CITIZEN-CENTRED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Are you passionate about empowering citizens to play a key role in the UK’s AI-enabled future? Northumbria University’s new UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Citizen-Centred AI (CCAI) will train over 60 PhD researchers to place citizens at the centre of the design and development of AI applications and services.

We are now recruiting applicants to join our second cohort of students in September 2025 to undertake a 4-year PhD programme of training, placements, study and research. Successful applicants will receive a full stipend at UKRI rates (for 2023/24 full-time study £18,622 per year) and full tuition fees. Studentships are also available for applicants who wish to study on a part-time basis.

You do not need a first degree in Computer Science to join our CDT. We want to hear from people from all disciplines and academic backgrounds who have ideas about how and why people should be part of the AI conversation and can contribute to one of research themes listed below. Our training programme will equip you with all relevant interdisciplinary skills for designing and evaluating citizen-centred approaches to AI. This includes AI and Data Science, Participatory Design and Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Business and Law, Regulation and Governance Theory. Your research will be supported by opportunities to take part in industry, government and community placements, as well as visits to UK and International research labs who are doing related work.

Key Dates for Prospective Students:

Pre-application Workshops late November 2024:

These workshops will support you in putting together your research proposal will be held at our campus in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and another in London. In addition to the two in-person workshops we will hold a further two online workshops.

Online Application Support week of the 9th – 13th December 2024:

We will hold a series of online drop-in sessions to provide guidance and support to candidates on their applications and answer any support questions for the online application process.

Deadline for PhD applications 10th January 2025:

To apply to join our September 2025 cohort you will need to apply via our application form and submit a CV and Research Proposal (using our provided template).

Online Interviews week of the 17th – 21st February 2025:

Interviews with shortlisted applicants will take place online. To prepare for the interview, candidates will be provided with two academic papers to discuss with the panel; and expected to reflect on their proposed research based on feedback provided during the shortlisting.

PhD Offers to successful candidates, late February 2025:

We will contact successful candidates and make formal offers to join the CCAI CDT. Offers must be accepted or rejected by the deadline of 11th March 2025.

Second cohort starts their PhDs in September 2025:

All students will be based at Northumbria University’s Newcastle-upon-Tyne campus. We do not offer remote, or distanced PhD studentships and students will be expected to be on campus for CDT training and research activities.

During the first year of the programme, students will engage in training across the departments of Computer and Information Sciences, Psychology, Design, Business and Law – to build skills needed to design AI products, systems and services that are fair, just, responsible and aligned with citizens’ aspirations.  They will then lead research aligned to the centre’s research themes.

Eligibility Requirements:

Academic excellence i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities with preference for 1st class honours); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.

Appropriate IELTS score, if required.

Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence Research Themes:

Successful applicants will receive a studentship which includes a full stipend at UKRI rates (for 2023/24 full-time study this is £18,622 per year) and full tuition fees. Studentships are also available for applicants who wish to study on a part-time basis. 

Do candidates need to submit specific research proposals, or are they integrated into existing programs at the university?

1. Research proposals should be approximately 1000 words in length and outline novel research projects that align with our Citizen-Centred AI research themes. They should describe and justify (i) the AI and society related challenge that the research aims to address (ii) proposed methodology and/or methods, (iii) a brief state of the art literature review, and (iv) any ethical, equality, diversity and inclusion implications. We provide a list of references within each research theme webpage that you may draw on when preparing your proposal. We also encourage applicants to use diverse literature relevant to their specific challenge.

2. Please submit a 2-page CV outlining your education and work history, key achievements and any relevant publications you have been a part of. Please note that we do not expect applicants to have had prior research publications. 

3. We also encourage applicants to submit a personal statement, especially if they identify with a societal group less represented within Computer Science and/or Higher Education Research (e.g. Women, Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME), Disabled, LGBTQIA+, first generation student, student from a low-income household, carer etc.). Personal statements should be approximately 700 words in length and should (i) Outline your learning and career journey, including any career/learning breaks taken (ii) Reflect on systemic barriers that may have impacted your learning and career journey- highlighting how you navigated those barriers.  These will be reviewed by a specialist panel with expertise and/or lived experience in issues related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. 

Are there any ongoing projects I can currently work on?

This project is currently in its very early stages, we are currently trying to establish research themes, project work and businesses to engage with. Please bare with us, and watch this space for more future updates.

Will this opportunity be open for international students?

Yes.

Is there a part-time study option?

Yes, candidates are able to request part-time hours. Please indicate in your research proposal and/or your personal statement that you are interested in pursuing the programme on a part-time basis.

How would part-time study work on CCAI? 

We allow students to study part-time at a 0.6 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) rate, meaning that students would complete the programme over 6.5 years instead of 4 years. Choosing to study in this mode would also have some changes on the initial formal training from year 1. Instead of completing 6 modules in year 1; students would complete 4 modules in year 1, then a further 2 modules in year 2 at which point you would submit your doctoral research proposal for progression and study at a part-time rate for the remaining 4.5 years.

How many years would it be, how many hours would we be expected to dedicate per week, and would part-time students be required to be based in Newcastle full-time?

Students studying part-time working at a rate of 0.6 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) would be expected to dedicate 22.2 hours (60% of 37hours) a week engaging with the programme. Yes, we would be expecting part-time students to be based at the Newcastle campus for their studies, as we don’t offer any remote or distance learning modes for the programme.