PhD Studentship in Web Science

Closing date for applications: 31 May 2011

The University of Southampton Web Science Doctoral Training Centre is offering fully-funded studentships for 4-year PhD training. The combined masters and PhD degree has no fees to pay and a £13,590 a year studentship to study the World Wide Web.

Any student from any discipline can study Web Science.

This four-year PhD in Web Science will equip students to become leaders in the emerging Digital Economy. The course begins with a one-year taught Masters to give a broad basis for understanding the technology of the Web and the social context in which the technology operates. The remaining three-year research programme is jointly supervised by two faculties and may combine a wide range of disciplines ranging from Computer Science, Information Technology, Law, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Physics, Chemistry, Humanities, Management, Education or Geography, as appropriate to the interdisciplinary research interests of the individual student.

Studying Web Science is about questioning the following: How is the web changing the education landscape? How is it affecting interpersonal relationships? What processes have driven the Web's growth, and will they persist? How does large-scale structure emerge from a simple set of protocols? How does the Web work as a socio-technical system? What drives the viral uptake of certain Web phenomena? What might fragment the Web?

"Web Science is a new discipline preparing people for jobs of the future", says Wendy Hall, professor of computer science at the University of Southampton. "Within the next few years, companies, organisations, the public services and government departments are all going to be looking for people who can understand the way people use the internet, the impact it has and the way it is likely to develop in the future", she says.

Web Science at Southampton is directed by; Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Dr Les Carr, Professor Catherine Pope and Professor Nigel Shadbolt.  The Web Science Doctoral Training Centre is part of an international network of Web Science research centres, offering summer schools, workshops and opportunities for international collaboration.

Enquire direct to the DTC at: webscience.ecs.soton.ac.uk/dtc/enquire

To apply go to webscience.ecs.soton.ac.uk/dtc/applicationprocedure

To be eligible for the full studentship you must satisfy the EPSRC general rules for eligibility of students supported through EPSRC.All EU nationals are eligible for fees-only awards if they do not have settled status in the UK.