Postgraduate research opportunities Investigating GenAI as a tool to support complex and long-term decision-making
ApplyKey facts
- Opens: Tuesday 13 February 2024
- Deadline: Wednesday 3 April 2024
- Number of places: 1
- Duration: 36 months
- Funding: Home fee, Stipend
Overview
This project will investigate generative AI as a tool to support decision-making in the context of complex and uncertain combinations of future events. Specifically, the project will investigate decisions relating to technology selection -- providing analytical evidence to engineering managers regarding comparative performance and costs of technology options under future scenarios.Eligibility
The PhD project requires a highly numerate graduate with interests in statistical modelling and data analytics. Candidates should have at least a First Class Honours degree or equivalent (e.g., a B.Sc. degree with 3.4 GPA in a 4.0 system), and/or preferably a Master’s degree in a quantitative discipline such as statistics, data science, analytics, operations research, industrial engineering, mathematics, or computer science (amongst others). Experience and fundamental knowledge in statistical data analysis and interpretation, including AI and generative AI, are not essential but highly desirable (there will be training opportunities throughout PhD).
Strathclyde Business School is committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive postgraduate research population. We make decisions on entry by assessing the whole person and not relying solely on academic achievements. On that basis, please ensure that your application (via your CV and covering letter) can evidence your resourcefulness, commitment and resilience as demonstrated by broader professional and life experiences. This evidence should be centred on your ability to undertake and complete a PhD and contribute to a positive PhD community.
If English isn't your first language, you'll need an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent with no individual element below 5.5.
Your application must include:
- An updated curriculum vitae
- Details of two academic referees, including email addresses
- Academic transcripts, which must be certified copies
Project Details
Generative AI (GenAI) and its potentially negative impacts receive much publicity. In simple terms, GenAI predicts a complex sequence/combination of data rather than a single data measure - the typical output with standard AI and statistical analysis methods. A commonly discussed example of GenAI is ChatGPT, which generates sentences of text as output to a user query. Combining individual words into a coherent sentence is no small task, and combining these sentences into a coherent sequence of text that provides a narrative on a particular topic requires sophisticated modelling with complex interactions.
From an operational decision-making perspective, the effectiveness of a decision is measured against a (perhaps multi-pronged) sequence/combination of events/outcomes that unfold, and there is typically uncertainty as to which particular events will unfold. The extent to which this uncertainty is understood has a substantial impact on the effectiveness of the decision, and analytics has a key role in characterising this uncertainty.
A key constraint in analytical modelling is the information that is available for use. GenAI can generate complex sequences of data, potentially facilitating more data-hungry analytical approaches. But is it worth it - is operational decision-making actually improved?
This project will investigate the application of GenAI as a tool to support decision-making in the context of complex and uncertain combinations of future events, specifically to support decisions on technology selection for an organisation.
Further information
This project is part-funded through an ongoing project with an industrial partner.
Funding details
Fully-funded scholarship for 3 years covers all university tuition fees (at UK level) and an annual tax-free stipend. International students are also eligible to apply, but they will need to find other funding sources to cover the difference between the home and international tuition fees. Exceptional international candidates may be provided funding for this difference.
While there is no funding in place for opportunities marked "unfunded", there are lots of different options to help you fund postgraduate research. Visit funding your postgraduate research for links to government grants, research councils funding and more, that could be available.
Apply
Number of places: 1
There will be a shortlisting and interview process.
To read how we process personal data, applicants can review our 'Privacy Notice for Student Applicants and Potential Applicants' on our Privacy notices' web page.
Management Science
Programme: Management Science
Contact us
For further details, contact Dr Euan Barlow, euan.barlow@strath.ac.uk.