ESRC Digit PhD Studentship

Public Service Transformation, Digitalization and the Future of Work in Local Government (ESRC Centre for Digital Futures at Work PhD Studentship) (2026)

What you get

Full UK and International tuition fees, for up to four years. This studentship is open to both UK students and International students.

A stipend equivalent to UKRI doctoral stipend, £21,383 (2026/27) per annum for up to four year, or with adjustments in case of a Part Time PhD.

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

The ESRC Centre for Digital Futures at Work (Digit) aims to advance our understanding of how digital technologies are reshaping work. This studentship is part of the Management PhD programme at the University of Sussex Business School which forms part of the South East Doctoral Training Arc. Successful candidates will have access to the instruction and support available through SEDarc and to supervision by experts in the field. The scholarship can be held with the PhD being pursued Full Time or Part Time.  

Public Service Transformation, Digital and AI Skills and the Future of Work in Local Government

Supervisors at Sussex: Prof Ödül Bozkurt (Management), Dr Becky Faith (IDS) and Dr Rachel Verdin (Management)

Local government services in the UK are facing rising expectations, resource pressures and increasing complexity in the needs of residents. At the same time, authorities are adopting new digital technologies, data-driven tools, and AI-enabled systems with increasing speed and scope. These changes are reshaping not only the organisation and delivery of services, but also the organization of work, the utilisation and demand for skills and the careers of local government employees.

The PhD project is expected to investigate the way digital and AI skills inform and are shaped by the transformation of public services, with particular attention to how such skills support a shift towards preventative, person-centred services that empower residents and address problems before they escalate, as well as to how the work experiences and careers of the local government workforce are redefined in the process.

The ideal project may address one or more of the following three interconnected areas:

a) Digital and AI skills needs and use across functions

The research may explore skills requirements and gaps in:

• core digital and data teams, and
• one or more frontline service areas (e.g. housing, social care, public health, customer services, planning).
  This query could focus on how and why councils are developing digital and AI capabilities, where shortages or mismatches occur, how service provision is impacted and how staff experience skill demands in their everyday work.

b) Person-centred, preventative public work

A key theme in public service transformation in the UK is the ‘preventative’ turn, and how local authorities use digital and AI tools to design person-centred and preventative services.
The project may examine:

• how technologies enable earlier intervention,
• how they support staff to work collaboratively with residents, and
• how digital systems may open up new possibilities for empowerment, trust and relationship-building, while also introducing ambiguities and pressures that staff must navigate in practice.

c) Service areas undergoing major transformation

The project may focus on an in-depth comparative analysis in selected service areas where digital and AI technologies are already generating or are expected to generate the most significant changes in:

• service outputs

• efficiency
• quality of public-facing work and
• the interplay between technical skills and interpersonal/professional skills.

Examples include (but are not limited to):

• General front-door services as a whole, where digital and AI tools can increase accessibility, user-friendliness and efficiency, but typically need to connect to services delivered offline;
• Housing, where AI decision-support, case management systems and predictive analytics shape tenant interactions, frontline support and homelessness prevention;
• Planning, where geospatial tools, automation and workflow systems interact with negotiation and citizen engagement;
• Waste management, where digital systems are increasingly involved in waste and recycling flows but which ultimately also depend on resident behaviour.

The project may be shaped by developing one of these themes or connecting multiple themes, based on the interests of the researcher and the engagement with participating organizations and local authorities.

Eligibility

The studentship is open to UK (‘home’) and International tuition fee requirements.

Typically the minimum of a 2.1 undergraduate honours degree or non-UK equivalent.

Master’s degree in a related subject (management, sociology, human resource management, employment studies, geography, public sector management etc.) with ideally at least a merit mark (60%), or non-UK equivalent.

Proof of proficiency in English language to meet the university’s entry requirements.

A good understanding of the UK context of local government, with experience of having worked in or on the sector being highly desirable   

Deadline

How to apply

Please submit by email with the Subject Heading ‘PhD Application for DIGIT’ to Professor Ödül Bozkurt at o.bozkurt@sussex.ac.uk and as one pdf file an application including:

• A statement of interest that outlines why you would like to be considered for this studentship project (maximum 500 words, Times New Roman 12 Font, 1.5 space)
• An outline proposal setting out what you would like to research (maximum 1000 words, Times New Roman 12 Font, 1.5 space) drawing on the themes identified in this advertisement
• An up to date CV (maximum 4 pages)
• Degree transcripts and certificates
• A sample of written work (e.g. an essay or project from most recent degree, or if you have been out of formal study for an extended period of time, a report/brief or similar demonstrating your analytical and writing skills)
• Names and contact details for two academic referees or, if you have been out of formal study for an extended period of time, of two referees who can speak to your critical thinking, analysis and exposition skills
• Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by February 6, 2026. Interviews will take place on February 12 or 13.
• The successful candidate will then need to apply for the PhD programme at the University of Sussex and also complete the required forms for the ESRC.

Sponsors

ESRC and University of Sussex

Contact us

For any enquiries about the PhD studentship, please contact Professor Ödül Bozkurt (o.bozkurt@sussex.ac.uk).

For questions relating to the application process, contact business-researchstudents@sussex.ac.uk.