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Centre for Technological Futures

Here we build on a rich tradition of studying the relationship between technological futures, management practices and societal phenomena.

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About this Centre

We are one of the largest Centres of our kind in the UK, home to a community of internationally recognised academics, from across our University. We have expertise in researching the opportunities, challenges and ‘wicked’ problems created by new and emerging technologies.

Our research helps organisations and policy makers to re-imagine, re-define, understand and respond to developments in new technologies and information systems as well as the associated societal and institutional upheaval. We work in areas which pose some of the biggest questions for our age - from how to address social and environmental degradation to how to understand the impact of artificial intelligence and automation on our lives.

The sheer magnitude of the social, economic and environmental challenges posed by the various possible technological futures demands in turn the development of new research agendas and policy tools. For us, and for our vibrant doctoral community, these are exactly the kinds of problems we are expert at addressing from various perspectives and levels of analysis.

The research questions we tackle are highly complex, defy disciplinary and geographical boundaries and involve diverse stakeholders. We therefore work with colleagues from different research traditions, subject-areas, universities and countries. We work inclusively, bringing people together to encourage bold, creative thinking, which leads to shared understandings and sows the seeds for policy creation and action. It means we attend to questions about ‘futures in the making’.

Our research attracts funding from a range of public and private sources including ESRC, H2020 and the Lever Hulme Trust.

Our Mission

We research at the intersection of information systems, management, futures, science and technology, and organisational studies. Our work is interdisciplinary, carried out across the world and in many sectors including the public and private. Amongst other things, we focus on: managing technology and innovation in organisations; technology and work; digital societies; and technology and markets.

Research Themes

The Centre for Technological Futures is a leading intellectual home of interdisciplinary research in four interrelated areas. We answer questions posed by clients in the private, public and third sectors.

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Managing Technology and Innovation in Organisations

We research the strategic management of information technologies and associated innovations in organisations. Topics include enterprise modelling, project management, technology based entrepreneurship and the IT workforce. We research the strategic management of information technologies and associated innovations in organisations. Topics include enterprise modelling, project management, technology based entrepreneurship and the IT workforce.

Technology and Work

Technology and work are irrevocably intertwined. Our research investigates different ways in which digital technologies transform and shape work and workplaces. Topics include the intersection of technology and stress and wellbeing, knowledge management, ethics, education, and how professional service firms organise and carry out surveillance and performance rating. Our research focuses on both the bright and dark side of how technology shapes work and vice versa.

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Digital Societies

The Digital Societies research agenda focuses on the troubled relations which contemporary societies enjoy with their technologies. From the effects of technological change on the lives of vulnerable groups, to social development, disaster relief and planning, AI and robotics, waste disposal and sustainability.

Technology and Markets

This research theme looks at how markets and inter-organisational governance structures are shaped by the technologies organisations use to transact and interact with each other. Topics include regulation of products such as drones, fin-tech based business models, supply chain governance in block chain based transactions, and technology based coordination in different types of operational settings.

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Research Projects

Responsible AI for Labour Market Development

BIAS is an interdisciplinary project to understand and tackle the role of AI algorithms in shaping ethnic and gender inequalities in the labour market, which is now increasingly digitized. The project seeks to understand and minimise gender and ethnic biases in the AI-driven labour market processes of job advertising, hiring and professional networking

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PhD Programmes

We're home to a vibrant doctoral community where our PhD students are encourage to take advantage of the School's research strengths to develop core skills. We welcome PhD applicants with a good first degree or Master's in areas such as information systems/information sciences, management, philosophy, computer science or the social sciences - industrial experience is also an advantage. For more information, please contact Teresa Aldren.

Latest Updates

Discover our upcoming events. For past events, please visit our Events Archive.

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