Comprehensive LCA Training for PhD Students and Researchers

Duration: 4 days (Monday to Thursday), 09:00 to 16:30 daily

Format: Intensive in-person training with hands-on workshops

Locations: Newcastle, Edinburgh, or London (other locations available where trainer travel expenses are covered)

Group size: Maximum 15 participants

Pricing: Group bookings only. Contact info@below280.com for details

The Programme

Four days of intensive, hands-on life cycle assessment training, taking doctoral researchers from methodology foundations through to advanced modelling and automation in openLCA. Researchers leave able to build, run, and interpret LCA models relevant to their own PhD topics. No prior LCA experience is required.

Below280 is the official UK partner of GreenDelta, developers of openLCA, and all training is delivered by GreenDelta-certified openLCA trainers with active LCA research experience across EU-funded programmes including Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

Day 1 covers the ISO 14040/14044 framework and LCA methodology. Days 2 to 4 are practical software work: building complete models, running impact assessments, developing scenarios, automating workflows, and applying skills directly to each participant’s research area. Homework is set between days to reinforce skills and identify questions for the following session. By the end of day 4, researchers have the competency to undertake LCA studies independently, strengthening both their research outputs and funding applications.

Programme Structure

Day 1: LCA Fundamentals

• LCA methodology and core concepts
• ISO 14040/14044 standards framework
• System boundaries and functional units
• Life cycle inventory analysis and data collection
• Impact assessment methods and impact categories
• LCA databases and software landscape
• Applications across energy and sustainability research

Days 2 to 4: Hands-On openLCA Training

• Software installation and setup
• Database acquisition and import, with a focus on the US Federal LCA Commons and TianGong databases, both open-source and free to use. This means no database licensing costs for researchers during or after the course. Skills transfer directly to commercial databases including ecoinvent.
• Building a complete LCA model from scratch, step by step
• Advanced functionality: waste flows, allocation methods, parameterisation, and switches
• Scenario development and comparative analysis
• Sensitivity analysis and critical parameter identification
• Data quality assessment using pedigree matrices
• IPC connectivity for integration with external tools
• Python coding for automated analysis workflows
• Collaboration server use for team-based LCA work and version control
• Individual project development tailored to each participant’s research area, prepared in advance using each student’s PhD topic

Your Trainers

Led by Below280’s experienced LCA team: Dr Tom Bradley (Director), Jonathan Forbes, and Tia Morgan. Between them, decades of conducting LCA studies across academic and commercial sectors, with peer-reviewed publications and active involvement in EU-funded research programmes.

Who Attends

Doctoral researchers and academic research groups who need practical LCA capability for funding applications, peer-reviewed publications, and industry engagement. Participants arrive with no prior LCA knowledge. Research topics covered to date include offshore wind, energy storage, carbon capture, microalgae systems, and net zero technologies.

UKRI and Horizon Europe both place growing weight on environmental assessment in funding applications. Familiarity with LCA, EPDs, and Product Environmental Footprints strengthens both research outputs and commercial pathways for sustainability researchers. LCA competency also counts towards CDT transferable skills requirements, giving cohorts a practical, career-relevant skill rather than a generic training exercise.

Tailored to Each Researcher

Below280 requests each participant’s research topic in advance. Day 4 individual project exercises are built around those topics, so participants work on models directly relevant to their own PhD rather than generic examples. Research areas are shared at least one week before the course begins.

What’s Included

• Four full days of instruction from GreenDelta-certified openLCA trainers
• Comprehensive course materials and reference guides
• Complete example openLCA models to keep
• Software installation support
• Database access guidance for LCA Commons, TianGong, and commercial databases
• Post-course email support for technical questions
• Certificate of completion

Delivered at Your Institution

This programme is delivered in-house at the hosting institution. Newcastle University provided the training facilities for the ReNU+ EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training cohort in 2025. Below280 delivers at any suitable venue with individual workstations and reliable Wi-Fi for up to 15 participants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do researchers need any prior LCA experience? No. The course starts from scratch on day 1 and builds progressively through to advanced modelling and automation by day 4.

How does the course relate to participants’ own research? Each participant’s PhD topic is requested in advance. Day 4 project work is built around those topics, so researchers leave with models relevant to their own work rather than generic exercises.

What software and databases do participants need? openLCA is free, open-source software. The course uses free databases (US Federal LCA Commons and TianGong), so there are no licensing costs for the institution or individual researchers, during or after the course. Setup instructions are sent before the course.

Can LCA strengthen our funding applications? UKRI, Horizon Europe, and EPSRC increasingly expect environmental assessment within research proposals. This course gives researchers the practical skills to include LCA in bids and deliver it within funded projects.

How is this different from a one-day introductory course? One-day courses introduce LCA concepts and basic modelling. This four-day programme takes researchers through to advanced modelling, parameterisation, scenario analysis, and automated workflows. Participants leave able to undertake LCA studies, not just understand what LCA is.

Who books this course? Typically CDT directors, department heads, or research group leads booking for a cohort. The course is group-booking only. Contact info@below280.com to discuss requirements and pricing.

Does this count towards CDT transferable skills training? Yes. LCA and openLCA competency is a transferable skill applicable across academic and industry careers. CDTs have used this programme to fulfil cohort training requirements while giving researchers a practical capability they can apply immediately to their own work.

Why Below280? Below280 is the official UK partner of GreenDelta, the developers of openLCA. The team has delivered doctoral LCA training for the ReNU+ EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), alongside active involvement in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe research programmes.

About Below280

Below280 is a specialist LCA, EPD and CBAM consultancy based in Cramlington, Northumberland, and the official UK partner of GreenDelta, developers of openLCA. The team has active involvement in EU-funded LCA research across Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes and has delivered LCA training to academic institutions internationally, including King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the ReNU+ EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training at Newcastle, Northumbria and Durham Universities.