV. Our ‘How to Apply’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process.

If you want to be considered for this funded PhD opportunity you must quote project code FMC10030126 when applying. Please note that email applications are not accepted.