Fully Funded PhD in AI-Mediated Strategizing, Strategic Decision-Making and Organizational Sensemaking Cranfield School of Management in United Kingdom

Fully funded PhD studentship at Cranfield School of Management on AI-mediated strategizing: how generative AI reshapes strategic decision-making, organizational sensemaking, and accountability in modern organizations.

The project sits at the intersection of strategy, organization studies, and AI governance, with a strong focus on human–AI collaboration, judgment, defensibility, transparency, and responsible oversight. It will examine how AI outputs enter strategic decision processes, how they are interpreted as evidence, and how responsibility is negotiated when AI influences important organizational choices.

This is a full-time, three-year PhD within one of the UK’s Top 10 Business Schools. The studentship includes a full fee waiver and an annual bursary of £20,780. The successful candidate will join a rigorous scholarly environment with access to research seminars, doctoral training, paper development workshops, and a collaborative academic community.

Eligibility: applicants should have a first- or second-class UK honours degree, or equivalent, in a related discipline. A background in strategy, organisation studies, AI, or a related field is welcome. Strong qualitative research skills and interest in research-intensive academic work are especially valued. English language requirements apply where relevant.

Deadline: 03 June 2026. Start date: 28 September 2026.

Supervisors: Dr Mehdi Safavi and Prof Andrey Pavlov, Cranfield School of Management.