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PhD Projects Computer Science

PhD Projects in Computer Science (Sponsored/Self-Funded)

The School of Computing at Newcastle University is advertising a number of PhD projects in the areas of data science and computer vision, cybersecurity, human computer interaction, internet of things, distributed systems, and many more.

COMPSF01: Understanding how Quantum Weirdness Could Solve Hard Problems - Supervisors: Nick Chancellor and Jonte Hance

COMPSF03: Applications of Graph Width Parameters to Computational Complexity - Supervisor: Konrad Dabrowski 

COMPSF04: Longitudinal brain imaging and modelling of ageing and disease processes - Supervisor: Yujiang Wang 

COMPSF05: Biomedical Explainable AI - Supervisor: Jaume Bacardit 

COMPSF06: Analysing and Visualizing Brain-Heart Interactions in Health and Disease - Supervisor: Alaa Alahmadi

COMPSF07: AI transparency - Supervisor: Pawel Widera 

COMPSF08: Advancing Edge AI: PhD Research Opportunities at the EPSRC National Edge Artificial Intelligence Hub - Supervisor: Ellis Solaiman

COMPSF09: Large Language Model for Robotics - Supervisor: Bo Wei 

COMPSF10: Adaptive and Trusted Execution in the Cloud-Edge Continuum - Supervisor: Devki Jha

COMPSF11: TinyML for the Internet of Things - Supervisor: Tomasz Szydlo 

COMPSF12: Interfacing Between the Smart Home and the Street - Supervisor: Nick Taylor 

COMPSF13: Advancing Human-Centred AI: PhD Research Opportunities in the Haii Lab – Supervisor: Lei Shi 

COMPSF14: Performance and security in VANETs – Supervisor: Nigel Thomas 

COMPSF15: Event-Based Visualization of Temporal Networks – Supervisor: Daniel Archambault 

COMPSF16: Data Visualization for Human-AI Collaboration - Supervisor: Xinhuan Shu 

COMPSF17: Data visualization for explainability and data-driven decision-making in health and life sciences – Supervisor: Sara Fernstad 

COMPSF18:  Supervisor: Aydin Abadi

Project 1: Dealing with Financial Fraud through Privacy-Enhancing Technologies

Project 2: Incentivizing Participation in Privacy-Enhancing Technologies

Project 3: Enhancing Federated Learning Efficiency and Scalability with Advanced Cryptographic Protocols

Project 4: Mitigating Insider Threats in Financial Sectors through the Development and Use of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies

Project 5: Improving Federated Learning Model Quality with Privacy-Preserving Data Cleaning Techniques

COMPSF19: Privacy Enhancing Technologies for Cyber-Physical Systems – Supervisor: Shishir Nagaraja 

COMPSF20: AI and Cyber Security for Cyber Physical Systems – Supervisor: Mujeeb Ahmed 

COMPSF21: Supervisor: Phil Lord 

Project 1: Hyperscale Graphs Models of Life 

Project 2: A Computational representation of Gender 

COMPSF22: Operations intelligence for decarbonisation – Supervisor: Wanqing Zhao 

COMPSF23: Trustworthy and Secure Artificial Intelligence – Supervisor: Varun Ojha 

COMPSF24: Deep Learning Models for Predicting Microbial Protein Expression – Supervisor: Gizem Buldum 

COMPSF25: DNA Nanotechnology and Molecular Computing – Supervisor: Harold Fellermann 

 

Prospective Students are encouraged to contact project supervisors directly for more information on specific projects or research topics.

Start dates are January, April or September and we recommend allowing 2-3 months for the application process.

There are no formal deadlines to apply for a project, projects will be withdrawn once a suitable student has been accepted.

 

Eligibility

Please note that these projects are not funded and are available only for applicants who have their own funding or who plan to apply for funding for their studies.

PhD studies are available to all applicants holding, or expecting to receive, a good (2:1 minimum or equivalent) bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related discipline, or an international equivalent. Applicants should have a strong background in Computer Science or related area. High motivation for independent theoretical/computational work is essential. Skills and interest in project specific areas are also desirable.  Newcastle University values individual differences and the diversity that this brings. We want to ensure that no-one is at a disadvantage because of who they are. We encourage applications from under-represented groups, and requests for flexible study (e.g., part-time) are welcomed.

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

You should 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:  

  • Search for the ‘Course Title’ using programme code: 8050F
  • Research Area: Computing Science
  • Select PhD Computer Science as the programme of study 

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

  • ‘Personal Statement’ - (this is a mandatory field) upload a document or write a statement statement directly into application form
  • When prompted - select ‘Write Proposal’. Type the title of the research project from this advert that you want to apply for. You don’t need to upload a research proposal.
  • The code for the project that you want to apply for e.g. COMPSF01 in the 'Studentship/Partnership Reference'

In the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section you should upload: 

  • A covering letter and your CV
  • Degree transcripts and certificates
  • If English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualification if already completed. 

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.