The ESRC have recently launched the above initiative.
The ESRC, in partnership with a number of other funders, is commissioning new research to develop a greater understanding of how empathy and trust are developed, maintained, transformed and lost in social media interactions. In order to develop innovative approaches and stimulate genuinely transdisciplinary collaborations, the ESRC is commissioning projects via a sandpit. The aim of the sandpit is to bring together researchers and other partners to create projects that will develop theoretically-informed and empirically-derived understandings of the workings of empathy and trust in online contexts and communities.
This call is intended to attract participants from across the full range of social sciences, arts and humanities, and engineering and physical sciences.Applicants should not feel constrained by traditional assumptions about “relevance”, in terms of either research expertise or background. If you are unsure if your expertise is relevant to the research themes, please contact theresa.osman@esrc.ac.uk. The ESRC is particularly looking for people with particular personal attributes – creativity, openness, and the ability to work effectively as part of a team. A willingness to engage with policy-makers, community organisations, government agencies, businesses and other key stakeholders is also essential.
Full-time and part-time scholars at UK-based research organisations (ROs) can apply. A mix of researchers at different career stages is also sought. The sandpit is aimed at early- and mid-career researchers as well as those in senior academic posts. We regret that, on this occasion, PhD students and scholars based overseas are not eligible to participate in the sandpit.
The sandpit is an intensive residential event and participants must attend all five days of the event. The closing date for expressions of interest is 11.00 on Monday 11 November. Applications from interested candidates should be submitted via the short electronic application form athttp://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/28443/Empathy_and_Trust_In_Communicating_Online_EMoTICON_Sandpit.aspx
For further information, please contact:
Theresa Osman theresa.osman@esrc.ac.uk or Christina Rowley christina.rowley@esrc.acuk
Mark Carrigan 