Extended reality (XR) is steadily developing into a reliable digital environment, bringing tangible advantages to various practical scenarios. Realistic use cases include immersive medical training, surgery planning with patient data for surgeons, real-time remote guidance for maintenance in industrial plants, and iterative design simulation for architecture and engineering. However, its wide adoption is still to materialise, with one of the key barriers being its cyber security and privacy concerns. These concerns include data security, user privacy, and the potential manipulation or tracking of users within mixed reality environments. Current research in XR security has predominantly concentrated on authentication procedures conducted at the beginning of a session, often in a static manner. This PhD project aims to advance the field by developing and utilizing novel technologies for continuous cyber threat monitoring throughout an XR session. With a focus on practical impact, this PhD will specifically investigate the cybersecurity benefits for frontline workers in manufacturing and healthcare contexts. It will also explore broader security and privacy implications for knowledge workers, addressing vulnerabilities such as manipulation of virtual movements, distortion of critical visual indicators, identity theft, and online safety threats. The work will also include active generation and collection of evidence of impact through communication activities, feature-limited software releases and efforts to inform policy. Candidates for this PhD should have a strong foundation in computer science, along with proven skills in prototyping software using real-time 3D engines and implementing machine learning models.
With 50+ researchers and PhD students, the Centre for Sustainable Cyber Security (CS2) has been conducting pioneering research across several areas of cyber security, from trustworthy IoT to XR cyber security and protection against disinformation in social media. Thanks to these successes, the university is now one of only nine in the UK recognised as Academic Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security in both Research and Education (NCSC-CSR, NCSC-CSE). The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work in a vibrant research environment in CS2, as well as to collaborate specifically on the impact activities of our XR cyber security work.
Bursary available (subject to satisfactory performance):
Year 1: £18,622 (FT) or pro-rata (PT) Year 2: In line with UKRI rate Year 3: In line with UKRI rate
In addition, the successful candidate will receive a contribution to tuition fees equivalent to the university’s Home rate, currently £4,712 (FT) or pro-rata (PT), for the duration of their scholarship. International applicants will need to pay the remainder tuition fee for the duration of their scholarship. This fee is subject to an annual increase.
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