The successful candidate will be based at Edinburgh Napier University’s Merchiston campus

Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship within the Social Informatics Research Group at Edinburgh Napier University. The successful candidate will work with Director of Studies Dr David Haynes on a project entitled Digital literacy skill requirements for new employees and its relation to productivity in the Scottish economy.

The research to be undertaken will be concerned with employers’ perceptions of digital literacy skills requirements, the level of digital literacy skills of new entrants to the workforce (and associated skills gaps), and links between support for digital literacy skills development and productivity. The project also offers the opportunity for a comparative evaluation to form part of the research with reference to approaches to digital literacy in Denmark.

The studentship is an ESRC/Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Collaborative award offered through the Science, Technology and Innovation Studies and Information and Communication Studies (STIS-ICS) pathway of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS).

The Social Informatics Research Group has a strong track record of supporting ESRC/SDS-funded PhD students through the STIS-ICS pathway: to date two students have graduated from this programme, and there are currently another six students within the group completing their doctoral studies with ESRC/SDS funding. Amongst the benefits of this programme is the opportunity to undertake a fully-funded internship as part of the PhD experience (as previous students on this programme have done, for example with the eHealth division of the Scottish Government, Marine Scotland, and the Scottish Government’s Advanced Learning and Skills Analysis Unit). It is also worth noting the excellent employment opportunities for PhD graduates from the Social Informatics Research Group, as highlighted here in 2019 and in 2022.

The recruitment timetable for this studentship is as follows:

• Applications are due by 4pm, 13th April 2023
  
• Short-listed applicants will be contacted on/around 23rd April 2023
• Interviews will take place on 4th May 2023
• The studentship will start in October 2023
  • As a three year programme, if the appointed student(s) already hold(s) a Masters degree with at least 60 credits of research methods training
  • As a 1+3 four year programme, if the appointed student(s) do(es) not already hold a Masters degree with at least 60 credits of research methods training, with an MSc(R) undertaken as the first year, followed by three years of doctoral study

The studentship can be taken full-time or part-time, and international students are eligible to apply. For full details including the application process, please see the advertisement on the SGSSS web site.

Prospective applicants are also welcome to contact Dr David Haynes (Director of Studies) with any enquiries about this opportunity: d.haynes@napier.ac.uk.