PhD project summary:
Extreme heat has emerged as one of the most immediate and unequal consequences of climate change for London (Romanello et al., 2025). The summer of 2025 was the hottest on record, with four amber weather warnings issued for heat and over 500 estimated excess deaths nationally, including 129 in London (Met Office, 2025). These figures underscore a growing crisis: heat risk is no longer a future concern but a current and escalating threat to health, wellbeing, and local resilience.
In London, and particularly in inner boroughs such as Lambeth, the impacts of heat are amplified by social, economic, and environmental inequalities. Many residents live in older or poorly insulated housing with limited access to cooling or green space, while others face financial and health barriers that make them especially vulnerable. Evidence shows that homes across the UK—especially in London—are already at high risk of overheating, with the capital identified as the country’s most exposed region (Arup, 2022). In boroughs such as Lambeth, local assessments indicate that certain neighbourhoods fall within the top 10 percent of areas most affected by heat inequality, driven by housing conditions, health vulnerabilities, and limited adaptive capacity (Greater London Authority & London Borough of Lambeth, n.d.). These spatial inequalities mirror broader health disparities: residents in poorer or overcrowded homes face greater exposure to heat and associated health risks (Institute of Health Equity, 2022; Ageing Better, 2021). As such, the intersection of heat, housing, health, and poverty means that climate adaptation is not just an environmental challenge but a behavioural, social, and policy challenge (Georgiadou et al., 2024).
This PhD project, a partnership between King’s College London and Lambeth Council, seeks to understand how behavioural and community-level interventions can enhance resilience to extreme heat. Drawing on insights from behavioural science, public policy, and economics, the research will explore how individuals and organisations perceive heat risk, what motivates or constrains adaptive behaviour, and how local government and community actors can design more effective interventions.
The project will focus on the role of voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations as trusted intermediaries that connect vulnerable residents with support and information. It will examine how behavioural insights—such as nudges, reflection and boosts—can be used to increase uptake of adaptive actions (e.g., cooling practices, early help-seeking, home modifications). The study will also investigate how local institutions can rapidly mobilise resources when heat events are forecast with limited warning.
Through a mix of qualitative research, behavioural field experiments, and policy co-production with Lambeth Council and community partners, the PhD will generate practical, evidence-based insights on how to reduce heat-related harm in vulnerable communities. It will draw inspiration from behavioural science research, particular recent studies that seek to boost citizen competence (Hertwig &Grüne-Yanoff 2017). The idea will be to develop tools that can enable citizens to make more informed choices and so they understand the information they have been given by public authorities, much of which is technical and specialised. Making information citizen centric is therefore a key underlying rationale for this project.
Supervisor(s):
Sanchayan Banerjee: sanchayan.1.banerjee@kcl.ac.uk
Peter John: peter.john@kcl.ac.uk
CASE non-academic partner: Lambeth Council Health Determinants Research Collaborative (HDRC): https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/
LISS Institution: King’s College London, Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy, School for Government, The Policy Institute
PhD Programme: Applied Public Policy | King’s College London
Full-time / Part-time: Full-time
1+3.5 or +3.5 studentship: +3.5
Fee Eligibility: Home‑eligible applicants only (UKRI eligibility guidance)
How to apply:
To apply, please complete and return documents to AppliedPublicPolicy-PGR@kcl.ac.uk by the due date:
- LISS DTP CASE application form
- Academic transcripts
- References
- Additional information as stipulated in the CASE project listing
Additionally, all applicants must complete:
- LISS DTP Diversity Monitoring Form (online)
Closing date for applications: 26th February 2026
Interviews date: Week commencing 9th March