Can technology keep you fit? Advert Reference: SEL17/BUS/WAIGNWRIGHT)

Faculty: Business & Law

Department: Business and Management

Project Description:

Many developed countries around the world are facing a healthcare crisis. Rapid improvements in healthcare have resulted in ageing populations with larger numbers of people living into old age, while increasingly sedentary lifestyles coupled with unhealthy diets has led to widespread incidences of obesity. Governments have sought to tackle these challenges through throwing money at the problems, spending ever-greater amounts on drugs and healthcare on the one hand and developing ‘healthy life-style’ initiatives on the other.

A key component within the various government strategies and initiatives that have been announced and launched around the world is the role that technology could play. Technology could be used to remotely monitor existing conditions within patients, removing the necessity for them to visit their doctor or hospital. Technology could also be used to help older people to stay at home through monitoring their movements at home, contributing to prolonging their life and saving money in the process – it is often cheaper and better for life expectancy to keep someone in their own home than it is to move them into sheltered accommodation.

This project will investigate how one particular group of technologies – the Internet of Things – can be applied to healthcare. The Internet of Things, through its ubiquitous sensors and ability to collect data, promises to be able to monitor patients both cheaply and extensively, enabling them to be remotely extensively monitored. New ways of monitoring patients are expected to emerge, as are new and innovative business models. At the same time, smart wearables – such as fitbits – offer the possibility of changing sedentary lifestyles into more active ones that will result in reduced obesity, diabetes etc. It is not clear how these various technologies will develop, or how they could be used. It is also unclear how their business models will develop and whether they are sustainable.

The successful applicant will be part of the ‘Digital Business: Internet of Things’ research group. This multi-disciplinary group is researching how the Internet of Things is emerging, in terms of the supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem and its deployment within sectors such as urban infrastructure and healthcare.

Eligibility and How to Apply:

Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please ensure you quote the advert reference above on your application form.

Start Date: 2 October 2017

Northumbria University is an equal opportunities provider and in welcoming applications for studentships from all sectors of the community we strongly encourage applications from women and under-represented groups.