[AISWorld] Full-time PhD Scholarship in Innovation in Mobile Data Generation and Analysys

[Aljona Zorina]

Full-time ESRC PhD scholarships in
“Business Innovation and New Forms of Data:  Mobile Data Analysis”

Supervisory team: Dr. Aljona Zorina, Dr. Matthew Mount, Prof. Tyrone Pitsis, Paddy Hood (CEO of Codigital Ltd.)

Closing date for applications: July 31st 2016. See the application and eligibility details below.


Project description:
As information and communication technologies (ICTs) are constantly evolving and users are being exposed to increasing amounts of data, knowing how to process such data to generate information in contexts such as health care, health care research and emergency response is a perplexing challenge. To deliver value in these areas requires the effective utilization of data among a complex array of different actors that often do not have the time nor ability to coordinate information and knowledge exchange. Thus, the development and implementation of ICT innovations capable of supporting this is an important endeavour. However, reaching this goal is particularly challenging as ICT-mediated innovation unfolds as a complex process associated with non-linear paths, design-implementation gaps, and coordination problems caused by interests of multiple involved stakeholders, power shifts, user modifications and improvisational use of ICTs in practice. Furthermore, technologies that combine and transform data are argued to have transformative and performative impacts that go beyond the ones originally designed.


Given the crucial nature of the work undertaken, understanding how health care and emergency medicine respondents might effectively use and share new forms of data generated and enabled by ICT innovations is of a great importance. Previous work on the development, diffusion and implementation of ICTs has highlighted the importance of multiple actors and interests (Nicolini 2010; Pantzar  and Shove  2010), power shifts  and tensions (e.g.  Markus 1983), human aspects emerging at the implementation and post implementation phases (Beaudry and Pinsonneault 2005; Boudreau and Robey 2005), unexpected effects and user modifications (Ciborra 1999; Gattiker and Goodhue 2005; Lanzara 1999; Orlikowski 2000) and transformative and performative impacts that go beyond the ones originally designed (Leonardi and Barley 2008; Zuboff 1988). While some important work on understanding the interaction and coordination complexities between different actors when introducing ICT innovations and related information sharing in complex healthcare contexts has been conducted (e.g. Constantinides and Barrett 2006; Nicolini 2010; Salge et al. 2015) extant research rarely focused on the generative and performative role that ICT innovations and services developed in complex context with multiple actors might have on the data generation, expert evaluation and analysis).

This research will focus on the development of new business service platforms predicated on mobile data generation and analysis. The research aims to increase the understanding of the processes and patterns of effective data use generated by ICT innovation as it unfolds in real time build on all phases of innovation development and implementation and take all the associated complexities, multiple actors and impacts into account.  Methodologically, the project will build on qualitative and/or mixed method data analysis.

The project will be undertaken in collaboration with Codigital Ltd (http://www.codigital.com/), which provides a novel data processing platform for facilitating the optimized generation, evaluation, analysis and exchange of innovative ideas among large and different (groups) of users who might generate and exchange data on the go and across different geographical and time zones. The platform has an important implication potential for emergency contexts where there is a need for a variety of actors (e.g. emergency workers, doctors, hospital administration and policy makers) to effectively generate, evaluate and coordinate information and ideas. Expected outcomes of the study will allow exploration of compatibility and value of new sources of data generation and analysis to deliver real value around smarter emergency and healthcare environments, safer cities and neighbourhoods.


Eligibility and Application:

Applicants must first submit the relevant study application form(s) and be in receipt of a Student ID Number. Applicants must then complete the University’s ESRC WR DTC Studentship Application Form (http://www.leeds.ac.uk/rsa/postgraduate_scholarships/ESRCAppForm16). This should be returned to pg_scholarships at leeds.ac.uk<mailto:pg_scholarships at leeds.ac.uk>  by the relevant deadline. Further details of the application procedure and information on other ESRC WR DTC Studentships at the University of Leeds can be found at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/rsa/postgraduate_scholarships/esrc-info
www.leeds.ac.uk<http://www.leeds.ac.uk/rsa/postgraduate_scholarships/ESRCAppForm16>
www.leeds.ac.uk
ESRC White Rose Doctoral Training Centre (WR DTC) Studentship Application form - Session 2016-2017. Closing Dates: ESRC WR DTC Discipline Studentship: 2 February 2016 ...



Full awards will cover UK/EU academic fees and a tax-free maintenance grant paid at standard Research Council rates (£14,296 in Session 2016/17) for full-time study, together with other allowances if appropriate.  EU applicants will be eligible for an award paying tuition fees only, except in exceptional circumstances, or where residency has been established for more than 3 years prior to the start of the course.

Please, contact Aljona Zorina (a.zorina at leeds.ac.uk<mailto:a.zorina at leeds.ac.uk>) for more details