Dr Peter Cruickshank leads new collaboration with Trubshaw Cumberlege

Trubshaw logoMy Centre for Social Informatics colleague Dr Peter Cruickshank has recently won Interface funding to initiate a new research collaboration. The project partner is Trubshaw Cumberlege, a consulting firm that ‘helps forward thinking companies maximise profits by addressing social challenges at their doorsteps’.

The purpose of the project is to prototype a software-as-a service (SaaS) platform for the automation of risk assessment and management, and associated security alerts. The practical work involves the implementation of a prototype machine learning platform, and the development of underlying infrastructure. Our colleague Dr Dimitra Gkatzia, and PhD student Aleksander Bielinski will be working alongside Peter to deliver the project.

Evaluation of engagement with hyperlocal e-participation systems by citizens and representatives: thesis PDF now available

Peter Cruickshank PhD title pageIn July 2021 my Centre for Social Informatics colleague Peter Cruickshank was awarded a doctoral degree for his thesis Evaluation of engagement with hyperlocal e-participation systems by citizens and representatives.

The pdf of the thesis is now freely available for download from the Edinburgh Napier University repository. It will be of interest to all who conduct research on information behaviour and use, and particularly those investigating themes such as everyday life information seeking and information literacy in the context of e-participation. Continue reading

An award for Marianne Wilson

Natural language interfaces to support career decision-making of young people Marianne Wilson TMT three minute thesisCongratulations to Centre for Social Informatics research student Marianne Wilson, winner of the Masters award in the Skills Development (SDS) Scotland Virtual 3MT competition 2021. Continue reading

CILIPS East Branch photography competition win

CILIPS East Branch photography competition win tweetI was delighted to learn today that I have won the CILIPS East Branch’s photography competition. In July I submitted five photographs taken in the CILIPS East Branch catchment area in response to the call for entries. The branch now plans to use my images for promotional materials. Continue reading

Dr Bruce Ryan is long-listed for a national award

Dr Bruce Ryan

Dr Bruce Ryan

Dr Bruce Ryan, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Social Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University, has been long-listed for Scotland’s Library and Information Professional of the Year Award 2021.

This is in recognition of Bruce’s contributions to library and information science (LIS) research in the past year, particularly in respect of the Research Impact Value and LIS (RIVAL) project and conferences hosted by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Scotland (CILIPS).

For further information about the award, including details of the other five long-listed candidates and sponsor Bolinda Digital, please see the post on the CILIPS web site.

Fully-funded PhD opportunity: labour market intelligence and machine learning

ESRC-SDS-Napier studentship logos

We invite applications for a fully-funded PhD studentship within the Centre for Social Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University.

The studentship is entitled Enhancing labour market intelligence using machine learning. It is suitable for holders of undergraduate or Masters degrees in subjects such as Business Information Systems, Business Studies, Computing, Data Science, or Information Science, Continue reading

Introducing the Edinburgh Napier University Social Informatics blog

Over the past couple of months, my colleague Peter Cruickshank has been leading work on the development a new collaborative blog to showcase the work of our research group at Edinburgh Napier University. Continue reading

Two fully-funded PhD studentship opportunities: (1) labour market intelligence and machine learning; (2) gendered career choices

Merchiston Tower spring

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

Applications are invited for two fully-funded PhD studentships within the Centre for Social Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University. These are:

  1. Enhancing labour market intelligence using machine learning to be supervised by Dr David Brazier, Dr Dimitra Gkatzia, Dr Matthew Dutton, and Alistair Lawson
  2. Gendered information landscapes and their impact on routes into, and through, apprenticeships to be supervised by Dr Ella Taylor-Smith, Professor Sally Smith, and Dr Colin Smith

Continue reading

Farewell 2020

Social Informatcis staff and students all centre meeting December 2019

The way we were, December 2019. L to R: John Marshall, Peter Cruickshank, Lyndsey Middleton (now graduated with PhD), Katherine Stephen, Rachel Salzano, Marina Milosheva, Laura Muir (now retired), Hazel Hall, Leo Appleton (now graduated with PhD), Ella Taylor-Smith, David Haynes, David Brazier, Frances Ryan (now Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen), Colin Smith, Wegene Demeke, and Bruce Ryan.

Just over a year ago, on 22nd December 2019, I summarised the the previous six months of activities of the members of the Centre for Social Informatics. I illustrated this account with a jolly photograph of us all bunched closely together around the table a few days earlier in room C34a of Edinburgh Napier University’s Merchiston campus. Continue reading

Congratulations to Marina Milosheva: awarded a distinction for her MSc(R)

Marina Milosheva

Marina Milosheva

Many congratulations to Centre for Social Informatics PhD student Marina Milosheva. Marina has achieved a distinction in the Masters degree that she undertook in 2019/20 in first year of her four year 1+3 doctoral programme.

Marina is the fourth of our six Skills Development Scotland (SDS)/ESRC funded PhD students, and the second to be awarded the MSc by Research (MScR) in Science and Technology Studies from the University of Edinburgh. This Masters year is offered to all students who win an Edinburgh Napier SDS/ESRC doctoral studentship to study with us for a PhD at Napier, but who do not already hold a Masters degree that incorporates 60 credits of research methods training. Continue reading