PhD Studentship in Computing: Software Security for Autonomous Systems (Robots)

Award Summary

100% Home fees covered and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £18,622 (2023-24 UKRI rate). Successful international candidates will be required to make up the difference between the home fees and international tuition fees.

Overview

We seek a highly motivated graduate to conduct research in software security for robots. Due to the complexity and autonomy of robot systems, traditional approaches to design security are not often sufficient to protect them.This PhD project aims at

• analysing security of robots software, including application layer and the operating system, to formally detect and repair software vulnerabilities, and
• enhancing security of robots with self-protection capabilities to autonomously protect them against attacks.

The candidate will use different techniques including static program analysis, threat modelling and advanced software design techniques to develop effective solutions.

You will join the Secure and Resilient Systems (SRS) group, a thriving and growing team engaged in cyber security research at the School of Computing, Newcastle University, and benefit from collaborating with world-class researchers. SRS is at the core of Newcastle ACE-CSR, an accredited Excellence Centre in Cyber security Research, one of only 19 accredited centres of excellence in the UK. 

Start Date

September 2024

Award Duration

3.5 years

Sponsor

School of Computing

Supervisors

Dr. Narges Khakpour

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in Computer Science or related subject relevant for this project.

The successful candidate should have:

• Strong analytical, conceptual and problem solving skills.
• Familiarity with at least two of the areas of security, autonomous systems, formal methods, program analysis and software engineering.

The studentship covers fees at Home rate (UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status and meet the residency criteria). International applicants are welcome to apply but will be required to cover the difference between Home and International fees.

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each subsection. International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme. 

How To Apply

To apply for a studentship, you must register and apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal 

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.  

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:  

• please apply for the 2023 academic year for January 2024 start      
• search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8050F
• Research Area: Computing Science
• select ‘PhD Computer Science (full time) as the programme of study 

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:  

• a ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form  
• the studentship code COMP2149 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  
• when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert – you do not need to upload a research proposal. 

 The application must include

• A brief statement on how your goals and experience are matched with the required skills and goals of this project.
• A CV including the contact information for two references.
• Degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualification if already completed.

Contact Details

Dr Narges Khakpour

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