Assessing AI Tools for PhD Research: £3.4 Million Joint Project by Aston and Leeds Universities

A joint project between Aston University and the University of Leeds to establish a network for assessing publicly available artificial intelligence (AI) tools for PhD research has been awarded £3.4 million by the Research England Development Fund.

The Artificial Intelligence Researcher Development Network Plus (AI.RDN+) is being led by Professor Phil Mizen, professor of sociology and policy at Aston University, and Dr Hosam Al-Samarraie, associate professor in digital innovation design and Professor Arunangsu Chatterjee, dean of digital transformation, from the University of Leeds.

The network will also include the eight Midlands Innovation research universities and the 12 universities that comprise the Yorkshire Universities consortium.

Publicly available AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot, are being rapidly adopted in academia.

In addition to the potential to reduce workloads, streamline processes, and offer innovative ways to conduct research, these tools also present challenges.

This is especially true for PhD-level research, which occupies an important position when it comes to new findings and the translation of that knowledge.

Very little work has been undertaken to understand the uses of publicly available AI tools used by doctoral researchers, their supervisors and examiners, in contrast to the attention directed towards usage by undergraduate students.

Doctoral researchers and their enablers often feel ill-equipped to use AI tools responsibly and appropriately during their doctoral research, and there is a notable lack of guidance from research and higher education institutions.

AI.RDN+ will respond to these challenges. It will conduct an extensive consultation process with PhD researchers, supervisors, examiners, and research-enabling staff, including professional services staff and technicians, to understand how publicly available AI tools are used to innovate and how their challenges are identified and addressed.

Using this information, AI.RDN+ will create a resource base with guidance on the available AI tools, their usage, and identify case studies of best practices. This information will be made available on a newly created AI.RDN+ portal.

The network will also create training resources for all stakeholders, build skills and knowledge of publicly available AI tools and equip doctoral researchers and those who enable them with the knowledge they need for future research.

As part of this, it will co-create and test guidance, training and professional and career development resources working with the 20 universities in the Midlands Innovation and Yorkshire Universities consortium. AI.RDN+ also has the potential to shape understanding and practice in the UK higher education sector and beyond.

Aston University already has extensive expertise in digital research, digital futures and digital enterprise, the transparent, ethical and sustainable use of AI and the training and development of doctoral researchers. AI.RDN+ will build on this.

The Aston project team also includes Dr Frances Thirlway of the Department of Society and Politics and Professor Aniko Ekhart of the Department of Computer Science and Aston University Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Application. A key member of the team is Dr Helen Turner, director of Midlands Innovation.

As well as the universities, AI.RDN+ has the active support of a range of expert organisations, including Jisc, the UK digital, data and technology agency for tertiary education, research and innovation, the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE), Vitae, a trusted voice on research culture and researcher development, and the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB). It is also supported by two other Research England-funded projects – the Next Generation Research SuperVision Project (RSVP), which focuses on the future of doctoral supervision, and Prosper, which researches the professional and career development of postdoctoral researchers.

Professor Mizen said:

“The Artificial Intelligence Researcher Development Network Plus will provide detailed knowledge of the uptake and impact of publicly available AI tools across the doctoral ecosystem and use this to co-create much-needed information, resources and professional and skills training opportunities. Our project is a unique opportunity to build knowledge and capture innovation, and to use this to build the resources needed for the ethical and responsible use of AI in doctoral research.”

Professor Chatterjee said:

“This award reflects the importance of collaboration across universities to understand and shape the role of AI in research. By working alongside Aston and partners across the Midlands and Yorkshire, we can bring together complementary expertise and perspectives. 

“At Leeds, through One Leeds, we have committed to embracing AI in a way that is responsible, inclusive and guided by our values. I am particularly pleased to see Dr Hosam Al-Samarraie leading this work for Leeds, bringing both expertise and vision to the partnership. Together, through this network, we can build shared resources and approaches that ensure AI adoption in doctoral research is innovative, ethical and delivers real benefit for researchers and society.”

Professor Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive at Aston University, said:

“I am delighted that Aston University has been awarded this important grant thanks to the exceptional work of Professor Phil Mizen and the AI.RDN+ project team. This new academic network aligns with Aston’s strategy to be a transformational university, embracing digital innovation and equipping our students and researchers with emerging AI technologies, creating knowledge and skills to enhance their careers and create significant benefits across the research and innovation ecosystem.”

The eight Midlands Innovation universities are: Aston University, Cranfield University, the University of Birmingham, the University of Keele, Loughborough University, the University of Leicester, the University of Nottingham, and the University of Warwick.

The 12 Yorkshire Universities are: University of Bradford, University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds Conservatoire, Leeds Arts University, University of Hull, University of Huddersfield, University of Sheffield, and University of York.