To celebrate our 110th anniversary this year, a total of 110 new UK/EU scholarships will be available across the university for 2014 and 2015 entry, Up to six for Business School PhDs starting in October 2014. Outstanding scholars from any discipline are invited to apply for the funding. For more information, eligibility criteria and how to apply, please visit University of Leeds 110 Anniversary Research Scholarships. DEADLINE 30 APRIL 2014.

We are particularly interested in applications relating to the following research areas:

‘BIG DATA’ The Leeds University Business School is currently seeking talented and highly motivated doctoral researchers to work in any area of ‘big data’ research in management, business or themes that connect with other areas of social science research. 

New data relating to both the social and physical world are being created at an increasing rate, and with great variety.  These sources, often characterised as “Big Data”, have been identified by the UK Government and Research Councils as one of eight great technologies that will power scientific developments and economic growth over the next decade.  This commitment has been matched by more than £360 million of government funds for big data research and infrastructure at UK universities.  

The cross-faculty Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA) is part of a wider initiative with more than £20 million of funding from the University and major research councils (including the ESRC).  

Applications are welcomed from any social science (or related) discipline, although candidates must have already achieved the required level of research training (usually by the attainment of a Masters) and should ideally have strong analytic skills from a numerate background. Examples include (but are not restricted to) economics, informatics/analytics, modelling, psychology, business, transport studies and geography. Although LUBS has particular interests in big data research focusing on consumer data applicants are welcomed from any substantive area of big data research including small business research; governance; supply chain management, HRM; international business; decision-making and possible interdisciplinary themes (for example, relating to transport and urban infrastructure and health).

The University deadline for full applications to this scheme is 30 April 2014.

Given this tight deadline and the difficulties of preparing a full application, potential candidates are asked, in the first instance to contact Matthew Armstrong m.armstrong@leeds.ac.uk describing their potential research ideas and providing a full copy of their recent CV. Following these initial discussions a decision will be made on whether to proceed with full applications. At this stage, potential candidates will be given full support in locating appropriate supervisory teams within LUBS and in developing their research proposals.

iBuild (Infrastructure Business Models, Valuation and Innovation for Local Delivery)PhD Studentship

iBuild is a consortium of Newcastle, Leeds and Birmingham Universities. It is one of two Centres set up as part of the National Infrastructure Plan, published by the Government in 2011, with funding from the EPSRC and the ESRC. The Centres’ role is to catalyse and inform the national debate about the future of the UK’s infrastructure. The aim is to develop new approaches to infrastructure business models with the ultimate goal of replacing current public-private business models that in many cases provide poor value.

Leeds University Business School leads economics, business and social science-related research in iBuild. We are currently seeking PhD studentship applications for research topics that fit within this broad portfolio of research. Relevant general themes include value, well-being, resilience and sustainability. More specific themes include:

• Infrastructure business models: what, how, when, and for whom do they work?

• Financialisation and infrastructure: routes to long-term investment?

• Infrastructure independencies: enhanced value or increased vulnerability?

• Waste: what is ‘waste’ in a sustainable economy?

• Scaling infrastructure processes and outcomes: one size fits all?

• Systems of provision: tracking value from production to consumption

• Infrastructure futures: how will we deliver services in 2100?

These themes arise in a context where the discipline of economics and its boundaries with other disciplines are in flux. For example, behavioural economics, agent-based complexity economics, happiness economics and, in the wake of the economic crisis, heterodox economics and political economy have emerged in interdisciplinary contexts such as economic geography, management and business studies (e.g. ‘value chain’ analysis) and international political economy (e.g. ‘varieties of capitalism’). The time is apposite to harness the best of these approaches to infrastructure studies. Applications from any relevant discipline are invited. Successful applicants will be attached to the new IMBUES Centre of LUBS (which coordinates LUBS’s contributions to iBuild).

For further information on how to apply, please contact Matthew Armstrong at phd@lubs.leeds.ac.uk orm.armstrong@leeds.ac.uk.