PhD Studentship

1 month ago


Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

The primary ambition and overarching objective of this PGR project is to understand how trade unions and workers can achieve better conditions in global logistics warehouses. This is important for three main reasons. First, logistics and warehouse and parcel delivery services play a central role in the current processes of capital accumulation, given the growing importance of just-in-time chains of distribution (Bonacich and Wilson, Second, working conditions in logistics warehouses tend to be extremely poor. The workforce is often fragmented, exploited and hired via fixed-term work contracts, outsourcing and (bogus) self-employment (Barnes and Ali, Moreover, as most workers are migrants or belong to minority groups, these poor working conditions are accompanied by discriminatory, hostile and xenophobic treatment (Alimahomed-Wilson, Third, although there is agreement on warehouse workers holding a strategic position in contemporary capitalism - being employed at 'chokepoints' (Wilson and Ness, 2018)-, many logistics warehouses in the UK and beyond have not witnessed the emergence of labour organising initiatives (Dörflinger et al., 2021).

This PGR project will study the specific conditions faced by warehouse workers, the challenges that trade unions and workers face to organise, and the practices that can make these organising efforts successful. The project will provide an international comparative focus on South Yorkshire and Inland Empire in Southern California. This research project will be conducted using qualitative research methods. The successful candidate will have a social science background with expertise in work and employment as well as a strong aptitude for qualitative research design.

The research project will be undertaken in collaboration with the Labor Center at the University of California, Riverside. The University of California, Riverside is currently expanding its labour research and teaching offering at the new Inland Empire Labor and Community Research Center with a focus on the study of labour policy, jobs, and economic and social impacts of labour in the logistics sector. The project will involve a 4-6 month placement based in Southern California for qualitative fieldwork to be undertaken in the Inland Empire. UC Riverside's Professor of Sociology Ellen Reese will provide research support and will assist in building contacts with relevant trade unions and gaining access to work sites for research purposes. In addition, the student will be provided with office space at the university and will be welcome to attend academic events and classes in the Sociology Department and Labor Studies programme.

This scholarship lies within the research centre the Centre for Decent Work (CDW). For informal enquiries, please contact the first supervisor Dr Katy Fox-Hodess ).

This is a fully funded 3.5 year studentship covering Home or International tuition fees, and a stipend of £19,237. To support the international dimension of this project an enhanced research and training support grant of £7,250 is available to support research costs. Applicants are required to develop a project proposal of 3000 words and are welcome to contact the supervisor in advance to discuss their ideas. Details about entry requirements and how to apply here can be found on the Management School website here: -

£19,237 - please see advert


  • PhD Studentship

    2 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have seen a major shift thanks to recent strides in aerial and satellite data technologies, covering acquisition, sharing, and interpretation. However, challenges in data quality and compatibility persist, necessitating manual corrections that are both time-consuming and limit scalability. Despite the availability of...

  • PhD Studentship

    4 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have seen a major shift thanks to recent strides in aerial and satellite data technologies, covering acquisition, sharing, and interpretation. However, challenges in data quality and compatibility persist, necessitating manual corrections that are both time-consuming and limit scalability. Despite the availability of...

  • PhD Studentship

    1 month ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have seen a major shift thanks to recent strides in aerial and satellite data technologies, covering acquisition, sharing, and interpretation. However, challenges in data quality and compatibility persist, necessitating manual corrections that are both time-consuming and limit scalability. Despite the availability of...

  • PhD Studentship

    4 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Recent years have witnessed significant strides made by machine learning-based computer vision, thus enabling machines to interpret and understand visual information. However, most machine learning approaches exploit correlational relationships in a training data set to predict a target variable. When these correlations are spurious or unreliable, those...

  • PhD Studentship

    2 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Recent years have witnessed significant strides made by machine learning-based computer vision, thus enabling machines to interpret and understand visual information. However, most machine learning approaches exploit correlational relationships in a training data set to predict a target variable. When these correlations are spurious or unreliable, those...

  • PhD Studentship

    1 month ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Recent years have witnessed significant strides made by machine learning-based computer vision, thus enabling machines to interpret and understand visual information. However, most machine learning approaches exploit correlational relationships in a training data set to predict a target variable. When these correlations are spurious or unreliable, those...

  • PhD Studentship

    1 month ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    We have a vacancy for an enthusiastic and self-motivated PhD student for a PhD project in the Leonardo Centre at the University of Sheffield funded by the John Crane Ltd.About the ProjectThe transition away from fossil fuels has been rapid. Increasingly our energy comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar. These sources are intermittent which means...

  • PhD Studentship

    4 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    We have a vacancy for an enthusiastic and self-motivated PhD student for a PhD project in the Leonardo Centre at the University of Sheffield funded by the John Crane Ltd.About the ProjectThe transition away from fossil fuels has been rapid. Increasingly our energy comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar. These sources are intermittent which means...

  • PhD Studentship

    4 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Anti-ferromagnets are emerging as key materials for a variety of modern technologies across data storage, processing and more. Recent advances have demonstrated how they can be efficiently manipulated at high frequency but at this scale the interaction of the magnetisation with the atomic structure is important. This project will explore the complex dynamics...

  • PhD Studentship

    4 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Neuromorphic devices aim to emulate the structure of the human brain to develop resource efficient computing systems. Recent developments have shown strong growth but the complexity of manufacturing many operating elements is challenging to scale indefinitely. To circumvent this, we aim to use bespoke nanoscale devices as 'complex' neurons that operate as...

  • PhD Studentship

    1 month ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Neuromorphic devices aim to emulate the structure of the human brain to develop resource efficient computing systems. Recent developments have shown strong growth but the complexity of manufacturing many operating elements is challenging to scale indefinitely. To circumvent this, we aim to use bespoke nanoscale devices as 'complex' neurons that operate as...

  • PhD Studentship

    1 month ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Anti-ferromagnets are emerging as key materials for a variety of modern technologies across data storage, processing and more. Recent advances have demonstrated how they can be efficiently manipulated at high frequency but at this scale the interaction of the magnetisation with the atomic structure is important. This project will explore the complex dynamics...

  • PhD Studentship

    4 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are transformative, but they are becoming increasingly unsustainable. Many AI models require extensive training with large model sizes. As an alternative reservoir computing exploits random fixed networks to transform data to simplify training. By creating structure within these networks, much like the natural...

  • PhD Studentship

    1 month ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are transformative, but they are becoming increasingly unsustainable. Many AI models require extensive training with large model sizes. As an alternative reservoir computing exploits random fixed networks to transform data to simplify training. By creating structure within these networks, much like the natural...

  • PhD Studentship

    4 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Do you want to pioneer using cutting edge technology to investigate how work-related interactions are impacting employees' loneliness? This fully funded PhD offers access to a vibrant research community within the Institute of Work Psychology and an opportunity to collaborate with experts from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.The overarching aim...

  • PhD Studentship

    1 month ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Do you want to pioneer using cutting edge technology to investigate how work-related interactions are impacting employees' loneliness? This fully funded PhD offers access to a vibrant research community within the Institute of Work Psychology and an opportunity to collaborate with experts from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.The overarching aim...

  • PhD Studentship

    4 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    This PhD project will use two secondary datasets and a series of experiments to explore how teams led by white women and ethnic minorities manage status related conflict in newly formed teams. The project will draw on Expectation States Theory which highlights how individuals in newly formed performance-oriented groups are likely to be granted high and low...

  • PhD Studentship

    2 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    This PhD project will use two secondary datasets and a series of experiments to explore how teams led by white women and ethnic minorities manage status related conflict in newly formed teams. The project will draw on Expectation States Theory which highlights how individuals in newly formed performance-oriented groups are likely to be granted high and low...

  • PhD Studentship

    1 month ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    This PhD project will use two secondary datasets and a series of experiments to explore how teams led by white women and ethnic minorities manage status related conflict in newly formed teams. The project will draw on Expectation States Theory which highlights how individuals in newly formed performance-oriented groups are likely to be granted high and low...

  • PhD Studentship

    4 weeks ago


    Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom University of Sheffield Full time

    Wellbeing at work is a dynamic construct and to foster wellbeing in organizations, we need to understand how it evolves and identify its change trajectories. However, there is a scarcity of theories in Work and Organizational Psychology that explain how wellbeing at work develops. This omission limits our understanding of the dynamic nature of wellbeing at...