Join our Just Energy Transitions team within the Rinn Energy network to tackle one of the biggest bottlenecks in Ireland’s green transition:
🔬 Research Topic: Overcoming Political, Regulatory & Organisational Barriers to Decarbonisation
The successful candidate will investigate the governance and organisational challenges holding back decarbonisation across state, semi-state, and private entities using mixed-methods research, including policy analysis, qualitative interviews and institutional case studies.
Ideal Candidate: Background in Social Sciences, Public Policy, Political Science, Business, or Environmental Governance.
Funding & Application Details
Stipend: €25,000 per year (tax-free) for 4 years.
Additional Support: Dedicated funding available for conference attendance, equipment, and specialised training activities.
Tuition Fees: EU tuition fees are automatically covered; non-EU candidates receive an institutional fee waiver.
Application Deadline: October 23, 2026 (for the January 2027 cohort intake).
How to Apply: Apply directly via the Application Form Here:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcVOW5YvVghf4tmYKvkk7a84ZYnperEMsin5zePzGmmTKilw/viewform
Thematic Area: TA7 – Just Energy Transitions (Cross-collaboration with TA3, TA4, TA6)
Host Institution: University College Dublin (UCD)
Supervisor: Orla Kelly (UCD)
Co-supervisors: Richard O’Shea (UCC), and Bidisha Ghosh (TCD)
Project Description: Barriers to decarbonising the energy system extend far beyond technical and individual-level challenges. Significant friction exists at the political level, where balancing sectoral interest groups often prioritises short-term economic goals over long-term climate targets. Regulatory hurdles, including policy misalignments across national agencies, can unintentionally stymie systemic progress. Furthermore, organisational barriers such as institutional inertia, cost constraints, and low employee engagement are common across state, semi-state, and private-sector entities.
Combined, these structural and institutional blockages hamper Ireland’s ability to reconcile its climate ambitions with actionable, high-impact policy and practice. This research project focuses on diagnosing these socio-political challenges and identifying actionable best practices to overcome them. The researcher will map key state, semi-state, and private-sector actors alongside regulatory frameworks in the energy transition space to assess how organisational missions align with national decarbonisation mandates.
Through in-depth institutional case studies, the project will examine internal decision-making processes, resource allocation, and economic, social, and political bottlenecks. Incorporating engaged research methods, the doctoral candidate will collaborate directly with semi-state bodies and industry partners to co-design policy solutions and drive real-world institutional change.