PhD Studentship
Responsible Research and Innovation in ICT
De Montfort University – Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility, Faculty of Technology
STARTING OCTOBER 2012
A PhD research studentship covering stipend and tuition fee costs within the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility, (Faculty of Technology) working with an internationally recognised research team is available to suitably qualified UK or EU students.
The project will determine ways of evaluating Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) theory and practice in ICT. Previous EU (ETICA, www.etica-project.eu) and current UK (FRRIICT, www.responsible-innovation.org.uk) funded projects conducted within the Centre have identified emerging technologies, their ethical issues, and methods for fostering good, ethical governance and practice in ICT research and innovation, but it remains unclear under what conditions are such interventions successful and effective?
Objectives of the PhD project are likely to include:
- Review of current theory and practice in RRI in different areas (e.g. nanotechnology, synthetic biology, nuclear technology, geo-engineering, health-related research)
- Definition of specific differences in RRI between ICT and other fields or disciplines
- Development of criteria to allow for the evaluation of RRI activities and initiatives
- Testing of these evaluation criteria
The thesis developed during this project will contribute to areas of informatics and computer ethics that are concerned with methodological innovation and evaluation. The outputs of the project will further academic knowledge of how to evaluate particular ICT interventions in terms of RRI, and how the results of such evaluations may potentially be communicated more rapidly to policy makers.
The project will build on the findings of the ETICA and FRRIICT projects, with an initial supervisory team from both the CCSR (Professor B. Stahl, Dr. C. Flick) and the University of Oxford (Dr. M. Jirotka) that are currently involved with the FRRIICT project.
Since 2008 the CCSR has led successful research application worth more than £3 million in research funding, the majority of which was won in 2011. All of the funded projects feed directly into research and policy discussions on RRI in ICT. The Centre boasts an active research agenda and a significant number of postgraduate students, with opportunities for the successful student to become involved in a supportive, enthusiastic, and collegial atmosphere aimed at fostering the highest quality of research and significant impact of research output.
For a more detailed description of the studentship project please visit our web site (http://ethics.ccsr.cse.dmu.ac.uk/ccsr) or contact Prof. Bernd Stahl on +44 116 207 8252 or email bstahl@dmu.ac.uk
This research opportunity builds on our excellent past achievements and looking forward to REF2014 and beyond. It will develop the university’s research capacity into new and evolving areas of study, enhancing DMU’s national and international research partnerships.
Applications are invited from UK or EU students with a good first degree (First, 2:1 or equivalent) in a relevant subject. Doctoral scholarships are available for up to three years full-time study starting October 2012 and provide a bursary of £13,770 pa in addition to university tuition fees.
To receive an application pack, please contact the Graduate School Office via email at researchstudents@dmu.ac.uk. Completed applications should be returned together with a full CV and two supporting references.
Please quote ref: DMU Research Scholarships 2012 : TECH FB3
CLOSING DATE: June 15th 2012
