Postgraduate Research Opportunity: Leveraging Behavioural Insights and Digital Technologies to Improve Workplace Safety

Project summary: This research project focuses on leveraging Virtual Reality (VR) and Serious Gaming (SG) to study and enhance the understanding of risk-taking behaviours in manufacturing environments. The aim is to develop immersive tools that provide accurate, real-world insights into decision-making, enabling the design of effective safety interventions. This innovative approach seeks to advance workplace safety through cutting-edge technology and behavioural analysis.

Start date: 1^st October 2025

Duration: 36

Funding: Funded

Funding towards:

• Home fee
• Stipend -UKRI stipend rate for UK students.

Funding details: Fully-funded scholarship for 3 years covers all university tuition fees (at UK level) and an annual tax-free stipend. International students are also eligible to apply, but they will need to find other funding sources to cover the difference between the home and international tuition fees. Exceptional international candidates may be provided funding for this difference.

Number of places: 1

Number of places extra: There will be a shortlisting and interview process.

RCUK eligibility: No

Eligibility: The PhD candidate should have a relevant background in behavioural science, preferably experience in behavioural data analysis, survey design, or machine learning. This could include an MSc in these relevant topics. This PhD research project requires the candidate to have the willingness to learn simulation, virtual reality development. Prior experience in programming (e.g., Python) is highly desirable.

The PhD candidate should also have excellent oral communication and academic writing skills in English.

Further info can be found here: www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/postgraduateresearchphdopportunities/business/managementscience/leveragingbehaviouralinsightsanddigitaltechnologiestoimproveworkplacesafety

Study modes eligibility: Full-time

Fee status:

• Home
• International

Project Details: This project aims to advance the understanding of employees' risk-taking behaviour in manufacturing environments, providing critical insights to inform organizational safety strategies. By understanding these tendencies, organizations can proactively design interventions to align employee behaviour with workplace safety goals, contributing to safer work environments. Traditional methods of measuring risk preferences often fail to reflect real-world behaviour, resulting in inaccurate data that hinders the effectiveness of safety initiatives. To address this challenge, this project aims to leverage the power of serious gaming (SG) and Virtual Reality (VR), two technologies that offer compelling advantages in creating realistic, engaging simulations. These technologies allow for active participation in risk scenarios, offering a more authentic representation of decision-making processes than conventional surveys or interviews. Through the development of a VR serious game (VRSG), the project will simulate industry-specific risks, providing an opportunity for employees to demonstrate their natural risk preferences in a controlled yet realistic environment. This innovative approach will not only enhance the accuracy of risk preference data but also support the design of more effective safety interventions tailored to employees’ actual behaviours. By combining SG and VR, this project aims to revolutionise risk assessment and create a safer, more efficient manufacturing environment through data-driven insights into risk-taking behaviour.

Primary Supervisor: Prof.John Quigley

Additional Supervisor/s: Dr. Hanane El Raoui

Further information: If there is any further information related to the opportunity you would like to include, please use this space to do so.

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