Care-full digital mobility

This is one of several fully-funded PhD studentships available within the College of Arts, Technology and Environment (CATE) at UWE Bristol.

Although many doctoral projects are being advertised across the College, CATE will only fund up to eight studentships in total. Projects selected for funding will be determined based on applicant merit through the selection process outlined below.

Digital mobility platforms such as Google Maps optimise routes primarily for speed and efficiency, assuming a generic and gender-neutral user. While some assistive technologies address disability access, everyday mobility needs associated with gendered roles and care responsibilities remain largely absent from digital design.

Research in transport and mobilities has shown that women and caregivers often undertake complex trip patterns, such as escorting dependents, travelling with children, trip chaining between multiple destinations, or prioritising safer and more accessible routes. These forms of “care mobility”, shaped by gendered divisions of labour and social reproduction, are rarely captured in transport datasets or incorporated into routing algorithms and AI-driven mobility systems. As a result, existing digital mobility tools risk reproducing inequalities in mobility access, safety, and infrastructure provision.

This PhD will investigate how digital mobility tools are designed and can be redesigned to better account for gendered and care-related mobility needs, and how such redesign can inform more inclusive transport planning and policy. The project will:

• Develop a gender and care-aware data framework to identify infrastructural and informational gaps affecting everyday mobility.
• Integrate diverse data sources (e.g. mobility diaries, participatory mapping, and spatial datasets) and other criteria (e.g. safety, security, accessibility) to support the development of digital mobility systems.
• Develop and test a prototype data protocol or an app-based framework to incorporate gender and care-sensitive parameters into journey-planning tools.
• Develop policy recommendations for gender-sensitive transport planning.

Using a UK case study, the studentship will complement an ongoing British Council-funded project exploring similar issues in Istanbul. Cross-context comparison will help identify both shared and context-specific mobility challenges while strengthening the empirical and methodological foundations of the research.

For more information about the studentship please contact Dr Eda Beyazit at Eda.Beyazit@uwe.ac.uk.

Essential eligibility criteria

• A strong academic background (2:1 or above, or equivalent) in a relevant subject (e.g. planning, geography, sociology, transport studies, computer science, data science, or a related field).
• Background or experience in quantitative or computational methods (e.g. statistical analysis, GIS/geospatial analysis, or programming in R/Python), or willingness to develop these skills during the PhD.
• Experience with, or understanding of, qualitative research methods (e.g. interviews, focus groups, ethnography).
• Demonstrated interest in transport inequalities, gender, care, and mobilities research.

Desirable eligibility criteria

• Experience with app development, digital platforms, or AI-based systems.
• Experience applying qualitative research methods such as ethnography, interviews, or participatory research.
• Turkish language skills (optional).

The studentship is available from 1 October 2026 for a period of three years, subject to satisfactory progress and includes a tax-exempt stipend, which is currently £20,780 (2025/26) per annum.

In addition, full-time tuition fees will be covered for up to three years.

Please submit your application online. When prompted use the reference number 2627-OCT-CATE20. 

Application deadline

The closing date for applications is 12 June 2026.

Apply now

Applicants shortlisted for this project will be invited to interview with a panel comprising of members of the supervisory team and the School's Postgraduate Research (PGR) Lead and/or a senior researcher from the School or College. Successful candidates will be offered a studentship following the interview.

Supporting documentation

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

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

Interview dates

It is expected that interviews will take place in early June. If you have not heard from us by July, we thank you for your application but on this occasion you have not been successful.

Candidates who meet the entry requirements for doctoral study at UWE Bristol but are not awarded one of the funded studentships may be offered the opportunity to take up a self-funded PhD place.