UCL Department / Division: Bartlett School of Construction & Project Management
Duration of Studentship: 3.5 years
Stipend: £13,863 per annum plus fees
Vacancy Information
University College London (UCL) is seeking an enthusiastic individual for a new PhD research project “Managing innovation in major projects and programmes”. The research project will develop a framework for successful innovation in major projects and programmes. The aim is to explore the management of innovation, focusing on how clients and contractors identify, develop and implement innovation strategies and processes. The challenge of delivering innovation on major infrastructure programmes is complex and not well understood. With significant expenditure in the next ten years addressing major societal needs associated with transport, water and energy, this research project aims to deliver a framework that will enable greater research and innovation in the infrastructure sector – responding to the challenging targets set in the Construction Industry Strategy. This project is of major importance to the EPSRC engineering research portfolio.
The key objectives are:
-Investigate what is required for successful innovation in major projects and programmes
-Examine how challenges involved in delivering innovation vary across client programmes and how stakeholders should collaborate to accelerate innovation in the sector to encourage greater technical research and innovation
-Engage with Costain Innovation and Knowledge Champions: Crossrail, Thames Tideway, HS2, Hinckley Point to understand the connection between the strategic intent and what happens in practice
-Explore how collaborative, ongoing innovation programmes help integrated supply chains bring new solutions: HA, TFT, Network Rail, Thames Water, Severn Trent, National Grid
-Understand how technical lessons from projects, industries and selected countries are identified, captured and transferred to improve performance
Studentship Description
The PhD student will be invited to be part of the Costain Innovation Team and will be given an element of responsibility to understand innovation in practice and how to increase performance across contracts with key customers and the strategic supply chain. The researcher will be expected to add value through their research and make a clear impact on business performance including working with Constructing Excellence to disseminate new learning.
Person Specification
Applicants should have (or expect to obtain by the start date) at least a good 2.1 degree (and preferably a Masters degree) in Construction and Project Management related subject.
Eligibility
Due to funding restrictions, only UK students are eligible for a full scholarship for 3.5 years. EU students may be eligible for university fees only. Further information about EPSRC ICASE is available at: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/coll/intro
Initial informal enquiries about this post may be addressed to Dr Natalya Sergeeva (email: [email protected]), or industrial partner Tim Embley ([email protected]) or Don Ward ([email protected])
Applications should be made online via the University College London Admissions Office before the deadline.
Contact name: Susan Anderson
Contact details: [email protected]
UCL Taking Action for Equality
Closing Date: 11 May 2015
Latest time for the submission of applications: 5pm
Interview date: TBA
Studentship Start Date: 1 October 2015
