Data Research Access and Governance Network

The College of Business and Law at the University of the West of England, Bristol invites applications for a fully funded PhD studentship with the Data Research Access and Governance Network.

Ref: 2526-JAN-CBL04.

The expected start date of this studentship is 1 January 2026.

Closing date for applications is12 October 2025.

The College of Business and Law is a host to lively and challenging PhD programmes. Students benefit from its modern facilities and a welcoming research environment comprising diverse research groups and centres. 

Doctoral students at the College benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from the UWE Bristol Doctoral Academy, including an extensive professional development programme, research skills training and careers advice.

Data Research Access and Governance Network (DRAGoN) invites expressions of interest for PhD topics focused on strengthening the governance, access and responsible use of confidential data. DRAGoN brings together expertise on output checking, Safe Researcher Training (SRT) and broader data governance training used across government, academia and international contexts.

Projects may focus on public, private or not-for-profit contexts at regional, national or international scales — and at any organisational level e.g. researchers, data owners, ethics committees, TRE/output-checking teams, managers/leaders or multi-stakeholder collaborations.

All methodological approaches are welcome—quantitative, qualitative or mixed—provided they are practical for the proposed project. Proposals that are timely and align with the UWE RISE agenda are encouraged.

Indicative themes

• Output checking and statistical disclosure control (SDC) - evaluation of current practices and training; consistency across services; innovations in policy, automation or training; balancing utility, privacy and user experience.
• Safe Researcher Training (SRT) and data governance training - psychometric analysis of assessments; cultural and contextual adaptation (e.g. LMICs); longitudinal effects on researcher behaviour and compliance; new pedagogical models.
• Researcher behaviour and governance culture - how training, policy and service design shape compliance and safe data use; developing frameworks to measure and sustain behaviour change.
• Capacity building and international perspectives - co-design of training and governance models with LMIC partners; exploring equity, fairness and trust in different cultural and institutional settings.

This indicative list of themes is not exhaustive.

Students will have the chance to work with UK secure data services and international partners, with access to training, professional networks and potentially unique datasets, e.g. assessment data or anonymised case materials.

We encourage applicants to familiarise themselves with DRAGoN’s ongoing work prior to applying.

For an informal discussion about the project proposal please contact Professor Felix Ritchie at felix.ritchie@uwe.ac.uk

For an informal discussion about the studentship, please contact College Director of Doctoral Research, Dr Paweł Capik at pawel.capik@uwe.ac.uk

The studentship is available from 1 January 2026 for a period of three years subject to satisfactory progress. It includes a tax-exempt stipend of £20,780 per annum (2025/26 academic year), and full-time home/international fees.

Applicants must have at least 2.1 degree in economics or a cognate discipline, and preferably a master's degree with an average programme mark of no less than 65% - UK grading scale or international equivalent.

We require a recognised English language qualification, with an IELTS score of 7.0 overall or equivalent.

Please submit your application online. When prompted use the reference number: 2526-JAN-CBL04.

You will need to upload your research proposal, all your degree certificates and transcripts and English language qualification.

Apply online

Research proposal

The research proposal should be no more than five pages and formatted with font size 11, 1.5 line spacing, 2-inch margins.

Indicative contents:

• research context and rationale
• brief literature review
• research focus (objectives/research questions)
• proposed methodology and expected contribution of the project.

Development of the research proposal should happen in consultation with the potential supervisor. You should contact the potential supervisor with an advanced draft of the proposal to confirm they are willing to support your application.

References

You will need to provide details of two referees as part of your application. 

The closing date for applications is 12 October 2025 at 18:00.

Interviews will take place online in November.

If you have not heard from us by 30 November 2025, we thank you for your application but you have not been successful.