Dear all

There is an exciting 3-year PhD studentship opportunity available in the Department of Architecture and Built Environment at Northumbria University investigating the spatial characteristics of commercial real estate demand. The proposed studentship will take a lead role in an existing project studying digital search preference signals in the UK. 

The application process and eligibility criteria can be found at the following link: https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=81715&LID=2712

A summary of the project follows below:

Project summary

The proposed studentship is a comprehensive investigation into the spatial structures of business (office, retail and leisure and industrial) search preference signals (SPS) and their implications for the planning and management of cities in the 21st Century. The aim is to reveal mis-matches between the supply and demand of business property in the contemporary city in order to plan more resilient urban futures. SPS offer a spatial insight into the real decision making behaviours and frustrations of the modern business before they purchase a property. Yet, the study of SPS has been challenging due to the cost and practicality of delivering large scale SPS surveys. Even though the construction of business property is a derived demand, business preference is typically an implicit assumption rather than an explicit situational variable in the planning and production of the contemporary city. This studentship aims to resolve these problems by using digital SPS generated through website search activity in the UK. This is because internet browsing generates SPS which can then be benchmarked against existing models of business property stock. This provides a unique opportunity to model the interaction between demand for business property and its physical supply which can be used to inform the efficient use (and re-use) of business property.

The proposed studentship is split into three principle areas of investigation: 

1.	Data exploration and refinement – existing search preference data sets need to be prepared and converted into 
               suitable formats for analysis.

2.	Developing of SPS tracking techniques using GIS– For example search intensity, search duration; search fixity; 
               search radius and inter-spatial movement.

3.	Determine the implications of business SPS for the production of business property – SPS modelling will be 
               benchmarked against an existing model of business property stock to reveal potential mis-matches between 
               business property supply and demand.

The studentship includes a full stipend, paid for three years at RCUK rates for 2017/18 (this is yet to be set, in 2016/17 this is £14,296 pa) and fees (Home/EU £4,350 / International £13,000 / International Lab-based £16,000). Additionally, as Northumbria celebrates its 25th anniversary as a University and in line with our international outlook, some projects may also be offered to students from outside of the EU supported by a half-fee reduction.

We are interested in applicants who are comfortable/creative in the use of big data sets (perhaps from a Data Science background) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Most importantly, applicants must have an interest in the urban and/or spatial organisation of society. Knowledge of internet/website analytics is desirable but not essential. 

Please can you circulate anywhere you think relevant.

All the best

Dr Kevin Muldoon-Smith 
University of Northumbria 
Sutherland Building, 
College Street, 
Newcastle upon Tyne, 
NE1 8ST
Email: [log in to unmask]
Telephone: 0191 349 5109 

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