Creating Intelligent Media Services for All through a challenge-led PhD research training programme, co-designed with stakeholders and industry to shape real-world digital media inclusion.
The call for applications for 2025/2026 is now open. The deadline for submissions is 16:00 GMT on 31 January 2025.
A transformative Doctoral Training programme in Artificial Intelligence designed with inclusion for all at its heart
Digital media inclusion is essential for equality across society
The UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in AI for Digital Media Inclusion combines the world-leading expertise of the Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI (PAI) at the University of Surrey, a pioneer in AI technologies for the creative industries (vision, audio, language, machine learning) and StoryFutures at Royal Holloway University of London, leader in creative production and audience experience (arts, psychology, user research, creative production).
The CDT is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the government’s strategy to ensure the country has the top global expertise and fosters the next generation of researchers needed to seize the transformational benefits of AI technology.
Our vision is to deliver unique cross-disciplinary training embedded in real-world challenges and creative practice, and to address the industry need for people with responsible AI, inclusive design and creative skills.
We believe that AI can enable intelligent media which adapts to individual needs to reduce barriers to inclusion (preference, neuro-divergence, age, language, sensory or physical abilities). Our CDT in AI for Digital Media Inclusion is doing just that!
PhD Scholarships available for October 2025 start
Join us and work on shaping future media services to be inclusive for all. Apply by 31 January 2025.
What makes our training programme unique?
The CDT will train a new generation of over 80 industry-ready PhDs to lead the transformation to responsible AI-enabled inclusive media. This will forge a ground-breaking challenge-led model, co-designed and co-delivered with creative industry and end-user partners to remove significant real-world barriers to media inclusion.
Working in multi-disciplinary cohort teams, we aim to develop comprehensive multi-faceted AI solutions combining creative, technical, behavioural, linguistic, social and legal expertise, designed with inclusion for all at their heart.
What do our PhD researchers say?
Oberon Buckingham-West:
"The CDT programme has been nothing short of a springboard for my future career in AI research. I'm particularly interested in how AI can empower creators and make technology more accessible. The programme's strong industry connections and focus on applied research align perfectly with my ambition to make a tangible impact in this field. I'm incredibly excited to be well on my way to developing my expertise."
Kassie Headon, CDT PhD researcher:
"What drew me to the programme is its commitment to diversity and inclusion in the development of new technologies. I'm also excited by the AI training, and I'm eager to explore the opportunities it will bring."
PhD Scholarships available Cohort 2025-2026
We believe in breaking down barriers and cultivating a more equitable, inclusive and innovative digital landscape for society.
We’re looking for PhD candidates with academic excellence, passion for research on AI for digital media inclusion, and evidence of working effectively as part of a team.
|
Funding available: Our scholarships funding is provided for full-time candidates for a period of 4 years and covers:
|
|
Application process and guidelines The application process is described in detail in the additional information supplied. Steps for applying are summarised below:
|
How to apply for one of our CDT PhD Scholarships
The overall learning objective of the UKRI AI: Centre for Doctoral Training in AI for Digital Media Inclusion is for all PhD researchers to gain a cross-disciplinary understanding of fundamental AI science, inclusive design and creative industry practice, together with responsible AI research and innovation leadership, to lead the creation of future AI-enabled inclusive media.
Details of how to apply and our selection process are described below or can also be downloaded here
Our collaboration with the Creative Industry
Creating digital media content and services that are inclusive for all is essential. It's a key requirement for societal equality. And it's a business necessity to increase engagement for diverse audiences.
Our challenge-led training is fostering a responsible creative AI ecosystem. It's partnering with 50+ organisations. These include big-tech corporations, creative SMEs, and user organisations. Together, we will address real-world inclusive media challenges, and realise the impact on society and the UK economy.
We are passionate about making digital media more inclusive. Watch our video and find out how to get involved.
Our challenge-led research and industry partnerships
Join us! We are looking for partners with a passion for making our future digital media more inclusive; to be part of a drive to change how we approach and design media to realise the impact on society and the UK economy.
Partnerships are key to the CDT’s mission of changing the dial on digital media inclusion and accessibility. The CDT believes that the time for one-size-fits-all media has passed. We are collaborating with a range of partners from the creative and technology industries to explore how AI can increase engagement with diverse audiences to help achieve greater societal equality.
Together we are taking a new challenge-led approach to tackling real-world inclusion problems, to ensure that future media is truly inclusive for all audiences.
This includes: addressing front-end design, using personalisation to adapt to different accessibility needs; applying multi-modal AI where one sense can be used to enhance another (voice to text, scene descriptors etc); addressing stigmatised narratives; and much more.
SIGN UP for our January 16th London event to get involved!
Quotes
Prof. Amanda Murphy CDT Lead – Partnerships (Royal Holloway University of London)
The value proposition for partners is not just about joining a movement to create an important key change in delivering more inclusive media, it is an unique opportunity to benefit from a brain pool of world leaders in AI and inclusion and an accelerated route to developing a business case, prototype or proof of concept.
Dr Andrew Rogoyski CDT Lead – Partnerships University of Surrey
For those unsure about where AI can really drive value and inclusion in your organisation, the CDT offers a fresh take from our world leading AI researchers and network to help you understand how a pivot to using AI can drive future growth and impact.
Our CDT Pilot Partners
We have been working with a pilot group of partners in designing this new way forward. These include IBM, Channel 4, Nexus Studios, Anagram, Synamedia, Final Pixel and English Heritage.
What our pilot partners said:
Chris Alder - SAMSUNG
"Get exposed to a bigger ecosystem, gaining insight, solving shared challenges.
At Samsung we develop technologies for edge devices. We're working at the far end of the broadcast chain. By working with University of Surrey, Royal Holloway and all of the other partners, we're being exposed to a much larger ecosystem. That's giving us much greater insight into the whole value chain in the broadcast industry.”
Steve Belford - CHANNEL 4
“It's been really fascinating to see how the AI researchers have approached the common challenges that face most of the industry, but also the way in which they have creatively worked together to come up with ideas which have commercial value,but also tackle those underlying issues of inclusion and relevancy.”
At Channel 4, we see AI as an enabler for industry to work more efficiently with optimised workflows, but it also reduces the barrier to entry for new and emerging talent.”
Our full list of inaugural partners
|
Access Entertainment Activate Learning Ada Lovelace Anagram Atos Bang & Olufsen BBC Blesma British Screen Forum Creative UK Darkfield Digital Catapult Disguise Dock10 M3 LEP English Heritage Figment Final Pixel |
Gideon Reeling iLife Media ISO Design Lord David Puttnam MKAI NetMC Netmind.ai Nexus Studios NVIDIA Open Inclusion Samsung Sir Peter Bazalgette Sony Europe Surrey Heartlands ICS Surround Vision Synthesia Target3D Tetralogical |
Marshmallow Laser Feast TechUK Surrey County Council Ofcom IBM Blessed Foundation Pact NFTS AudioScenic Aspierations Arwen Osborne Clarke Orbit RRI Open Education AI Channel 4 Framestore Ukie. |
For more information, please contact: storyfutures@rhul.ac.uk
Selection process
How to apply
Stages 1 & 2: Online application forms
To apply for a PhD studentship in the CDT in AI for Digital Media Inclusion, you will need to submit the online forms (items 1 and 2 below) and supporting documentation (items 3 and 4)
- Online CDT Application Form 1
- Online Additional Information Form 2
- A copy of your CV (2 pages max.) to CDT_AI@surrey.ac.uk
- A Case study (600 words max.) to CDT_AI@surrey.ac.uk (please label your files clearly with your LASTNAME.Name)
Stage 3: Recruitment workshop
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a recruitment workshop at the University of Surrey in March 2025 (there will be an online option for those who need to attend remotely). The purpose of the recruitment workshop is to select balanced cohorts of applicants who are best suited to benefit from the CDT PhD research training in AI for Digital Media Inclusion and contribute to multi-disciplinary teamwork collaboration to address real-world inclusion challenges.
The recruitment workshop will include:
- Introduction to the CDT in AI for Digital Media Inclusion and the challenge-led research training programme with industry.
- Group task working in small multi-disciplinary groups to propose an approach using AI to enable inclusion for all in a media experience. This exercise will assess the applicants’ aptitude for teamwork and problem solving with others from different backgrounds and perspectives.
- Interview with a panel to further explore motivation, passion for the subject, ability to engage in interdisciplinary thinking and problem-solving skills. This will include a discussion of the case study submitted.
Outcomes and Decisions: Pre-selection stage
Applicants will be notified by email when a decision has been made (late March/early April). For applicants accepted onto the CDT programme, a provisional offer will be made by the CDT subject to completion and submission of a formal PhD application via the chosen University (Surrey or Royal Holloway University of London) portals with the required documentation.
The deadline by which applicants must accept their CDT provisional offer will be stated in the notification email. Candidates will be invited to discuss their preferred location for their PhD studies (Surrey/Royal Holloway University of London) prior to the formal offer being issued.
Stage 4: University Official PhD Offers
Formal Offers (academic and funding) will be made by either University in line with the academic and language requirements set out in the admissions statement for the programme, taking into account relevant experience. Offers may be conditional or unconditional. Unconditional offers will be made where applicants have already met the conditions and provided evidence. Conditional offers will be made where academic or language qualifications have not yet been fulfilled specifying the requirements that must be met.
Selection process
Our recruitment process includes selecting PhD students who will be distributed among projects according to the challenge areas identified. We’re looking for academic excellence, passion for research on AI for digital media inclusion, and evidence of being able to work effectively as part of a team.
The call for applications for scholarships for the academic year 2025/2026 is now open.
The deadline for submissions is 16:00 GMT on Friday 31 January 2025.
*Incomplete or late applications will not be considered*
Guidelines for Case Study and Additional information
CDT Candidates additional information (Online Form 2)
The CDT Candidates Additional Information (Form 2) contains standardised monitoring questions about your personal characteristics. You are not obliged to provide this information and it will not form part of the assessment process. We will use it to evaluate our equality, diversity and inclusion practices and report back to our funder. All questions include the option 'prefer not to say'.
As the CDT is publicly funded by UKRI, we are required to collect information about applicants seeking to be considered for this PhD programme. The data will be treated as confidential and will be held separately from the identifying information that you provide in the first section below. Only a limited number of CDT members will be able to link the two sets of data. We need to maintain this link so that we can understand applicants’ interactions with us over time without asking you to provide the information multiple times.
Case Study guidelines
You are required to submit a case study (600 words max.) that reflects a specific idea or example in which AI could be applied to improve digital media inclusion. Your case does not need to be researched in detail. Please focus on identifying a single, innovative idea and communicating it clearly. Your case study and a copy of your CV (2 pages max.) need to be submitted by the same deadline as the online form (16:00 GMT on Friday 31st January 2025).
Case Study Task structure
- Title: A brief title that communicates the essence of the idea
- Overview (max 200 words): A top-level description of a specific way in which AI could be applied to improve digital media inclusion
- Inclusion impact (max 200 words): A more detailed explanation of the potential of this innovation for improving inclusion
- Challenges (max 200 words): A critical evaluation of the potential challenges involved in delivering this vision both technical and non-technical
Case Study Scoring
- Case studies will form part of the pre-selection process and will be discussed with you on the selection day. They will be scored based on the following criteria:
- Fit to ‘AI for digital media inclusion’ brief
- Clarity of communication
- Critical evaluation
Your case study score will be combined with other scores of the selection day criteria to inform the final decision.
Selection criteria
The selection process will be conducted by members of staff who have been trained in equality, diversity and inclusion with respect to recruitment techniques. All interviews and selection processes will be undertaken in accordance with the University’s policy on equal opportunities.
All applicants are considered in line with the University’s relevant code of practice for postgraduate admissions.
Your completed online application (Form 1), CV and Case Study will be used to assess your initial eligibility and suitability for the programme. We’re looking for academic excellence, passion for research on AI for digital media inclusion, and evidence of being able to work in a team.
Applications are considered by at least two members of staff using the following criteria:
- Academic achievement and relevant experience (50%)
- Motivation and case study (30%)
- Fit to multi-disciplinary cohort and teamwork (20%)
Scholarship details
Our scholarships funding is provided for a period of 4 years and covers:
- UK home tuition fees (paid directly to the Institution)
- Tax-free maintenance payment (based on the UK Research and Innovation – UKRI’s minimum rate) – Current amount for 2024-2025 is £19,237 per year
- Enhanced supplement of £4,000 per year
- As a doctoral student, you may be able to access additional funding to cover the cost of other related training and development opportunities.
