SeNSS Collaborative Studentship - Employment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Robots: Measurement, Impact, and Policies (2019)

What you get

A stipend of £14.777 p.a. UK/EU. PhD fees and research and training costs are also covered for 3 years.

This studentship is a 3 year SeNSS Collaborative Studentship funded by ESRC http://senss-dtp.ac.uk/applying-for-a-senss-collaborative-studentship/

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

The project will first combine data science and statistical methods to analyse unstructured data from patents, publications and new open sources of “big data” (e.g. GitHub, arXiv, Crunchbase, University websites and Burning Glass Technologies) to measure sectoral and regional exposure to AI and Robots (AI/R). Second, the project will assess the job and wage multiplier effect of AI/R in local labour markets.

The PhD student will work at two top institutions for research on the impact of innovation and technical change: SPRU, a world-leading department on the analysis of science, technology and innovation, and Nesta, a global innovation foundation leading on the study of emerging technologies. The unique combination of the supervision arrangement will expose the PhD student to academic rigour and top level policy engagement on a crucial and timely topic. This will open a wide range of career opportunities in academia, policy making, the third sector and consultancy. The student will be jointly supervised by expert innovation economists and data scientists.

The research project will provide:

1. detailed measurement of industries and regions exposure to AI and Robotisation (AI/R) using cutting edge data techniques on unstructured data;
2. accurate analysis of the impact of AI/R on employment and wages;
3. effective policy tools.

The student will join two vibrant and inclusive research environments, and will collaborate with distinguished researchers and PhD students

Training Opportunities

The student will have the opportunity to attend advanced courses in Data science and other quantitative methods, Science and Technology Policy, and Economics from the University of Sussex and partners across SeNSS. The student will also become part of the innovation mapping community at Nesta, including experienced data developers, data scientists, visualisation designers and policy analysis who will provide advice, support and mentoring through the project.

 Applicants: essential and/or desirable attributes/skills

Essential

• Master in Economics, Data Science, or related disciplines. We welcome strong applicants with interdisciplinary backgrounds and quantitative skills
• Willingness to attend advanced training in data science
• Fluent in oral and written English

 Desirable skills

• Programming languages and data analysis packages (e.g. SQL, Python, R, STATA)
• Text mining
• Experience with patent and unstructured data

Eligibility

This studentship may be taken as either a 1+3 year award (a one-year MSc followed by a three-year PhD), a +3 award (a three-year PhD), or a +4 award (a four year PhD)

It may be taken full-time or part-time.

It is open to Home/EU students who meet the UK Research Council residential eligibility criteria.  Further details about this, and academic eligibility requirements,  can be found on the following webpage: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/doctoral/funding-support/south-east-network-social-sciences

Number of scholarships available

1

Deadline

How to apply

In order to be considered for this SeNSS studentship, you must first apply for a place to study at the University of Sussex, noting that you are applying for the collaborative studentship. Please go to University of Sussex: apply for a PhD for information on how to make your application and apply to a Science and Technology Policy Studies PhD.

For a list of eligible Masters courses for this pathway, please see the following page: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/doctoral/funding-support/south-east-network-social-sciences

You will then need to make a separate application to SeNSS for this collaborative studentship. Please read the SeNSS Collaborative Studentship Application Guidance Notes before completing our online application form. The Guidance Notes are available at the bottom of the following webpage: Applying for a SeNSS collaborative studentship

Contact us

For enquiries related to the studentship topic, please email Tommaso Ciarli (t.ciarli@sussex.ac.uk),

 For enquiries related to your eligibility for this studentship, and the application process, please email esrcdt@sussex.ac.uk

 For further information about SeNSS, please visit the SeNSS website

Timetable

The deadline applying to the University of Sussex for a place is 23:59 GMT on 8th February 2019.