Deakin-Coventry Cotutelle - Framework to securing software defined vehicles

This project and scholarship are offered as part of a collaborative doctoral cotutelle program between Deakin University (Australia) and Coventry University (UK). The successful candidate will be jointly supervised by a team of leading researchers from Deakin University and Coventry University and will graduate with a jointly supervised doctoral degree from each institution. The program is for a duration of 3 years. It is anticipated that the PhD candidate will spend will spend the first year at Deakin University and the following year at Coventry University and then the final 1.5 years at Deakin University. The supervision team will be drawn from the two Universities.

The successful candidate will receive comprehensive research training including technical, personal and professional skills. All researchers at Coventry University (from PhD to Professor) are part of the Doctoral College and Centre for Research Capability and Development, which provides support with high-quality training and career development activities.

This project proposes developing a Reinforcement Learning-based, adaptable, and context-aware access control system tailored to ZTA for Critical Infrastructures, ensuring robust security while balancing usability in time-sensitive IoT applications.

Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) represents a transformative shift from traditional perimeter-based security to a more resource-centric approach, emphasizing continuous verification. Policy Enforcement Points (PEPs) in Access Control Systems (ACS) integrate Trust Algorithms (TA) to make access decisions based on trust models (TMs). Trust models (TM) for heterogenous networks have been proposed which aim at defining the factors that influence trust calculation. Existing TMs, including machine learning-based models, evaluate trust only once before access, overlooking the adaptive needs of ZTA, which demands continuous, context-based, and risk-aware evaluations.

Applications close 5pm, Friday 28 March 2025

This scholarship is supported by Deakin University, is available over 3 years and includes:

• Stipend 3.5 year living allowance of approx. £19,237 per annum (2025 rate)
• Tuition fees offset for the duration of 4 years.

• One return economy airfare to the Host Institution during the Program (including the standard checked baggage allowance associated with the ticket. Any additional baggage costs beyond the standard allowance will be the responsibility of the student and must be paid for by them directly)
• Student visa and health insurance costs for periods of residency at the host institution.

To be eligible you must:

• be either a domestic or international candidate. Domestic includes candidates with Australian Citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency or New Zealand Citizenship.
• meet the PhD entry requirements of both Deakin University and Coventry university, including English language proficiency requirements (IELTS overall minimum score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component)
• hold a good honours degree in Computer Science or Cyber Security or a closely related discipline and preferably a Masters degree in a relevant subject area
• be enrolling full time
• be able to physically locate to both Coventry University (UK) and Deakin University (Australia)

Please refer to the research degree entry pathways page and Coventry’s research entry criteria page for further information.