Volume 4, 2026 – Issue 1
Responsible AI for doctoral researchers: Institutional strategies, supervision and skills in UK universities (2024–2025)
Elhadj Moussa BenMoussa 
1
University of East London, London, UK
Corresponding author: ebenmoussa@uel.ac.uk
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18839838
Abstract
This qualitative study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies are reshaping postgraduate researcher (PGR) development and supervision in UK universities. Drawing on comparative case studies from institutions including University College London, Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester, Edinburgh, and King’s College London, the study examines AI-assisted writing and data analysis, digitally mediated supervision, and evolving research practices. The findings show that universities are increasingly integrating AI to support doctoral researchers’ productivity and analytical work, while introducing policies and training to safeguard academic integrity, authorship, and scholarly responsibility. At the same time, concerns emerge around academic identity, ethical AI use, and researcher development. Interpreted through digital literacy, ethical AI, and critical pedagogy perspectives, the study proposes a strategic framework for responsible and inclusive AI integration that positions AI as a support for rather than a substitute for the human scholarly journey. We analysed publicly available institutional AI policies, doctoral school guidance pages, training/workshop webpages, and related press releases (downloaded between October 2024 and January 2025). Cases were selected purposively as research-intensive UK universities with visible doctoral-level AI guidance and/or structured AI-related training.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, researcher development, doctoral training, supervision, digital literacy, academic integrity, higher education
Published
2026/02/28
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Section
Research Papers
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BenMoussa, E. M. (2026). Responsible AI for doctoral researchers: Institutional strategies, supervision and skills in UK universities (2024–2025). The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, 4(1), 185–228. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18839838
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BenMoussa, Elhadj Moussa. 2026. “Responsible AI for Doctoral Researchers: Institutional Strategies, Supervision and Skills in UK Universities (2024–2025).” The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education 4 (1): 185–228. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18839838.
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BenMoussa, Elhadj Moussa. “Responsible AI for Doctoral Researchers: Institutional Strategies, Supervision and Skills in UK Universities (2024–2025).” The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, vol. 4, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 185–228, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18839838.
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[1]
E. M. BenMoussa, “Responsible AI for doctoral researchers: Institutional strategies, supervision and skills in UK universities (2024–2025),” The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 185–228, Feb. 2026, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.18839838.
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BenMoussa, E.M. (2026) “Responsible AI for doctoral researchers: Institutional strategies, supervision and skills in UK universities (2024–2025),” The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, 4(1), pp. 185–228. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18839838.
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BenMoussa EM. Responsible AI for doctoral researchers: Institutional strategies, supervision and skills in UK universities (2024–2025). The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education [Internet]. 2026 Feb 28;4(1):185–228. Available from: https://ijtie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/N40147.pdf
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BenMoussa, E. M. (2026). Responsible AI for doctoral researchers: Institutional strategies, supervision and skills in UK universities (2024–2025). The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, 4(1), 185–228. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18839838
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About the authors
- Dr. ElHadj Moussa BenMoussa is a Postgraduate Research (PGR) Adviser and Doctoral Development Manager at the University of East London. He holds a PhD in English Language (TESOL & EAP) and has over a decade of international experience in academic teaching, researcher development, and postgraduate support across the UK and overseas. His work focuses on doctoral education, academic writing, research methods, and the ethical integration of digital technologies and AI in researcher development. He is particularly interested in issues of inclusion, critical pedagogy, and professional identity formation in doctoral training.
ebenmoussa@uel.ac.uk
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