Public Service Transformation, Digitalization and the Future of Work in Local Government (ESRC Centre for Digital Futures at Work PhD Studentship)

Digit is offering a studentship, with a stipend and UK ('Home' student) or International fees covered, starting in 2026, on the role of digitalization in public service transformation in UK local government, the skills demands and use involved in the changing forms of service provision, and the way work and careers of sector workers are being shaped and will evolve in this context. The ESRC Centre for Digital Futures at Work (Digit) aims to advance our understanding of how digital technologies are reshaping work. This studentship is part of the Management PhD programme at the University of Sussex Business School which forms part of the South East Doctoral Training Arc. The PhD project is expected to investigate the way digital and AI skills inform and are shaped by the transformation of public services, with particular attention to how such skills support a shift towards preventative, person-centred services that empower residents and address problems before they escalate, as well as to how the work experiences and careers of the local government workforce are redefined in the process. Successful candidates will have access to the instruction and support available through SEDarc and to supervision by experts in the field. The scholarship can be held with the PhD being pursued Full Time or Part Time.