Three fully funded +3 (three year) ESRC PhD Studentships available from October 2022
Affiliated with the ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures, University of Bristol

Deadline for applications NOON 25 February 2022

Applications are open for three +3 (three year) ESRC funded PhD Studentships to commence in autumn 2022. These will be linked to the newly awarded ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures (CenSoF), a £10m/five year flagship investment from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Co-Directed by Susan Halford and Dale Southerton, CenSoF will bring together world leading expertise from across the University of Bristol’s Faculties of Social Sciences and Law, Engineering and Arts. Through an ambitious programme of research across five domains of social life (caring, consuming, learning, moving and organizing) and four key technical fields (artificial intelligence, high performance networks, robotics, and augmented/virtual and extended reality), CenSoF will explore the interplay between the ‘big’ futures claimed by technology companies and governments and the ‘little’ futures that are emerging in everyday practice. Working in collaboration with five Strategic partners (BT, Defra, Locality, the National Cyber Security Centre and UNESCO) and ten further Universities in the UK and overseas, the Centre will become the hub for an international network across four continents. It will build capacity to identify, experiment with and utilise the potential of sociodigital future-making practices to drive fair and sustainable societies.

As members of the Centre’s PhD Programme and ECR network, all CenSoF PhD students will be offered opportunities for mentorship, support (both peer and from experienced researchers), and career development training. They will also benefit from opportunities made available through the South West Doctoral Training Partnership. The three studentships are as follows:

• Decolonising the Imagination: Futures Literacies in Immersive spaces (Supervised by Profs Keri Facer and Arathi Sriprakash, School of Education, Bristol).
• Mapping Sustainability Outcomes Across Connected Sites of Sociodigital Practice (Supervised by Prof David M. Evans, School of Management Bristol)
• Methodological Futures for Sociodigital Research (Supervised by Prof Susan Halford, School of Sociology, Politics and International Relations, Bristol)

Studentship Awards cover tuition fees as well as a maintenance grant (based on the UKRI rates); and include access to an additional Research Training Support Grant (RTSG). Other opportunities available to studentship holders (if applicable), include an overseas fieldwork allowance, internships, overseas institutional visits and small grants.

In line with UKRI policy, these studentships are open to both UK and International applicants. 

Further details about these project studentships, how to apply and contact details can be found at CenSoF PhD Studentships | Prospective Students | SWDTP

The deadline for applications is NOON, 25 February 2022. It is hoped that (online) interviews will be held on 10, 11, 14 or 15 March 2022.