PhD Studentship: Evaluating Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in STEM doctoral training

Award details

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is a field of research and practice which emphasises anticipating the broader implications of research in creating meaningful public benefit whilst ensuring ethical alignment with societal values and regulations. Despite increasing integration in UKRI-funded doctoral programmes, little is known about what makes RRI training effective, or how PhD students should demonstrate their competence in this area.

This PhD project is meant for a collaborative individual that is interested in investigating questions such as: How do we measure the success of RRI? When should we measure the success of RRI, and how does it correlate with RRI training outcomes? How can we compare the effectiveness of RRI training across and within disciplines?

We anticipate that qualitative or mixed methods approaches will be most appropriate for this study. The successful candidate will research existing RRI training within the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical, and Engineering Sciences (NMES) and the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences (BMEIS) at King’s College London. Working with Dr. Caitlin Bentley (Department of Informatics, KCL and Deputy Chair, Skills Pillar at RAi UK) and Prof. Elvira Vallejos Perez (Responsible Digital Futures, University of Nottingham and Chair, Equities Pillar at RAi UK), this project offers opportunities to influence RRI training across the UK’s AI Ecosystem.

Eligibility criteria

This award is open to UK students.

Applicants should have a First-class undergraduate degree or a Distinction at MSc level in a relevant subject (Education, Computer Science, Educational Technology, Natural Sciences, Medical Sciences, Engineering, Interdisciplinary Studies, Science and Technology Studies).

Applicants with multi-disciplinary backgrounds, or experience working in any relevant industrial sector are desirable.

In exceptional cases other qualifications and experience may be considered and all applications will be assessed on their merit as appropriate.

Application process

Applications will be reviewed as they come in until the position is filled. For a start in October 2025, please submit by June 27, 2025. 

To be considered for the position candidates must apply via King’s Apply online application system. Details are available on the Department of Informatics webpage. 

Please apply for Computer Science Research and indicate Dr Caitlin Bentley as the supervisor and quote the project title in your application and all correspondence.

Please ensure to add the following code EPSRCDLABentley2501 in the Funding section of the application form. Please select option 5 ‘I am applying for a funding award or scholarship administered by King’s College London’ and type the code into the ‘Award Scheme Code or Name’ box. Please copy and paste the code exactly.

The selection process will involve a pre-selection on documents and, if selected, will be followed by an invitation to an interview. If successful at the interview, an offer will be provided in due course.

Contact Details

If you require support with the application process please contact informatics-pgr@kcl.ac.uk.