Use of digital technologies for infrastructure innovation

Team: Digital Technologies and Innovation Lab

About the Award

Applications are invited for a three-year Postgraduate studentship to be undertaken within the new Digital Technologies and Innovation Lab at University of Hertfordshire. The studentship is offered in support of the various funded projects to be undertaken by the lab.

Project Description:

Use of digital technologies for infrastructure innovation

The very heterogeneous and unprecedented economic, demographic, financial and sustainability challenges facing the UK towns, cities and regions make the need to upgrade/update the infrastructure an inescapable one. The UK realises this need and is responding by investing vigorously in its various ‘industry challenge’ policies. The main theme has been in the direction of using disruptive digital technologies like big data analytics, artificial intelligence, internet of things and block chain to improve infrastructure among other sectors of national importance.

For this project, the key infrastructure targeted will include highways, railways, energy infrastructure, confined spaces and buildings. The project of focus will be on using the afore mentioned digital technologies to develop intelligent tool(s) that can be used to improve infrastructure in terms of automated design/inspection/construction, predictive maintenance, cost prediction and pollution reduction.

Person Specification

The successful applicant should have a first class or upper second class honours degree and a Masters with distinction, both in computing courses. Experience in the use of, or having studied courses with focus on, machine learning, and/or big data analytics will represent an added advantage. Preferred skill requirements include:

• Knowledge of the machine learning methods (supervised and unsupervised, deep neural networks and other algorithms such as support vector machine and BART machine).
• Experience in plug in and software development.
• Knowledge/experience in data visualization is a major added advantage
• Some knowledge of construction
• Interest in the management field.

The Studentship is open to Home UK/EU and international applicants.

The studentship is offered on a full-time basis for three years, starting on 1st October 2019 (subject to satisfactory progress). It will provide a tax-free stipend/bursary (currently £15,009 per annum for the academic year 2019-20) and cover the University tuition fees. Additional funding to support the research will also be available.

Deadline for applications: 22nd of July 2019. Interviews will be held on 31st of July 2019. If you do not receive an invitation to interview by this time you may assume your application has been unsuccessful.

Applicant Requirements

• Completed University of Hertfordshire application form.
• A research proposal with approximately 2000 words on a topic related to digital technologies application for infrastructure innovation.
• Two academic references.
• Copies of qualification certificates and transcripts.
• A copy of your passport.
• Candidates for whom English is not their first language will require certification of English language competence (minimum IELTS 6.5 or equivalent).

For an application form see: http://www.herts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/31105/uh-application-form.pdf

For enquiries regarding research degrees at the University of Hertfordshire and this application process, please email [Email Address Removed]. We can also supply you with our PhD Schedule and Notes of Guidance for Applicants, on request.

For enquiries concerning these studentships please email Professor Stephen Page [Email Address Removed] or Hafiz Alaka [Email Address Removed]

Please send completed applications to the Doctoral College ([Email Address Removed])