Prof  Richard Heeks - Postgraduate opportunities

Postgraduate Masters students work with me on one of the three programmes that are the main focus for my teaching and supervision: MSc ICTs for Development; MSc Management & Information Systems; and MSc Management & Information Systems by distance learning.  On occasions, this leads to joint publication of research papers.

Doctoral (PhD or DBA) study opportunities fall within the general areas of research covered by the Centre for Development Informatics or the more specific areas described in my own Research tab.

Particular topics of interest at present include:

• Development 2.0: the ICT-enabled transformation of development processes and structures
• Socially-responsible outsourcing of IT services to poor communities
• "Liminal" ICT micro-enterprises in developing countries: those which operate in the grey or virtual economy
• Emerging locations for IT offshoring
• IT sector/enterprise success factor models
• ICTs and hope/happiness: understanding the relation between digital technologies and these two components of wellbeing
• The political economy of ICT policy
• The intersection of innovation studies, development studies and informatics
• Success and failure of ICT4D projects: extending and deepening the design-reality gap model

We always welcome ideas for other doctoral study topics which fall within the area of development informatics and which meet our research criteria of originality, rigour and significance.

In methodological terms, we are keen to encourage work that incorporates some quantitative aspects, and which takes a critical realist approach, but we support a wide range of approaches.

You are welcome to make a first approach to discuss doctoral study via email – richard.heeks@manchester.ac.uk.  To apply for doctoral study, see IDPM's PhD application page.