PhD Scholarship in Computing Supervised by CSU+UNSW

The project will be based at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga Campus, and the student will be supervised jointly by the senior academics from Charles Sturt University and The University of New South Wales.

About SCM, CSU

The School of Computing and Mathematics (SCM) within the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences at Charles Sturt University is home to about 31 academic researchers as well as over 60 research higher degree students, working in the ICT and Mathematics disciplines. Our research focuses applied research in computing science, ICT security and applied mathematics and statistics which benefit the communities in our region. 

About the Research

The PhD scholarship is funded by The Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC). The PhD research will be supervised jointly by the academics of Charles Sturt University (principal supervisor) and The University of New South Wales (co-supervisor). The research aim and outcomes are listed below. 

Research Aims:

The proposed PhD research project aims to address the issues of integrating IoT and blockchain technologies. Both IoT and blockchain have potentials to be implanted in various areas. In addition, the integration of these two technologies will solve each of technology's issues and problems In particular, integrated technology can solve the problems of security and privacy.

In addition, to adopt the blockchain in IoT environments, few customisations are required, such as designing lightweight consensus protocols suitable for low powered IoT devices. This research project aims to investigate all these areas to integrate IoT and blockchain successfully.

Different use cases will be investigated, such as work-permit automation for safety in workplaces, and in health service-related IoT systems. In this PhD research, we aim to design a framework for blockchain integrated IoT systems and develop a feasibility analysis tool to identify which IoT systems can embrace blockchain technology and what customisations are required to improve performance and other qualities such as security and privacy.

Research Outcomes:

The successful completion of the research project will produce a PhD thesis

One of the significant outcomes of the research project will be a framework for the merged IoT and blockchain technologies. Using this framework and design principles blockchain can be integrated into other IoT systems and application.

Another key outcome will be a feasibility analysis tool which can be used to identify which IoT applications or ecosystems can adopt blockchain technology for better performance.

In addition to that, another significant outcome of the project will be disseminating knowledge through the publications in international flagship conferences and renowned journals.

Scholarships and other benefits

The PhD scholarship is funded by The Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC).

• The scholarship amount is AUD 50,000 per year (tax-free) for three years
• Operational cost AUD 15,000 per year
• The tuition fee may be waived 
• An opportunity to interact with other researchers in the CSCRC and cyber security industry partners

Candidates applying for this PhD project must meet the following selection criteria:

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Australian nationals or candidates from other 5-Eyes countries (US, UK, Canada, New Zealand). Candidates from NATO countries may be considered.
• Must have a bachelor and master's degree in computer science or closely related discipline
• Meet the entry requirements for PhD admission at Charles Sturt University
• Prior research experience and publications will be added benefit
• Candidates with related experience in blockchain and IoT research will be given priorities
• Successful candidates must be eligible to obtain Australian Government Cyber Security Clearance
• Must have extensive knowledge of Mathematics.
• Must have extensive knowledge and skills in computer programming.

Please also note the requirements for CSCRC:

Students applying must meet the following criteria:

• Eligible to enrol, or be enrolled, at a Participant University, prior to commencement of the scholarship;
• Eligible to live in Australia during the research period (note that some projects may require applicants to be Australian citizens). Applicants are to advise of their citizenship/visa status; and
• Able to work on the research based at a Participant Research Institution

Applicants must have the appropriate technical skills to contribute to the project and must demonstrate the following:

• excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly (where relevant), focusing on technical documentation;
• ability to problem solve; and
• ability to work within a team.

As per the Congratulations letter sent to successful applicants, by submitting a Scholarship Application, they give the CSCRC permission to verify their nationality, gender and academic transcript with their research institution.

Successful applicants, in some circumstances, may be required to provide the following information as a condition of CSCRC funding:

• a valid current State and Federal Police clearance;
• the ability to apply for an Australian security clearance.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please email your CV and transcripts to the Project Lead, Dr Quazi Mamun on qmamun@csu.edu.au asap.