MSCA Doctoral Researcher

Salary: £42,702.19 per annum
Plus mobility allowance: £5,926.92 per annum
Plus a family allowance: subject to eligibility, which may be applied for following appointment

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 20 October 2026

The Role

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD position at Newcastle University as part of i3WaterS – Intelligent, Innovative and Integrative Water Systems, a European Doctoral Network funded under the Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions programme.

The i3WaterS network brings together leading universities, research centres, technology developers, and water utilities across Europe. The project will train 15 Doctoral Candidates to develop innovative, AI-driven approaches for intelligent, resilient, and sustainable water systems.

Water distribution systems are increasingly exposed to water scarcity, climate change, infrastructure deterioration, operational uncertainty, and extreme events. i3WaterS addresses these challenges through the integration of data, expert knowledge, computational models, digital twins, and advanced artificial intelligence within a new intelligent decision-support framework.

This position corresponds to Doctoral Candidate 15 (DC15):

Enhancing water distribution management through District Information Areas: A data-driven approach to optimisation and automation

The successful candidate will develop the concept of District Information Areas for Smart Water Systems (DIAS). These will operate as data-informed virtual subnetworks that complement existing District Metered Areas and support coordinated, semi-autonomous decision-making within water distribution systems.

The research will investigate how network connectivity, sensor information, smart-meter data, operational conditions, and information from neighbouring areas can be integrated to assess local network health and support more efficient and resilient system operation.

The project will also examine how the configuration and coverage of monitoring systems can be improved to provide a more representative view of the physical infrastructure and contribute to the development of large-scale digital twins for water distribution systems.

This is a 36-month full-time position, expected to commence on 1 January 2027.

The successful candidate will be enrolled in the PhD programme at Newcastle University and supervised by:

• Main Supervisor: Dr Manuel Herrera, Newcastle University, UK
• Co-supervisor: Dr Lucia Alexandra Popartan, University of Girona, Spain
• Co-supervisor: Dr David Ayala-Cabrera, University College Dublin, Ireland
• Industrial Mentor: An expert from Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, UK

How to Apply

Candidates should submit their application through a formal application via the Newcastle University application system. Please outline in your application how you meet the eligibility, academic requirements, skills and qualifications needed for this post, as outlined in the person specification, as well as any further knowledge, skills, experience or qualifications that you feel are relevant to the post

Applications should include the following documents in English:

• Academic certificates and full transcripts (pdf format)
• A detailed curriculum vitae, including all academic degrees, dates, and awarding institutions
• Information on the candidate’s country of residence and main activity during the 36 months immediately preceding the expected recruitment date
• Documentary evidence supporting the qualifications, experience, and achievements included in the CV
• A motivation letter of no more than two pages explaining the candidate’s interest in the position and suitability for the research project

Information included in the CV that is not supported by appropriate evidence may not be considered during the assessment.

For informal enquiries about the position, please contact:

Dr Manuel Herrera ,School of Engineering, Newcastle University
Email: manuel.herrera@newcastle.ac.uk

Key Accountabilities

• Develop and implement a District Information Area framework based on network connectivity, shared data, and operational interdependencies.
• Investigate approaches for defining adaptive or virtual subnetworks that complement existing District Metered Areas.
• Develop methods for semi-autonomous local decision-making while maintaining coordination across the wider water distribution system.
• Integrate information from sensors, smart meters, network models, and neighbouring areas to assess local infrastructure condition and operational performance.
• Apply network science, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and decision-support methods to water distribution management.
• Investigate monitoring coverage and sensor placement requirements for representative and reliable assessment of the physical network.
• Contribute to the development of an integrated, large-scale digital twin of the water distribution system.
• Evaluate the proposed methods using operational or experimental water utility case studies.
• Work collaboratively with academic and industrial partners across the i3WaterS network.
• Undertake the research required for the award of a PhD at Newcastle University.
• Publish research findings in relevant peer-reviewed journals and present the work at international conferences, workshops, and network events.
• Participate actively in the i3WaterS training programme, Doctoral Board activities, dissemination, and public-engagement events.

The expected research outcomes include:

• Improved management of District Metered Areas through decisions informed by local network evaluation and information from neighbouring areas.
• More effective and resilient coordination of operational decisions across water distribution systems.
• Improved monitoring strategies that provide more comprehensive representation of network condition and behaviour.
• New methods supporting the development and operation of large-scale digital twins for smart water systems.

Training, Support and Development

• A 36-month full-time employment contract and enrolment in a Newcastle University PhD programme.
• An international and interdisciplinary supervisory team involving academic and industrial experts.
• A personalised Career Development Plan covering research, technical, professional, and transferable skills.
• Access to Newcastle University research facilities, computing resources, and relevant water infrastructure datasets and models.
• Participation in an international Doctoral School delivered across the i3WaterS network.
• Network-wide training schools, workshops, seminars, and scientific events.
• Opportunities to work directly with European water utilities, research institutions, and technology partners.
• Support to attend international conferences, publish research outputs, and undertake dissemination activities.

The i3WaterS training programme integrates expertise in areas including:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Explainable and trustworthy AI
• Knowledge representation and semantic technologies
• Multi-agent systems and intelligent decision-support systems
• Digital twins and smart water systems
• Hydroinformatics and water engineering
• Network monitoring and data management
• High-performance computing and large-scale data analysis
• Innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer
• Scientific communication and transferable skills

Training activities will be organised through an international mobility programme involving events in Barcelona, Dublin, Bordeaux, Delft, Brussels, and Newcastle

Foreseen Secondments

The candidate will undertake two international secondments within the i3WaterS network.

University of Girona, Spain

A three-month secondment is expected to begin around month 23 of the project, under the supervision of Dr Lucia Alexandra Popartan.

The candidate will receive specialised training in socio-natural systems, water and socio-technical transitions, environmental justice, sustainable cities, and relevant AI methods. The secondment will also support data collection, methodological development, and interaction with other i3WaterS Doctoral Candidates.

Aguas de Cartagena, Colombia

A two-month secondment at Aguas de Cartagena, Colombia, is expected to begin around month 34, under the mentorship of Mr Barrera Medina. The candidate will test and validate the research methods and findings within an operational water utility, assessing their practical applicability and supporting their transfer to a real-world water distribution management context.

The Person

Applicants must satisfy the eligibility requirements of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks programme.

At the date of recruitment:

• Applicants must not have been awarded a doctoral degree.
• Applicants may be of any nationality.
• Applicants must comply with the MSCA mobility rule. They must not have resided or carried out their main activity, including work or studies, in the United Kingdom for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding the recruitment date. Short stays, such as holidays, are not normally taken into account.
• Applicants must meet the requirements for admission to a doctoral programme at Newcastle University.
• The successful candidate will be employed full time and will work exclusively on the i3WaterS project during the funded employment period.

Academic Requirements

Applicants should have, or expect to obtain, at least a 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant discipline, including:

• Civil Engineering
• Water or Environmental Engineering
• Computer Science
• Statistics or Data Science
• Applied Mathematics
• Systems or Control Engineering
• Another discipline directly relevant to the proposed research

A relevant Master’s degree is desirable but is not essential where the applicant can demonstrate equivalent knowledge or research experience.

Skills and Qualifications

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• A strong interest in water distribution systems, smart water infrastructure, or infrastructure management.
• The ability to undertake quantitative and computational research.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience or demonstrable potential in programming using Python, R, Julia, MATLAB, or a related language.
• The ability to work with complex datasets and computational models.
• The ability to communicate research clearly in written and spoken English.
• The capacity to work independently and manage a long-term research project.
• A collaborative approach and willingness to work within an international, multidisciplinary network.

Knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas would be advantageous:

• Water engineering and hydraulic modelling
• Asset management and infrastructure resilience
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Trustworthy or explainable AI
• Network science and graph-based methods
• Decision-support systems
• Digital twins
• Sensor networks and smart-meter data
• Data integration and interoperability
• Optimisation and automation
• Scientific writing using LaTeX

Applicants are not expected to have experience in every area listed. Training will be provided through Newcastle University and the wider i3WaterS network.

English Language Requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English will normally require an IELTS score, or recognised equivalent, of 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.

Depending on their nationality and programme requirements, international applicants may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance certificate before applying for a visa or commencing the programme.

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29774