As a member of the Information Science Pathway of ESRC Scottish Graduate School of Social Science Doctoral Training Centre (SGS-DTC) Edinburgh Napier University is currently inviting applications for funded PhD studentships offered through the DTC’s open competition.

I would be pleased to hear from eligible candidates who would like to apply for a PhD place at Edinburgh Napier under this scheme, and whose interests match the focus of the Information Science pathway within the broader context of the ESRC SGS-DTC. The key areas of interests of the pathway are: the social and economic impact of information; the legal and regulatory context for the collection and use of information; the technologies for the management of information; and information policy and strategy.

In the first instance, interested candidates should contact me by e-mail at h.hall@napier.ac.uk. Then we can arrange a telephone or Skype call to discuss research proposal ideas, and potential supervision arrangements at Edinburgh Napier. This initial contact should be made by Friday 8th February 2013 at the latest (and preferably sooner).

Candidates whose research ideas and profile are deemed suitable will then be asked to complete a standard Edinburgh Napier PhD research proposal to be submitted directly to me by midday on Monday 18th February. Having reviewed the application forms, on the afternoon of Monday 18th February I will contact the candidates selected for interview. The interviews will take place at the Merchiston campus of Edinburgh Napier University on the afternoon of Thursday 21st February. Decisions on who will be invited to take their applications to the next stage will be made that same day.

Candidates who pass the internal Napier application process will then be authorised to start the application process on the ESRC SGS-DTC system: initial registration needs to be made by Friday 22 February. Following ESRC elibility checks, candidates will then be invited to submit their full applications to the ESRC SGS-DTC system by Friday 8th March. The outcome of these applications is expected to be known by Friday 3rd May.

Candidates who are considering making an application to Edinburgh Napier University through this scheme are encouraged to explore how their research interests align with those of the staff and research students within the Centre for Social Informatics. This can be done by checking the Centre’s pages on the web site of the Institute for Informatics and Digital Innovation.