4-year PhD studentship in ERC project “Serendipity in Research and Innovation” at SPRU, University of Sussex: Defence R&D - The role of serendipity in defence-related research and development

The Serendipity in Research and Innovation, SIRI, project [1] will investigate the role, management and impact of serendipity on research performance, focusing on the desirability and feasibility of targeting research [2]. SIRI will be led by Dr Ohid Yaqub for 5 years, with a team of two research fellows and two PhD students for 4 years. The successful PhD candidate will be expected to start in early September 2018.

Possible PhD topic: The role of serendipity in defence-related research and development

Within defence-related R&D, it is possible to observe a spectrum of ’targeted-ness’ from research responding to perceptions of general threats to the state, to research responding to specific changes in battlefield experiences. An example of broad targeting might include Project BioShield in the US following the anthrax letter campaign in 2001 and 9/11. An example of specific targeting might include advances in complex trauma surgery techniques and prosthetics in the wake of increased use of improvised explosive devices. The candidate would investigate the defence sector along this continuum of targeted research through a series of case studies, which may be historical or contemporary.

Students interested in this topic will be supervised by Dr Ohid Yaqub [3], Dr Ismael Rafols [4], and Dr Caitriona McLeish [5].

Applicants are free to:
• suggest variations on the above (e.g. with their own cases), or
• propose an altogether different topic (within the boundaries of the SIRI project’s remit).

Benefits
• A tax-free stipend matching the UK’s Research Councils rate (approx. £15,000 annually) but for 4 years.
• Tuition fee waiver, worth around £4,500 per year.
• All additional research and training related costs for 4 years (e.g. conferences, workshops, fieldwork, equipment).

Essential requirements:
•A good Bachelor’s degree.
o Applications from the natural sciences and humanities, as well the social sciences are welcome.
•A good Master’s degree.
o Exceptions can be made if the applicant can show evidence of some of the desirable skills below.
•Fluency in oral and written English.
•Sympathy for mixed quantitative and qualitative methods.

Desirable skills:
•Data discovery and collection
o Database management, especially experience of linking together datasets
o Text-mining techniques, such as web-scraping.
•Data processing and analytical skills
o Experience with programming languages (e.g. SQL, Python or R).
o Experience with bibliometric or patent databases
o Network analysis
•Data visualisation
o Network visualisation and geographic mapping
•Experience with historical/archive material.

Application procedure:

Enquiries and applications to: [Email Address Removed] by 15th March 2018 with:
• a CV
• a letter of motivation (a few paragraphs)
• a research proposal (a few pages) and
• a previous writing sample (on any topic).
Anticipated interview period: 26th– 30th March 2018. Expected offers, conditional on departmental clearance: 2nd April 2018.

We welcome applications from suitably qualified people, regardless of ethnicity, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, and working patterns.

Full advert: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/fees-and-scholarships/scholarships/view/876