The Science, Technology, Innovation, Information and Communication Studies pathway of the ESRC Scottish Graduate School of Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (SGSSS-DTP) is currently inviting applications for the 2018 studentship competition. Successful applicants will start their doctoral studies in October 2018.

Academic staff at each of the pathway member institutions – including those within the Centre for Social Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University – would be pleased to hear from eligible candidates who would like to apply for a PhD place under this scheme.

Full applications are due for submission to the SGSSS-DTP by Monday 12^th February 2018. The application process is detailed at: http://www.socsciscotland.ac.uk/studentships/student-led_competition/how_to_apply. The first step is to secure an offer of a PhD place, so initial contact must be made to the pathway representative at Edinburgh Napier University (Dr Laura Muir: l.muir@napier.ac.uk) by Monday 15th January 2018.

Applicant interests should align with the focus of the pathway research. At Edinburgh Napier University this places emphasis on the relationship between the use of information and societal development within the broader context of the ESRC SGSSS-DTP. The key areas of research interest are:

• Democratic digital engagement
• e-Government
• Information Policy
• Information seeking behaviour and use
• Knowledge Management
• The Information Society
• Online communities
• Open data and open government

Applicants should meet the following requirements:

1. Hold a good first degree (first class or 2.1).
2. Hold a Masters degree in a social science subject that includes significant coverage of qualitative and quantitative research methods (at least 60 credits of appropriate research methods training), or be on target to complete such a Masters degree before the start of the academic year 2018/19.
3. Be a United Kingdom citizen, or be a resident of another European Union country.
4. Submit a research proposal that aligns with the key areas of interest listed above.

Further details on these requirements can be found on the eligibility page of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science web site.

If you are interested in making an application for a studentship at Edinburgh Napier University under this scheme, you should make initial contact with Dr Laura Muir (L.Muir@napier.ac.uk) by Monday 15th January 2018 (or preferably sooner) to check your eligibility to apply. Dr Muir will then arrange a telephone or Skype call to discuss research proposal ideas, and potential supervision arrangements at Edinburgh Napier. (Possible supervisors include Professor Hazel Hall, Dr Laura Muir, Dr Colin Smith, Dr Gemma Webster and Peter Cruickshank.) This conversation will also provide an opportunity to discuss in further detail the application process.

The next stage will be for you to complete the Edinburgh Napier research degree application form to be submitted directly to Dr Laura Muir by email at L.Muir@napier.ac.uk (and not to the general research degrees admissions e-mail address) by midday on Wednesday 17th January 2018.

Interviews will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday 24th January 2018 at the Merchiston campus of Edinburgh Napier University. Decisions on who will be invited to take their applications to this next stage of the process (following submission of the application form) will be made by Friday 19^th January 2018.

Candidates who pass the internal Edinburgh Napier application process will then be nominated to start the application process on the ESRC SGSSS-DTP system: nominations will be made by universities to the SGSSS by Wednesday 7th February; initial registration needs to be made by candidates by Friday 9^th February 2018. Following ESRC eligibility checks, candidates will then be invited to submit their full applications to the ESRC SGSSS-DTP system by Monday 12th February 2018. The outcome of these applications is expected to be known by Wednesday 9^th May 2018.

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. We carry out research that is broadly concerned with the intersection of people, communities and technologies (incorporating the themes as listed above).

Our recent and current research students engage in a range of doctoral studies on topics that include:

• Youth digital co-creation and the measurement of social impact
• Experiential learning environments (Makerspaces and FabLabs)
• Workplace learning and innovative work behaviour
• Knowledge sharing of UK public sector employees facilitated by online social platforms
• Social networking and job search
• Personal online reputation management
• The role of UK public libraries in the development of citizenship
• The value of census information to policy making
• The influence of off-line and online spaces on participation in community and civic life
• Knowledge working as a management innovation
• The impact of organisational factors on information systems development projects
• Sociotechnical aspects of information risk
• Processes of knowledge creation, creativity and innovation