Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014) and an outstanding 66% of the work of Loughborough’s academic staff who were eligible to be submitted to the REF was judged as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, compared to a national average figure of 43%. In choosing Loughborough for your research, you’ll work alongside academics who are leaders in their field. You will benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from our Doctoral College, including tailored careers advice, to help you succeed in your research and future career. The 21st Century presents tough global/societal challenges. The Engineering Systems of Systems (SoS) research group aims to seek solutions to these challenges through the study and advancement of complex SoS engineering and the socio-technical systems that shape our world. This studentship is focused on the novel application of a theory-driven realist evaluative research approach to investigate co-design and co-production practices in complex systems environments. Evidencing what works (or does not work) and more importantly why, is particularly challenging for SoS researchers due to both the pace of technological change and complex human factors in socio-technical systems. What works in one context may not work well in others, for example, studying how requirements are generated and knowledge is managed within agile co-design and development environments that incorporate non-specialists and end-users. There is opportunity for the successful candidate to carry out this research in a variety of application domains, specifically those organisations developing software-based and data-intensive systems/products/services often with ‘smart’ connected components. For example; smart systems within our homes and work places, urban systems within cities, transportation, healthcare, emergency services, manufacturing, retail, defence or even exploration. The over-arching aim is to progress our understanding of ‘what works, for whom, in which contexts and why’ in the development of complex systems throughout the systems lifecycle. It is anticipated that by adopting both a critical realist and systems thinking perspective, this will further our understanding of the attributes and practices of successful development teams and the contextual factors that contribute towards positive outcomes.