STEaPP have two UCL EPSRC DTP studentships starting in 2024 available; AI for Science and Engineering Advice and The Politics and Efficacy of Network Interference.
The Politics and Efficacy of Network Interference
Supervisor: Jesse Sowell
Eligibility: Home or Overseas
Award Start Date: September 2024
Duration of Award: 4 years
Funding: Maintenance stipend at the UCL EPSRC DTP enhanced rate, plus a Research Training Support Grant of £4,800 to support with additional training costs (e.g. courses, conferences, travel).
This project takes a sociotechnical approach to understanding the mechanisms underlying network interference and their efficacy as political tools. On the technical side, this work builds on data from projects such as the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) and Access Now’s Shutdown Tracker Optimization Project (STOP) to understand the scope, scale, and magnitude of network interference, with a special focus on the capabilities and capacities necessary for governments to sustain network interference strategies. Specific case studies will be identified and developed to understand the efficacy of these strategies, especially in cases where technology transfers from more developed states both further commoditize resource intensive interference campaigns and reinforce the politics of information control. Taken together, this project will integrate studies of political regime type and applications of network interference to better understand the impact of network interference trends on Internet communication, the efficacy of these strategies in meeting regimes’ political goals, and the impact on open communication writ broadly.
This project seeks students passionate about understanding the impacts of network interference and that are keen to engage in sociotechnical research integrating methods from Internet measurement and the social sciences, in particular mixed methods approaches integrating quantitative analyses, geospatial data visualization, and case based methods from political science and international relations.
AI for Science and Engineering Advice
Supervisor: Chris Tyler
Eligibility: Home or Overseas
Award Start Date: September 2024
Duration of Award: 4 years
Funding: Maintenance stipend at the UCL EPSRC DTP enhanced rate, plus a Research Training Support Grant of £4,800 to support with additional training costs (e.g. courses, conferences, travel).
Science advice has been done the same way for decades. Advisers’ approaches to evidence syntheses and horizon scanning tend to be rather ad hoc. Policy briefs are one-size-fits-all and take months to produce. Impact evaluation often amounts to counting publications and event attendees. AI tools could revolutionise all these areas, from automating parts of the evidence synthesis process, to producing multiple versions of personalised policy briefs.
The design and application of future AI tools in science advisory systems will inevitably be complicated by legitimate concerns about rigour and trustworthiness. These tools must be co-created with academia and science advisory institutions. Processes will need to be developed to deal with system glitches, such as the tendency for ChatGPT to show political bias.
This PhD project will have two main goals. The first would be to identify AI technologies for science advice, and an assessment of opportunities and challenges in their use. The second goal would be to deliver real-world impact in policy institutions. The programme will be designed from the outset as practice-oriented and will aim to offer advice on and toolkits for the deployment of AI technology for science advice, and/or the production of AI tools for use in science advice.
We are looking for a PhD candidate with a background in computer science (essential) and experience in public policy (desirable).