If you are seeking to deliver an impactful dissertation topic, with direct relevance to environmental policy makers or, simply looking for inspiration for your final year project, you can search for ideas below.
You can search the research questions that have been directly submitted to us, or browse other collections of research ideas from partner organisation such as Natural Resources Wales and Climate Cymru. We are still adding relevant keywords to the data, so try a different search term if nothing comes up or get in touch for support searching the database.
If you do find a question of relevance and decide to address it through your dissertation, we would really like to know about it. Please fill out the form that can be found here.
[Enter keyword and press ‘search’ or the return key]
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Research to inform and promote holistic education for Sustainable Development (SDG 4.7): A targeted piece of research to clearly show evidence of the links between peace, human rights, gender equality and sustainable development, supported by case studies.
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Work around climate change within the education sector tends to focus on environmental issues in isolation – issues such as plastic pollution and recycling. Whilst this is important, it would be beneficial to promote a more holistic approach, including climate justice and also making links between local and global issues such as peace, human rights and equality. This would support the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 4.7: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.”
Having some clear research and case studies could be the basis for writing some more comprehensive resources and developing a pilot project in Wales that would support children and young people in developing the above skills and taking on local and global projects that would make a difference.
Keywords (discipline, other): International Relations, politics, education, climate change, SDGs
Website/URL links:
Looking for collaborators: Yes External Partner: Yes Organisation: WCIA
Contact Details
Name: Jane Harries Email Address: janeharries@wcia.org.uk Phone: NA
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Research to inform and promote holistic education for Sustainable Development (SDG 4.7): A targeted piece of research to clearly show evidence of the links between peace, human rights, gender equality and sustainable development, supported by case studies.
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Work around climate change within the education sector tends to focus on environmental issues in isolation – issues such as plastic pollution and recycling. Whilst this is important, it would be beneficial to promote a more holistic approach, including climate justice and also making links between local and global issues such as peace, human rights and equality. This would support the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 4.7: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.”
Having some clear research and case studies could be the basis for writing some more comprehensive resources and developing a pilot project in Wales that would support children and young people in developing the above skills and taking on local and global projects that would make a difference.
Keywords (discipline, other): Education, International Relations, climate change, peace, human rights
Website/URL links:
Looking for collaborators: Yes External Partner: Yes Organisation: WCIA
Contact Details
Name: Jane Harries Email Address: janeharries@wcia.org.uk Phone: NA
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Research to show links between militarism in Wales (and beyond) and climate change.
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Published statistics on climate emissions don’t take into account the impact of activities by the military. For 2019, the carbon footprint of the UK military was estimated at 11 million tonnes of CO2 for 2018 (Conflict and Environment Observatory). This was before the war in Ukraine. Calculations of military emissions in Wales should include the impact of implementing low-fly zones, the testing of drones in West Wales, energy used by military bases and the production of components of arms which take place in Wales. This research would be a first step to being open and honest about the contribution of the military to climate emissions. It should lead to public debate about how much the armed forces cost, both today and for future generations.
Keywords (discipline, other): International Relations, Politics, carbon emissions, peace
Website/URL links: https://ceobs.org/the-militarys-contribution-to-climate-change/
Looking for collaborators: Yes External Partner: Yes Organisation: Cymdeithas y Cymod / Fellowship of Reconciliation in Wales
Contact Details
Name: Awel Heddwch Email Address: awel.heddwch@gmail.com Phone: NA
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Researching people new to nature connection and how/if it changes behaviour and perspective on how to protect our natural environment.
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
When we see what we value being destroyed and not sustainably developed it might galvanise action, e.g., voting for a political candidate with green credentials, consuming less, influencing others.
Keywords (discipline, other): Psychology, politics, nature connection
Website/URL links: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-childrens-people-and-nature-survey-for-england-2022-update/the-childrens-people-and-nature-survey-for-england-2022-update
Looking for collaborators: Yes External Partner: Yes Organisation: Nature Connection and Forest Bathing
Contact Details
Name: Lucy McQuillan Email Address: Phone: NA
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Saltmarsh restoration using polders: what are the costs, benefits and trade-offs to breeding and overwintering bird populations?,
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
For more, and updated information, please visit https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/marine-biodiversity-collaborative-research-priorities/?lang=en
Keywords (discipline, other): Saltmarsh restoration using polders and impacts on bird populations,”Saltmarsh, Polders, Restoration, Bird populations, Coastal ecosystems”,
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/marine-biodiversity-collaborative-research-priorities/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: Yes External Partner: Yes Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: Email Address: marinecoastalevidence@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Phone: NA
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Sensitivity and vulnerability of the Habitats Regulations features to elevated nutrient concentrations,
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
For more, and updated information, please visit https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/marine-biodiversity-collaborative-research-priorities/?lang=en
Keywords (discipline, other): Sensitivity of sea cliff habitats to elevated nitrogen concentrations,”Sea cliffs, Nitrogen concentrations, Habitat sensitivity, Environmental impact”,
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/marine-biodiversity-collaborative-research-priorities/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: Yes External Partner: Yes Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: Email Address: Phone: NA
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Sewage in Rivers: Data Mining for Environmental Proxies of Pathogen Risk
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Sewage in Rivers: Data Mining for Environmental Proxies of Pathogen Risk
Background
People who swim or paddle in rivers want to understand their risk of exposure to sewage-related pathogens. While new technologies like the Molendotech Bactiquick offer rapid (15-minute) detection of endotoxins from Gram-negative bacteria, these tests are relatively expensive and impractical for routine use by members of the public.
This project aims to identify low-cost, accessible environmental proxies for pathogen risk in rivers—specifically for key bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci. The central hypothesis is that some combination of physical and chemical water quality indicators, routinely monitored by water companies, could be used to infer pathogen risk with a reasonable degree of confidence.
Research Question
To what extent can the presence of pathogenic bacteria in river water be correlated with a basket of environmental metrics (e.g. turbidity, pH, phosphate levels, rainfall, river flow, etc.)?
Sub-question
What are the top two or three metrics that could serve as reliable, low-cost indicators of pathogen contamination, enabling public river users to assess risk quickly and effectively?
Rationale
Water companies that abstract river water for drinking purposes typically carry out regular and detailed multi-factor water quality monitoring. While much of this data is hidden or hard to access, some of it may be obtainable under the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA). This presents a unique opportunity to retrospectively analyse such datasets for correlations between commonly measured parameters and microbial contamination levels.
From my own water sampling and river campaigning work on the River Dee (in England and Wales), I have already managed to extract a useful—though slightly dated—dataset from Severn Trent Water, which monitors a drinking water abstraction point in the centre of Chester. While this epwales portal doesn’t allow file uploads, the dataset is available offline and could form a valuable starting point for trial analysis and methodology exploration and could be updated by requesting newer data from the same or potentially many other sites.
Project Workplan
1. Identify Target Locations
Map UK rivers where water is abstracted for drinking and where routine multi-parameter water quality testing is likely to occur (e.g. the River Dee, River Thames). Prioritise those with known recreational use.
2. Request and Secure Data
Submit and follow up Freedom of Information requests to water companies to access historical water quality data, focusing on:
o Microbial indicators: E. coli, enterococci
o Physical parameters: turbidity, temperature, water level
o Chemical parameters: phosphate, ammonia, nitrate, dissolved oxygen
o Operational metadata: dates and times of known combined sewer overflows (CSOs)
o Hydrological context: recent rainfall, river flow rates (sourced from EA/NRW)
3. Complementary Data Gathering
Collect supplementary data from various bodies (e.g. Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, Met Office) on:
o Rainfall
o River levels and flow
o CSO discharge records (where public)
4. Data Integration and Cleaning
Build a sanitised, merged dataset across time and location.
Deal with missing values and anomalies in preparation for analysis.
5. Statistical Analysis
Select correlation and regression techniques (e.g. Pearson/Spearman correlation, multiple linear regression, PCA) to:
o Identify the strongest indicators of pathogen presence
o Determine thresholds above which pathogen risk increases significantly
o Assess predictive power of a reduced set of low-cost variables
6. Applied Outcomes
Potentially explore the feasibility of designing a simple field-testing protocol or “riverside risk index” using 2–3 low-cost proxy indicators. Consider potential for app-based or handheld sensor kit deployment by river users.
Possible Impact
• Empower recreational river users with practical tools to assess contamination risk in near real time.
• Support campaigns for greater transparency and routine data release by water companies.
• Offer public health and policy recommendations based on statistically grounded proxy indicators.
• Contribute to the scientific evidence base underpinning the regulation of sewage discharges into UK rivers.
Some of the post on the Clean Dee Facebook Group (see link below) refer briefly to this data.
Keywords (discipline, other): data mining, statistics, analytics, FoI, freedom of information, datasets, sewage, pathogens, rivers, bathing, water quality
Website/URL links: https://www.facebook.com/groups/757209739520566
Looking for collaborators: Yes External Partner: No Organisation: Wrexham University
Contact Details
Name: Barry Johnston Email Address: barry.johnston@wrexham.ac.uk Phone: NA
https://epwales.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/formidable/64/River-Dee-Abstraction-Sewage-Bacteria-Micro-Sample-Data.xlsx
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Sports Science Topics
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Research project/ dissertation idea:
https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/2022/02/addressing-climate-change-through-sport/
From the above article:
According to the Rapid Transition Alliance’s report, the global sport sector contributes the same level of emissions as a medium-sized country.
The carbon footprint from transportation to/from events, the construction and use of various sporting venues, and the supply chains for sport-related equipment all play an important role in affecting the world’s climate. For example, it has been estimated that the 2016 Rio Olympics released 3.6 million tons of carbon dioxide, while the 2018 Russia World Cup released 2.16 million tons.
These kinds of assessments are even more concerning as they often underestimate the real impact of sport’s carbon footprint, for instance not including the impact of the construction of new stadiums, the water and energy consumed to support events and the food, plastic and other waste produced during events.
In a cyclical manner, the sport sector is impacted by the consequences of rising temperatures. Heavier precipitations, higher sea levels, and the increase in the number of extreme weather events are having disruptive consequences on sport. According to a recent study, approximately half of the former winter Olympic host cities will likely not be able to sponsor winter games by 2050 due to a lack of snow and ice in a warming world.
In 2018, the high temperatures forced the US Open tennis tournament organizers to offer a “heat-break” to athletes. During the 2020 Australian Open, poor air quality caused by wildfires forced some tennis players to withdraw from the tournament. By 2050, almost one fourth of England football league team’s stadiums (23 out of 92) are projected to be partially or totally flooded every year.
Keywords (discipline, other): Sports Science, air quality, emissions, carbon footprint, climate change, wildfire
Website/URL links: https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=A673B09CD3ADE8F9!70595&migratedtospo=true&redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL28vcyFBdm5vcmRPY3NIT21oS2REa0RONzJYd2RpWWljSWc_ZT1LcEpUYUQ&wd=target%28Sports%20science.one%7Cdb53c90f-9ae2-41ef-a356-21accd50dcb4%2FProject%20Ideas%7Cd25ad23a-6ec9-49fb-bf9b-04cfc1df852e%2F%29&wdorigin=NavigationUrl
Looking for collaborators: No External Partner: No Organisation:
Contact Details
Name: Email Address: Phone: NA
________________________________________________________________________________
Sports Science Topics
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Research project/ dissertation idea:
https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/2022/02/addressing-climate-change-through-sport/
From the above article:
According to the Rapid Transition Alliance’s report, the global sport sector contributes the same level of emissions as a medium-sized country.
The carbon footprint from transportation to/from events, the construction and use of various sporting venues, and the supply chains for sport-related equipment all play an important role in affecting the world’s climate. For example, it has been estimated that the 2016 Rio Olympics released 3.6 million tons of carbon dioxide, while the 2018 Russia World Cup released 2.16 million tons.
These kinds of assessments are even more concerning as they often underestimate the real impact of sport’s carbon footprint, for instance not including the impact of the construction of new stadiums, the water and energy consumed to support events and the food, plastic and other waste produced during events.
In a cyclical manner, the sport sector is impacted by the consequences of rising temperatures. Heavier precipitations, higher sea levels, and the increase in the number of extreme weather events are having disruptive consequences on sport. According to a recent study, approximately half of the former winter Olympic host cities will likely not be able to sponsor winter games by 2050 due to a lack of snow and ice in a warming world.
In 2018, the high temperatures forced the US Open tennis tournament organizers to offer a “heat-break” to athletes. During the 2020 Australian Open, poor air quality caused by wildfires forced some tennis players to withdraw from the tournament. By 2050, almost one fourth of England football league team’s stadiums (23 out of 92) are projected to be partially or totally flooded every year.
Keywords (discipline, other): Sports Science, air quality, emissions, carbon footprint, climate change, wildfire
Website/URL links: https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=A673B09CD3ADE8F9!70595&migratedtospo=true&redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL28vcyFBdm5vcmRPY3NIT21oS2REa0RONzJYd2RpWWljSWc_ZT1LcEpUYUQ&wd=target%28Sports%20science.one%7Cdb53c90f-9ae2-41ef-a356-21accd50dcb4%2FProject%20Ideas%7Cd25ad23a-6ec9-49fb-bf9b-04cfc1df852e%2F%29&wdorigin=NavigationUrl
Looking for collaborators: No External Partner: No Organisation:
Contact Details
Name: Email Address: Phone: NA
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The link between cataract formation and UV radiation
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
https://eyewiki.aao.org/Ocular_Manifestations_of_Climate_Change#:~:text=Longer%20wavelengths%20can%20reach%20the,%2C%20Keratoconus%2C%20and%20Fuchs%20dystrophy
Heat waves have particularly affected major US cities and are occurring three times more often than they did in the 1960s.[13] Several ocular diseases have been implicated in rising ambient temperatures associated with heat waves, including cataracts.
The epidemiological link between cataract formation and UV radiation has been established in several studies.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0253093
Association among pterygium, cataracts, and cumulative ocular ultraviolet exposure: A cross-sectional study in Han people in China and Taiwan
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30737039/
WHO/ILO work-related burden of disease and injury: Protocol for systematic reviews of occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation and of the effect of occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation on cataract
Keywords (discipline, other): Optometry, cataract, UV radiation, temperatures, heat waves
Website/URL links: https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=A673B09CD3ADE8F9!70595&migratedtospo=true&redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL28vcyFBdm5vcmRPY3NIT21oS2REa0RONzJYd2RpWWljSWc_ZT1LcEpUYUQ&wd=target%28Optometry.one%7Cc0c23a92-4ada-40c1-b549-4bf32d2ae70e%2FProject%20Ideas%7Cdc1ac558-d2fa-40bc-ae6a-a9fab3ddbc49%2F%29&wdorigin=NavigationUrl
Looking for collaborators: No External Partner: No Organisation:
Contact Details
Name: Email Address: Phone: NA
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