Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) (ESRC DTP) studentship

Cardiff Business School at Cardiff University, in partnership with Cardiff & Vale University Health Board and The Strategy Unit (NHS), offers a fully funded Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) (ESRC DTP) PhD studentship in the Business and Management Pathway, commencing October 2026. This interdisciplinary project addresses the critical challenge of long NHS waiting times for planned care, focusing on inefficiencies arising from planning and management practices rather than just resource limitations.

The research aims to develop and evaluate AI-enabled, interpretable decision-support tools to improve elective care waiting list management. It will investigate how uncertainty is managed within current systems and how alternative analytical approaches, including fuzzy logic and large language models, can enhance decision quality and system performance. The project will also explore how practitioner knowledge and decision logic can be formalised to inform AI-driven models, and how planners and managers interpret, trust, and use AI-supported recommendations in practice.

Empirical work will centre on elective care waiting list management within the NHS, leveraging rich operational and performance data from collaborating partners. The scope includes both strategic planning and day-to-day operational decision-making, with flexibility to focus on specific specialties or services. While grounded in Wales, the methods and tools developed are intended to be transferable across the wider NHS and other healthcare systems.

The research adopts a mixed-methods, iterative design. Qualitative data will be collected through interviews and focus groups with waiting list managers, planners, and clinical leads to map real-world decision-making processes, data use, and operational constraints. AI-driven decision-support models will integrate operational data, human decision rules, and system constraints, using fuzzy logic to represent uncertainty and agentic AI reasoning for adaptive decision-making and interpretability. Evaluation will combine laboratory-based testing of model accuracy, robustness, and fairness with applied or pilot assessment in selected NHS Wales settings. Outcomes will be measured quantitatively (e.g., waiting time and utilisation improvements) and qualitatively (usability, trust, and decision confidence).

Entry requirements include a UK honours degree at first or upper second-class level, or a masters, with applications welcomed from candidates with non-traditional academic backgrounds. Relevant fields include applied mathematics, operations research, industrial engineering, health analytics, statistics, data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and social sciences. Proof of English language competency may be required for non-native speakers.

The studentship is fully funded by the ESRC, covering tuition fees, an annual tax-free living stipend (£20,780 for 2025-26 full-time), and access to a Research Training Support Grant. International students are eligible and will not be charged the fee difference between UK and international rates. Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) may be available. All WGSSS funded students must complete a funded Research in Practice placement of three months, with opportunities in academia, policy, business, or civil society organisations.

Applications must be submitted via the Cardiff University website by 1st May 2026, including the WGSSS Application Form, academic CV (max two pages), two academic or professional references, degree certificates and transcripts (with translations if applicable), and proof of English language competency if relevant. Short-listed applicants will be invited to interview, including a short presentation. The WGSSS is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, welcoming applications from all backgrounds.

For further information and references, see: Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament, NHSRwaitinglist, and the FindAPhD project page.