Scaling up of innovation in water utilities

Sheffield Water Centre at The University of Sheffield, in collaboration with Yorkshire Water and the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Infrastructure and Resilience (WIRe).

PhD Studentship in: Scaling up of innovation in water utilities

Stipend: This post will fully cover university tuition and provide a tax-free stipend for Home and Overseas students of £24,000 per year.

Closing Date for Applications: 14^th March 2025

Start Date: 29^th September 2025 (contract duration 4 years)

This PhD project provides an exciting opportunity to collaborate with Yorkshire Water in order to develop a deeper understanding of the factors influencing adoption and scaling up of innovation in water utilities.

The water industry is facing unprecedented pressures in meeting increasingly complex challenges such as ageing infrastructure, climate change and stricter regulatory targets while maintaining affordable bills for customers. The need for innovation (e.g. the introduction of new services, processes, products, strategies) to cope with these challenges is therefore paramount. Although water companies have undertaken significant programmes to develop innovations in collaboration with academics and supply chain partners, there are still significant blockers when it comes to scaling up and mainstream adoption of new technologies and solutions. The issue of poor implementation of innovation is encountered in many sectors but this has not been well studied in the unique context of the UK water industry.

The project will involve undertaking a systematic literature review and qualitative studies involving interviews and group activities with a range of stakeholders in order to identify the barriers and facilitators of innovation adoption in water companies. Quantitative survey research may also be included. As well as developing innovation theory, the study findings will also be used by the researcher to develop practical strategies and interventions that would aid wider innovation adoption.

The research programme to be completed in this project will be undertaken as part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Infrastructure and Resilience (CDT WIRe). WIRe is a collaboration between the three leading UK Universities in water resilient infrastructure (Sheffield, Cranfield and Newcastle). Students will benefit from a bespoke training scheme delivered by world leading experts from academia and industry, access to world leading experimental and computational facilities as well as close and regular contact with industry and end user partners. WIRe is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community, and offers a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies. For further information on the WIRe scheme visit the web site at: https://cdtwire.com/

The project will be supervised by Professor Kamal Birdi (Management School) and Professor Joby Boxall (School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering) in collaboration with Sarah Gledhill from Yorkshire Water. There will be generous opportunities to travel to visit our academic and industry partners in both the UK and overseas.

Eligibility Criteria

This studentship is subject to standard RCUK eligibility criteria. It is open to all students with Home or Overseas residency (subject to a maximum quota of overseas students per training grant).

The selection criteria for the position are:

 •      A good MSc degree (i.e. Merit level or above) in Organisational / Occupational / Business Psychology, Innovation Management or a related social science subject (or equivalent experience).

•      Aptitude for social science research in organisations using qualitative and quantitative methodologies as evidenced by previous experience and education.

•      For international students, an English Language requirement of IELTS at 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component or equivalent.

•      Enthusiasm for research.

•      Willingness to collaborate with other researchers, industry and end-users.

•      Good level of written and oral communication skills, as appropriate for disseminating research and communicating with project partners.

How to apply

Interested candidates should email a covering letter, their Curriculum Vitae and a research proposal (max 3000 words; for guidance see – https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/study-skills/research/methods/proposal) to Miss Lindsay Hopcroft ([email protected]). For information and informal enquiries please contact Professor Kamal Birdi ([email protected]).