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School of Law

QUB - Belfast City Council PhD Research Studentship
Deadline: 5 June, 2020
Level of Study
Postgraduate Research
Country Group
EU, GB, NI, ROI
Funding Amount
The funded studentship will cover UK/EU tuition fees (£4,407 per year), plus (for eligible candidates) a stipend of £17,285 per year, for three years.
Application Status
Closed

Eligibility summary

  • Level of StudyPostgraduate Research

Overview

The School of Law is delighted to announce a PhD studentship, funded as a Collaborative Studentship by the Department for the Economy (DfE) and Belfast City Council (BCC). The successful candidate will research the topic of ‘exploring legal and ethical dimensions in Belfast’s planned Digital Innovation Ecosystem’, spending part of their time on placement at BCC as an integral part of their research.

 

Further Information

RESEARCH PROJECT

Title: Exploring legal and ethical dimensions in Belfast’s planned Digital Innovation Ecosystem

Summary: Working with other partners in the city, Belfast City Council wishes to explore the ethical responsibility associated with developing a data-driven 'Smart Belfast' Digital Innovation programme.  At the heart of this programme will be the creation of a ‘smart district’ which will offer opportunities for the testing and deployment of a range of emerging digital technologies, with a focus on life and health sciences and on urban mobility. 

City Partners recognise that systems of governance may be impacted and challenged by the deployment of new technologies, which themselves may provide the solutions to the governance challenges. Other challenges associated with this programme include the management of the collection, sharing and exploitation of data, and how data can be used for public good. The researcher will explore ethical approaches to the City’s development of a Digital Innovation Platform and Partnership, in a context where the issues are in some cases novel, though developing rapidly in various other cities and jurisdictions

Requirements: The researcher should have sufficient knowledge of legal, policy and/or ethical issues in relation to data; this may emerge out of prior studies of or practice in law, but could similarly be demonstrated through study or work in other relevant fields.

Further information: Contact Prof. Daithí Mac Síthigh (d.macsithigh@qub.ac.uk)  

Funding Towards

Living Costs / Stipend, Tuition Fees

Funding Body

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/department-economy-studentships

Funding Amount

The funded studentship will cover UK/EU tuition fees (£4,407 per year), plus (for eligible candidates) a stipend of £17,285 per year, for three years.

The researcher will, alongside the normal facilities available in the School of Law and the Graduate School, have access to desk space at BCC, engagement with Council staff, and access to primary and secondary data sources and the ‘living lab’ environment which is part of the City’s plans. They will be able to engage with Council experts and with citizens as part of events.

 

Number of Awards

1

Funding Body

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/department-economy-studentships

Terms and Conditions

 

For further details re eligibility criteria (including academic, citizenship and residency criteria) please see the DfE Research Eligibility Guidance Notes.

 

Eligibility

ELIGIBILITY

  • UK residents: fees plus stipend. 
  • Other EU residents: fees only.
  • Please note this studentship is not available to international students.
  • Study can only be undertaken on a full-time basis.
  • Qualifications:
  • An Upper Second or First Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) in law or another relevant discipline, plus a Master's degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) with an average above 60%. 
  • Applicants with an Upper Second or First Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) in law or another relevant discipline who are currently studying a Master’s degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) will also be considered.
  • Applicants with an Upper Second or First Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) in law or another relevant discipline plus evidence of ability to conduct independent and original research will be considered on a case by case basis.

 

 

Funding Type

Fee Status

EU, GB, NI, ROI

Country Group

EU, GB, NI, ROI

Study Level

Postgraduate Research

Start Date

Thu, 14 May 2020 09:03:00 BST

Close Date

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 16:00:00 BST

Contact Us

Further information: Contact Prof. Daithí Mac Síthigh (d.macsithigh@qub.ac.uk)  

How to Apply

To apply, please complete an application form on the Queen’s University Postgraduate Applications Portal including a curriculum vitae (CV) and a statement of up to 1,000 words.  In the statement, applicants should demonstrate their understanding of key concepts and literature regarding legal and ethical dimensions of ‘smart city’ initiatives (in general rather than specific to Belfast), commenting on the research approaches and methods they would wish to use if awarded this studentship