This is a very exciting opportunity to join an interdisciplinary project that will explore how different societal actors - such as businesses large and small, nonprofits, government agencies, or communities - can partner with the aim of sustainable innovation and social impact. The Centre for Doctoral Training will support four doctoral students who will be jointly supervised by academics from the University of Strathclyde’s Business School and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS). Each doctoral student in the Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training will work on an individual project that explores partnerships for sustainable innovation and social impact in a specific sectoral context and in the context of at least two cities. However, the four doctoral students and their individual projects will also be part of the above-mentioned interdisciplinary project.

Sustainable innovation, which can focus on products, processes or systems is often challenging because it requires collaboration between multiple societal actors and because of the trade-offs that may be required. These doctoral projects will investigate how partners navigate those challenges, leading to an academic work in a particular domain of knowledge, as well as a series of managerial recommendations and policy briefs.

The Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training in Partnerships for Sustainable Innovation will be connected to Strathclyde Business School’s newest centre, the Stephen Young Institute (SYI) for International Business. The SYI conducts research in international business, sustainable business, sustainable innovation, and social impact. Inspired by the work of our namesake, Prof. Stephen Young, a former professor of Strathclyde Business School’s Marketing Department, SYI focuses on relationships between people and organisations in value networks in an international business context.

The SCDT in PSI will also be connected to the University of Strathclyde’s Law School which has strong research and practice-related connections with organisations like the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), and the Climate Change Legal Initiative (C2LI), amongst many others.

Applicants are requested to provide a 2-3 page proposal and CV.

Please note that due to the interdisciplinary nature of the project, there will be a degree of flexibility in the subject area the PhD can be offered. The application is initially via a PhD in International Business route which covers a broad range of subject areas, however, a PhD in another subject area (e.g. PhD in Law) can be considered if it will be a better fit for the candidate/project. This is something that can be discussed in detail between the candidate and primary supervisor before a final offer is made.

Further information

This is an exciting opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary way to address some of the world’s pressing challenges through the multiple perspectives of theory, management implications and policymaking.

In presenting their candidature, applicants are welcome to suggest which two (or more) cities they plan to work in and which societal challenges they plan to address in their project. However, applications will not be discarded if applicants are undecided about which cities to focus on. And even those who have suggested two or more cities may end up working with other cities.

Start dates can either be 2024/25 (if on or before March 2025) or 2025/26 (from Oct 25).