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Description
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The Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands, has successfully
piloted a new International Off-campus Ph.D. Program on Cleaner
Production, Cleaner Products, Industrial Ecology and Sustainability,
housed within the Graduate School of Environmental Management and
Sustainable Development in the Faculty of Social Sciences. Operating in
partnership with specialized university departments, government agencies
and industrial workplaces worldwide, the program is specifically
designed to provide qualified students the opportunity to pursue
independent research, while continuing to work in related occupational
settings. The first graduates have produced useful applied research in
energy conservation (Norway); environmental management systems (USA);
and ecological accounting (Canada). Thesis projects nearing completion
range from designing a low-cost assay for identifying
endocrine-disrupting chemicals (Saudi Arabia) to analyzing
cost-effective climate mitigation measures for the steel industry
(Korea). Faculty and candidates keep in regular e-mail contact, and
gather annually in a 14-day intensive retreat. Because the faculty have
active consulting and lecturing schedules internationally, they can also
make site visits to students. By virtue of its structure, the program:
* does not exacerbate the “brain drain” from countries that
suffer from loss of their more educated citizens, who may gravitate to
traditional intellectual centers for advanced study.
* encourages the organization of Ph.D. research and advising
according to the needs of environmental policy, industrial innovation,
NGOs and other end-users, rather than exclusively along disciplinary
lines;
* supports applied research that simultaneously improves the
environmental practices of industry, and advances the careers of
graduates based on research accomplishments; and
* promotes international collaboration among students and faculty,
with benefits for technology transfer and for strengthening
cross-cultural communication channels, promoting leadership for global
security as well as sustainability.
URL: http://www.eur.nl/fsw/gsem/phd/program.html
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