Advancing InSAR for Predictive Railway Earthworks Monitoring and Risk Management at Loughborough University
Job Description
Deterioration of earthworks slopes (cuttings and embankments), which support transport infrastructure and act as flood defences, is accelerating under increasing weather extremes resulting from global change, damaging critical infrastructure resilience.
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.
Feel free to reach out to the project supervisors if you have any questions.
Entry 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.
English language requirements:
Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website.
Funding information:
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.
How to Apply:
All applications should be made online via the above ‘Apply’ button. Under Campus, please select ‘Loughborough’ and select Programme ‘Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering’. Please quote the advert reference ‘RAINDROP-NR2-InSAR’ in your application.
Please note that 1 April 2026 will be the earliest start date available for international applicants.
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.
The following selection criteria will be used by the academic school to help them make a decision on your application. Incomplete applications and those received after the advert closing date may not be considered.
