Lead researcher: Raian Ali
Faculty: Faculty of Science and Technology
Cluster, centre, institute: Computing and Informatics Research Centre
URA position title: Conceptualizing Voluntary Transparency in Socio-Technical Systems
Relevant disciplines: Computing and Informatics, Law, Business
Description of the position: This project has a fundamental/basic research type and is expected to
lead to a long-term international impact. The topic is unique in Software and Systems Engineering,
i.e. not incremental, hence its cutting edge nature. We study the concept of Transparency in sociotechnical systems. Many modern systems are open where constituents (social or technical) join and
leave dynamically. This is becoming more common in the era of cloud computing, outsourcing and
globalization where systems rely significantly on autonomous external entities and follow loose
contractual settings. In such systems, transparency is one of the essential concepts which need
careful engineering. To give an example, a constituent may make their processes transparent to
inspire trust but this may cause bias and information overload which would then lead to negative
effects. However, while transparency is in some cases regulatory, i.e. enforced by law, the vast
amount of information is subject to what we call Voluntary Transparency. This project will analyse
this new concept and draw core ontology for it. This will require qualitative research, mainly
document analysis and interviews, and building a taxonomy following solid systematic approaches.
The output is expected to be published in a top journal in Information Systems.
Explain how this position will enhance and enrich the student's undergraduate experience and
how it relates to the relevant courses/disciplines and/or future career of the student: The post is
mainly aimed for undergraduates who are keen to get skills in pure research. The project will still
enable a wide range of skills such as qualitative analysis, literature review, socio-technical systems,
taxonomy building, transparency management, social and legal aspects in systems engineering, open
systems and requirement engineering. These skills are highly desirable for graduates in Computing
and Informatics, Law, Business and Management. The cutting edge nature of the research will also
give the URA, besides the research team, the opportunity to be internationally visible as first
investigators of the concept of Voluntary Transparency in Software and Systems Engineering
community. When done successfully, the URA will also be given the chance to present the findings in
seminars at BU and outside which is a common practice of the hosting research team. All that will
help the URA get closer view on the research community and inform their future career choices. The
skills obtained will also enrich C.V of the URA with advanced topics and skills.
How will the position be supervised and mentored: The URA will be working in a research team
consisting of the supervisor and two PhD students. The URA will have a regular weekly meeting with
the supervisor. The first two weeks will require the URA to do intensive reading about the concept of
transparency in different disciplines besides the research methods used in the project. In the same
period, the URA, supported by the research team, will be looking for expert in different disciplines
(managements, psychology, sociology, software engineering, socio-technical systems, human factors
in computing and law) to interview as well as transparency related documents to analyse (some are
available online and others upon request, e.g. the Freedom of Information office of BU). The next
three weeks will be for data collection and analysis. The last week will be for reporting the findings in
a form of a scientific paper.
List of duties and responsibilities of the position: As described in the previous section, the URA is
expected to develop relatively advanced skills in the research methods needed in this project. This
includes literature review, documents analysis, interviews and taxonomy building. The URA will be
supported by the research team to get such skills but we expect basic knowledge and willingness to
learn more. The URA will be also responsible for inviting the interviewees, arranging for the
interviews (in person or online) and conducting the interviews. The URA will analyse the interviews
data. Similarly, the URA will be directed to several sources for documents on Transparency to
analyse. The URA will then use the findings to build taxonomy which characterises the concept of
Voluntary Transparency. Together with the supervisory team, the URA will identify challenges where
Software and Systems Engineering community need address in their future research.
List the position qualifications including any special requirements (be specific):
The successful candidate is expected to:
1. Be a student in a relevant course (Computing, Business or Law) 2. Demonstrate excellent
analytical and problem solving skills.
3. Have a familiarity with research methods required in this project and willingness to consolidate
them
4. Have excellent time management skills and multitasking ability. This is especially needed when
collecting the data and making the analysis in the same period.
5. Have excellent communication skills. The project will require interviews with senior managers,
experts and academics.
6. Have independent and critical thinking