Dear colleagues,



Thought this might be of interest to some.  Contact Phil Crang for details.



All the best,

Pat



Dr Patricia Noxolo,

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences,

University of Birmingham,

Edgbaston,

Birmingham

B15 2TT

UK

________________________________
From: A forum for critical and radical geographers [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Crang, P [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 08 April 2016 10:16
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Application Closing Date April 15th: Three Year PhD Studentship, Geography, Royal Holloway University of London: Space, Freedom and Control in the Digital Workplace


Dear critters,


3 Year PhD Studentship: 'Space, Freedom and Control in the Digital Workplace'


Now that most UK PhD funding opportunities are near or past their decision dates, this is just a reminder of a three-year PhD studentship at Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL) to examine how the use of digital technologies is transforming the organisation and experience of paid work. This studentship is funded by the Leverhulme Magna Carta Doctoral Centre at RHUL. The project, due to begin in September 2016, will be supervised by Philip Crang (Lead Supervisor: Professor of Cultural Geography, Department of Geography) and Gillian Symon (Second Supervisor: Professor of Organisation Studies, School of Management). The closing date for applications is April 15th. If people on CGF know of students looking for '+3' PhD opportunities, please do ping this on to them.


The Studentship


The use of digital technologies is transforming the organisation and experience of paid work, across a range of economic sectors and occupations. This poses pressing questions for working lives and workers' identities, both in relation to their organisational control and their expressive potentials. This project on 'Space, freedom and control in the digital workplace' is designed to advance those debates through a distinctive focus on how digital sociomaterialities are re-shaping workplace geographies. Specifically, the research developed by the student might consider: workplace surveillance (e.g. the monitoring and control of employees through RFID, GPS and bio-sensor technologies); workplace display (e.g. the shaping of personal employee identity performance through the use of social media for commercial audiences); and workplace (de-)territorialisation (e.g. the role of smart phones, laptops and tablets in how paid work is separated off from, or entangled with, other social spaces). Methodologically, it is expected that the research will be primarily qualitative, combining methods such as semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, diary and interview methods with workers, and discourse analysis of public commentaries and policy briefings.


The Institutional Setting


In 2015, Royal Holloway University of London was awarded over £1 million from the Leverhulme Doctoral Training Studentships scheme to create the Magna Carta Doctoral Centre, supporting interdisciplinary PhD research on the theme of 'Freedom and the Rights of the Individual in the Digital Age'. The Centre is funding c. 10 Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholar awards per year and is one element of the soon to be launched Royal Holloway and Runnymede Institute for Freedoms. The studentship holder will be expected to support the collective ethos of the Centre, including being prepared to contribute to seminars, write for public audiences and participate in the academic life of the Institute for Freedoms.


The student will be supervised across the Department of Geography and the School of Management. Royal Holloway's Department of Geography provides a stimulating and supportive research environment. It was ranked joint 2nd in REF2014 for Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies units of assessment. The student will be based in the Department's Social and Cultural Geography (SCG) research group, which has at its heart a graduate school of c. 40 PhD students. The School of Management is a large and vibrant research community, ranked 14th for research outputs in REF2014, and with around 85 students in its PhD programme. Within the School, the student will be able to draw on the expertise of, amongst others, the Space and Time in Management Studies and Working Life research groups, with opportunities to participate in seminars, workshops and training activities.


Royal Holloway University of London has its main campus in Egham, Surrey and a central London base in the Bloomsbury area. This gives PhD students the option of living in Surrey or in London, as suits them best.


How to Apply


Applicants should have a good (at least 2:1) undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline such as Geography, Sociology or Organisational Studies, and have completed or be undertaking a Masters level degree that includes advanced social science research training. Leverhulme Magna Carta awards are for a full-time studentship, with an annual stipend of £16,296 and an HEU fee waiver.


Applicants should: (i) provide a maximum two-page curriculum vitae, including the name of an academic referee; (ii) append transcripts of degree marks, as appropriate; (iii) submit a maximum two-page letter outlining your qualifications for, and interest in, the studentship; and (iv) arrange for your reference to be sent to Professor Philip Crang, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London (via email to [log in to unmask]). These materials should arrive no later than 5.00pm Friday 15th April 2016. Interviews for shortlisted applicants are likely to be held on Thursday May 5th 2016.


For enquiries about the studentship, please contact Philip Crang ([log in to unmask]) or Gillian Symon ([log in to unmask]).



Thanks,


Phil



Philip Crang

Professor of Cultural Geography
Director, Social and Cultural Geography Research Group
Department of Geography
Royal Holloway University of London
Egham
Surrey
TW20 0EX
UK