PhD Studentship in Applied Cryptography UK

Deadline: 20 February 2017
Open to: students of UK/EU residency
Scholarship: include fee waiver and a stipend of 16,000 GBP per annum

Description

The Department of Computer Science at the University of Surrey, within the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, has an international reputation for research and teaching. In the National Student Survey of 2015/16, overall student satisfaction was 95%. Research in the department is focussed on two main areas: Nature Inspired Computing and Engineering, and Secure Systems, with Surrey recognised by GCHQ as one of only thirteen Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research. Its security related research is focused on protocol analysis, security verification, trusted computing, data privacy, access control, privacy-preserving architectures, vulnerability analysis, distributed ledger technologies, digital forensics, human-centred computing and applied cryptography.

Eligibility

Eligible candidates are the following:

  • Having an upper second class Honours degree or preferably a Master’s degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Security or similar discipline; 
  • Students who are expected to receive their MSc degree (or equivalent) in 2017 are also encouraged to apply;
  • Candidates whose secondary level education has not been conducted in the medium of English should also demonstrate evidence of appropriate proficiency in the English language, normally defined as 6.5 in IELTS (with not less than 6.0 in any of the individual elements).
  • Basic knowledge of computer science and information security is required;
  • Experience in one or more of the following areas would also be desirable: cryptography, programming and formal analysis. As for all PhD studies, a genuine interest and curiosity in the subject matter and excellent analytical and communication skills, both oral and written, are needed.

Scholarship

The Studentship consists of a fee waiver and a stipend of 16,000 GBP per annum, and is available to students of UK/EU residency. There are a number of fully funded PhD studentships for suitably qualified UK and EU nationals who can demonstrate the appropriate residency requirements. Other funding opportunities are also available within different research centres. They have received major awards for research from the following:

  • IET and e-voting for digital watermarking;
  • Student awards from Detica, Fyvium, IBM, Microsoft, Renew, Honda, Thales Research & Technology and Thoughtified.

How to Apply?

The application process requires the submission of a CV, two letters of recommendation or contact information of two referees, attested copies of degree certificates and transcripts from all university-level courses taken. More information on how to apply can be found at the following link by clicking on the ‘apply online.’

In addition to the above, as part of your application, you are also required to upload the following documents:

  • Statement of purpose (1-3 pages) where you introduce yourself, explain why you want to pursue a PhD degree, present your qualifications and describe your future research plans;
  •  A research proposal to describing your research area of interest and motivation. Are there any specific projects and research issues you are primarily interested in? Previous research fields and main research results should also be mentioned. It is important to include parts of your work such as theses and articles that you have authored or co-authored;
  • Shortlisted applicants will be contacted directly to arrange a suitable time for an interview.
For more information please visit the official web page

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