Summer Doctoral Programme (SDP) 2008

The 2008 Summer Doctoral Programme will be held in Oxford at the Oxford Internet Institute (July 13th-26th, 2008), with an over-arching academic theme of 'Web Science'.

Held in conjunction with the Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI) and involving partners at the University of Southampton and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), it will seek to explore the multi-disciplinary nature of the emerging field of Web Science, and in particular, will aim to facilitate collaboration between technologists and social scientists.

As in previous years, the SDP will also be held in collaboration with partners at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society (Harvard Law School), the USC Annenberg School for Communication (University of Southern California) and the Center for Global Communication Studies in the Annenberg School for Communication (University of Pennsylvania).

Academic Programme

The 2008 programme will be broadly similar to previous years' programmes with daily research seminars and panel sessions given by leading academics. Students will have the opportunity to present their research to their peers in informal seminars: break-out sessions will allow groups to focus more narrowly on research questions of mutual interest.

The Programme will facilitate deep discussion of both substantive and methodological research issues, and help students frame their research questions and direct their research. It will also seek to generate dialogue and debate between students from different disciplinary backgrounds on themes relating to Web Science with a view to identifying topics for fruitful collaborative research and shaping curricula in this emerging field.

Further details will be made available as they are finalised.

Programme Tutors

• Professor Hal Abelson, MIT
• Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, MIT / University of Southampton
• Dr Les Carr, University of Southampton
• Professor David de Roure, University of Southampton
• Professor William Dutton, OII
• Professor Wendy Hall, University of Southampton
• Professor James Hendler, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
• Dr Ralph Schroeder, OII
• Professor Nigel Shadbolt, University of Southampton
• Dr Daniel J. Weitzner, MIT
• Professor Yorick Wilks, OII
• Professor Jonathan Zittrain, OII and Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University

Fees and Scholarships

The course cost of £1300 covers accommodation (13-25 July, inclusive), and all tuition fees. Accommodation is at Lady Margaret Hall, a 15 minute walk from the OII. Lunch will be provided on week days, and several dinners and social events are also included in the cost. Please note that travel to and from Oxford is not included.

Some bursaries (provided by HEFCE) will be available to help support students who could not otherwise afford to attend. Scholarship requests do not have to be made at the application stage: this will be dealt with once the selection process has been completed.

Alternatively, students from Oxford, Southampton, MIT and Harvard universities may apply for a grant from the Web Science Exchange Programme (see below: applications for this grant should be made in your SDP2008 Application). The SDP2008 fees are covered by the WSRI grant.

The Web Science Exchange Programme

The Web Science Research Initiative has a number of EPSRC funded bursaries (to a maximum of £6000) available to enable students to spend up to three months during Summer 2008 at one of the following participating institutions: University of Southampton (UK), University of Oxford (UK), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT (Boston, USA), Harvard University (Cambridge, USA). Thanks to this grant, the SDP2008 will be the starting point for several weeks of exchange activities and collaborative study in summer 2008 for PhD students from these participating institutions, with up to 10 funded places on the SDP2008 set aside for these students. Applications are sought from excellent students at all other universities for the remaining 15 places.

Students will begin the exchange programme by attending the SDP2008, spending the remaining time at one of the participating Institutions. Bursaries will cover the costs of attending the SDP2008, and travel and subsistence during the exchange activities. Application criteria:

• Students must be registered with one of the four participating institutions
• UK students may spend their period of study in either the UK or the US; US students must spend their period of study in the UK
• Students must demonstrate that the proposed research is inter-disciplinary and will contribute to the Web Science research agenda
• Students must have the support of their graduate supervisor
• The host institution will nominate an appropriate supervisor during the exchange programme period of study
• Students will be required to write a report within 30 days of completion of the exchange programme

To apply for the Web Science Exchange Programme, please complete the SDP2008 Application Form, ensuring that you have filled in Section 3 correctly.

Contact

Please direct enquiries to: sdp@oii.ox.ac.uk

Partners

In addition to the partner institutions listed above, we are continuing our collaboration with colleagues at the Berkman Center for Internet& Society (Harvard Law School), the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the USC Annenberg School for Communication (University of Southern California) and the Center for Global Communication Studies in the Annenberg School for Communication (University of Pennsylvania).

Last updated on: 30 January 2010