Determining and understanding digital exclusion

Although digital technologies bring benefits to many people, there are some groups, such as older people, people without jobs, or people with disabilities, who potentially face greater barriers to digital inclusion. As daily living switches to digital technologies and the internet, such groups face increased risk of social isolation, security vulnerabilities and exclusion from work or commerce.

There are two strands of focus which the researcher could follow:

• Determining the scale, causes or impacts of digital exclusion.

• Determining options to either remove the digital divide or to counter its negative impacts.

Depending on the path of interest, the research could engage a variety of quantitative and qualitative analysis such as examining national datasets, conducting focus groups, undertaking interviews, or determining and evaluating digital exclusion models.

Application Process

To begin the application process please go to Business MPhil/PhD Webpage and click on ‘How to Apply’ in the top menu. This PhD could be caried out on a part time or full time basis so please select the relevant application link. On the application form, please make it clear that you are applying for one of our advertised projects so we can direct it straight to the relevant people.

The Interview

All successful applicants will be offered an interview with the proposed Supervisory Team. You will be contacted by a member of the Doctoral School Team to find a suitable date. Interviews can be conducted in person or over Microsoft Teams.

Funding your PhD

For more information about Doctoral Loans please visit: https://www.worc.ac.uk/study/fees-and-finance/doctoral-loans.aspx

During your PhD you can access the Research Student Support Scheme to support dissemination costs associated with your research, up to £500 a year.

Research Group / Unit / Centre

Digital Innovation and Intelligent Systems Research Group

The Digital Innovation Research Group is focussed on the application of intelligent systems to real world problems. This incorporates the design, creation and research of technological systems that dynamically respond to the world around them to address practical issues in a wide variety of applied domains. This includes computational approaches such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, modelling and simulation, data mining and pattern recognition.

Intelligent Systems are becoming more important in everyday life as their use expands and adoption increases. With this expansion comes many key challenges that must be addressed as new application areas are found.

Widening Participation

As part of its mission statement the University is committed to widening participation for its higher degrees. Although most candidates will have an undergraduate and / or a Masters degree, the University is happy to accept applications from candidates with relevant professional qualifications and work related experience.

Supervisory Team

Dr Andrew Tomlinson, Dr Chris Bowers

Director of Studies

Dr Andrew Tomlinson, Worcester Business School, University of Worcester

Supervisors

Dr Chris Bowers, Worcester Business School, University of Worcester

Research Group: Digital Innovation & Intelligent Systems Research Group

For further information or an informal discussion on this project, please contact Dr Andrew Tomlinson (Director of Studies) via email at a.tomlinson@worc.ac.uk