Fully Funded PhD Scholarship in Ireland 2026 at UCD with an Annual Stipend of €30,000
Applicant criteria
- No specific age required
- Both
Opportunity criteria
Opportunity description
University College Dublin (UCD) in Ireland is accepting applications for a fully funded four-year PhD scholarship within the School of Sociology. The scholarship is part of a research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) entitled “From Human Capital to Intelligence Management: Data-driven Economy and Brain-Computer Interfaces (IMR).”
The scholarship focuses on examining the relationship between artificial intelligence, Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), computational neuroscience, the digital economy, work, and society. The project explores how neurotechnologies and artificial intelligence are influencing the production of scientific knowledge and innovation, working practices, public policy, workforce management, and emerging forms of human-machine interaction.
Research Responsibilities
The PhD candidate is expected to:
- Develop an original article-based PhD dissertation within the IMR project.
- Conduct documentary and archival research.
- Analyze documents, academic publications, policy materials, and institutional records.
- Conduct semi-structured interviews with researchers, project leaders, and policymakers.
- Participate in comparative fieldwork in Europe and the United States.
- Contribute to collaborative research and joint publications.
- Participate in conferences and research presentations.
- Attend seminars, reading groups, and research team meetings.
- Assist in organizing workshops, conferences, and research events.
- Contribute to communication and dissemination activities for the project, including the project website and social media channels.
- Undertake limited teaching duties within the School of Sociology in accordance with university policies.
Benefits
The scholarship provides:
- Full funding for 4 years.
- An annual research stipend of €30,000, tax-free.
- Full tuition fee coverage.
- Funding to participate in academic conferences.
- Funding for training and professional development.
- Opportunities for international research and fieldwork in Europe and the United States.
- Access to a multidisciplinary research environment at UCD.
- Collaboration with an international network of researchers specializing in sociology, science and technology studies, political economy, artificial intelligence, and data.
- Academic supervision and direct guidance from the IMR project team.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must hold a qualification in Sociology or a closely related field, such as:
- Sociology.
- Anthropology.
- Political Economy.
- Communications.
- Or another relevant discipline within the social sciences.
The university particularly welcomes applicants with an interest in one or more of the following areas:
- Science and Technology Studies (STS).
- Sociology of science and scientific knowledge.
- Innovation and research infrastructures.
- Computational neuroscience and neurotechnologies.
- Digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
- Digital sociology.
- Qualitative research or mixed methods.
Required Skills
Applicants are preferably expected to have:
- Strong qualitative research skills.
- Experience in document analysis.
- The ability to conduct research interviews.
- Knowledge of ethnographic observation.
- The ability to work independently and as part of a research team.
- Strong organizational, communication, and project management skills.
- The ability and motivation to produce high-quality academic research and publications.
- An interest in comparative and international research.
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