Dr Jonathan Foster
BA, MSc (Brunel), M.Ed. (Sheffield), PhD (Sheffield)
Information School
Senior Lecturer in Information Management


+44 114 222 2665
Full contact details
Information School
Room C228
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
- Profile
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My principal teaching and research interests are in information governance and ethics. I have higher degrees in Information Systems and in Education (M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning from the 海角社区 of Sheffield), and received a PhD in Information Studies (Social Sciences) from the 海角社区 of Sheffield. I have been Principal Investigator for projects externally-funded by the AHRC (digital archives), EPSRC (accountability and ethics in digital ecosystems), and the Wellcome Trust (data sharing and public health).
I have also led a number of internally-funded learning and teaching development projects including Unlocking Value: From Marketplace to Marketspace (funded by the 海角社区 of Sheffield/HEIF) and Managing Innovation in the Digital Economy (funded by 海角社区 of Sheffield/White Rose Centre for Enterprise). In 2018 I was awarded a 海角社区 of Sheffield Faculty of Social Sciences Teaching Excellence Award for Outstanding Practice in Learning and Teaching for my work on Deliberation Days.
I am currently Principal Investigator for Understanding Fairness in Data-Driven Artificial Intelligence for Mental Health (AHRC), and Co-Investigator for Eliciting Cybersecurity Narratives: Bricoleur Story Completion, Decision-Making and Security Design (ESRC).
海角社区 responsibilities
I am currently head of the Information Knowledge and Innovation Management (IKIM) Research Group within the Information School.
I have also previously acted as Programme Coordinator for the MSc in Information Management, Research Ethics Administrator, UG Examinations Officer; and Sub-Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the Faculty of Social Sciences, 海角社区 of Sheffield.
- Research interests
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My principal research interests are in information/data governance and ethics, data sharing, and the digital economy. I welcome PhD proposals from prospective applicants in these areas.
I have published more than 50 research outputs, including sole-authored papers in leading journals in information science and information management (e.g. Journal of Documentation, Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, Journal of Information Science, Education for Information, and the British Journal of Educational Technology), and two edited books on Collaborative Information Behavior, and Consumer Information Systems and Relationship Management.
I am head of the Information, Knowledge and Innovation Management research group.
- Publications
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Edited books
Journal articles
Chapters
Conference proceedings papers
Website content
Posters
Theses / Dissertations
Other
- Research group
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Current PhD students
- Hooria Ali Hafedh: Knowledge transfer from the perspective of a 鈥淨uadruple Helix鈥: The banking sector in Bahrain
- Jihad Al Wahshi: Data Analysis for Business Intelligence: A Critical Evaluation of the role of Business Intelligence and Data Analysis in Money Laundering and Fraud Detections in Oman Banking Industry
- Elijah Chirwa: An Examination on the impact of digital disruptive innovations on central banks and formulating a strategy for the digital age
- Meichengzi Du: Understanding Citizens Acceptance of Smart Transportation Applications in Shenzhen, China: A Mixed Methods Study
- Ofulue Nchemko: Understanding Motivation and its Impacts on Governance within Crowdsourcing Platforms
- David Walsh: Supporting information access in digital cultural heritage
Completed PhD students
- Tuan Dang: E-learning Implementation in Vietnamese Universities.
- Hasan Hashim: Developing Infrastructure for E-Government to Business Services: A Case Study of the e-Umrah System in Saudi Arabia.
- Nabhan Al Harrasi: Understanding Omani Academic Library Collaboration: A Soft Systems Approach.
- Grants
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Research Projects
The Elicitation of Cybersecurity Narratives: Bricoleur Story Completion, Decision-Making and Security Design
ESRC Co-investigator 拢196,000 (Sheffield: 拢116,127) 1 May 2022 12 months Understanding Fairness in Data-Driven Artificial Intelligence for Mental Health
AHRC Principal Investigator 拢81,205 1 February 2022 12 months Accountability and Ethics in a Digital Ecosystem
EPSRC SPRITE+ Principal Investigator 拢49,683 1 April 2020 24 months Tools for Life: Data Sharing and Public Health
Wellcome Trust Principal Investigator 拢97,799 1 October 2019 20 months Data Diplomacy: Political and Social Dimensions of Data Collection and Sharing
Worldwide Universities Network Investigator 拢35,712 1 January 2015 12 months Data Diplomacy is an emerging construct that integrates concepts from data science, technology, and computing, with social science, international relations, and diplomatic negotiation; and in some cases offers a new diplomatic tool that facilitates global relationships. Equally, questions surrounding burgeoning data creation and data sharing provide areas of tension in this new space e.g. issues related to privacy, security, free expression, and regulation as well as variances particular to national and international contexts. The project brings together stakeholders representing global, bilateral, and institutional interests and will engage the broad concept data diplomacy and explore this in a number of topic areas e.g. agency, privacy, ownership and freedom of information.
Collective Intelligence
海角社区 of Sheffield Investigator 拢11,209 1 September 2013 12 months Riders Have Spoken: Designing and Evaluating an Archive for Interactive Performances
Arts and Humanities Research Council Principal Investigator 拢97,000 7 December 2009 9 months New Research Processes and Business Models for the Creative Industries
EPSRC Co-Principal Investigator 拢210,000 1 April 2008 12 months
- Teaching interests
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I have made a sustained contribution to curriculum innovation for our information management and information systems students; having created new elective module in Information Governance (topics explore decision-making, management, and governance of information and data in organizational and networked contexts) and in Digital Economy (internally funded by the 海角社区 of Sheffield).
I led a PGT curriculum review group (2012-13) aimed at enhancing the Information School鈥檚 MSc Information Management programme, an initial outcome of which was the decision to make Information Governance core to our curriculum, since it reflects the problems and issues of how to govern information and data in a digitally networked age.
My teaching is research-led and is concentrated on the areas of information governance, and the digital economy.
- Teaching activities
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INF6025 - Information Governance and Ethics
INF6525 - Information Governance and Ethics DL