An opportunity has arisen for a PhD studentship hosted by The Bartlett Development Planning Unit and the School of Construction and Project Management, funded by the ESRC UCL, Bloomsbury and East London Doctoral Training Partnership.

Two years ago, The Bartlett started to provide critical reflection on large scale national project ‘systems’ - government, industry, professional bodies, project leaders - to ask the question collectively: “where are the women in major projects leadership in the UK?”.

Research objectives:

  • Analyse and evaluate the current theoretical frameworks which are intended to explain the gender imbalance in major projects leadership
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of current organisational strategies and practices employed to improve gender balance
  • Consolidate a ‘learning community’ through a longitudinal, participative action research consortium with major project enterprise partners
  • Track and monitor progress of organisational strategies through the establishment of inter-organisational learning set benchmarks, and contributing intra-organisational research insights in order to adapt strategies over time
  • Identify and share the most effective strategies and practices for improving gender balance in organisations, projects enterprises and the ‘whole system’

This research will apply an ethnographic action research approach to understand gender balance in large national projects in the UK. The successful applicant will have proven knowledge of gender relations in society and its organisations, and experience of working with organisational development will be an advantage.

ESRC studentships are open to all UK applicants. Applicants are also eligible for a studentship if they have been an ordinary resident in the UK for three years prior to the start of the studentship grant.

Funding covers university course fees, with an annual stipend of £16,296 and limited training and research expenses. 

Apply now

Applications should be submitted to Dr Colin Marx, Director of DPU’s PhD Programme, in the following format:

  • A CV, including full details of all University course grades to date.
  • Contact details for two academic or professional referees (at least one academic).
  • A personal statement (750 words maximum) outlining:
    • your suitability for the project with reference to the description in the person specification
    • what you hope to achieve from the PhD
    • your research experience to date 

Applications must also be accompanied by an online application to be enrolled on The Bartlett Planning Development Unit PhD programme.

Closing date: 22.00, Friday 22 September