Funded research projects

Project Title: Profiling hardware and feasibility of new board development to support local AI in ATMs for enhanced security. 

Please note, this is open to home students only.

PhD Studentship: cyberQuarter. The Studentship is available for an October 2025 start.

Project Description: An intelligent ATM is an ideal solution to analyse and monitor the local device for possible physical or cyber threats. A typical ATM system is suitable to host such environments. A typical system, consisting of several processing units with variable memory, can be profiled to pool the resources. The analytical systems, developed on data collected by onboard sensors and software triggers, can assist the operating environment in reducing threats with increased efficiency. The system will propose a novel approach for data collection, temporary storage and transport to designated online places for processing and visualization purposes. The system will be able to present knowledge-based actionable information that can lead to informed real-time decision-making and reduced downtimes.   

The outcome produced by this research will assist in making informed decisions about ATM security. The study will investigate and propose novel hardware with a device capable of hosting AI-powered security services. It will aim at engineering or technical managers to plan and execute project activities for hardware and software engineers. The guidelines and specifications will allow hardware and firmware engineers to develop proof-of-concept hardware. Hardware engineers will be able to verify their design and draft a Bill of Material (BOM) based on the proposed requirements. The firmware engineers will be able to write a software stack to make the developed hardware functional.  The findings and publications will stipulate BOM, PCB layout, and firmware guidelines. The artefacts might include flow diagrams, use cases, electronics block diagrams, the high-level layout of component arrangements or source code.   

Supervisory Team: The candidate will be supervised within the Cybersecurity and Computing by Dr Abdul Razaq and Dr Sanaz Kavianpour. Queries on this project should be directed to Dr. Sanaz Kavianpour (s.kavianpour@abertay.ac.uk).

Entry Requirements: Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a first class or upper second-class honours honours degree in a computing, cybersecurity, ethical hacking (or equivalent), or a closely aligned discipline. We are looking for an independent, enthusiastic, and driven candidate with an understanding of AI and IOT.

The successful candidate will have to have some experience of working AI and/or IOT devices. Candidates must work well with others and represent the university when working with key stakeholders (e.g., cyberQuarter partners).

For applicants who are non-native speakers of English, the University requires IELTS of 7.0 (with no band less than 6.5) or an equivalent qualification accepted by the Home Office.

Applications and closing date: 8^th of August 2025

Applicants should submit through the Abertay University jobs page https://www.abertay.ac.uk/about/working-at-abertay/jobs/, submitting a personal statement of application detailing why you are interested in undertaking this project, and a CV.

If you are selected for interview you will be required to complete an online Research Student Application Form which includes the submission of a research proposal. Guidance on how to write the proposal can be found here: https://www.abertay.ac.uk/study-apply/how-to-apply/how-to-apply-postgraduate-research/ Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Dr. Sanaz Kavianpour (s.kavianpour@abertay.ac.uk) for advice on developing a proposal prior to submitting it.

To apply visit Abertay Jobs.

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Project Title: Behaviour-Based Anomaly Detection for Encrypted IoT Traffic 

Please note, this is open to home students only.

PhD Studentship: cyberQuarter funded. The Studentship is available for an October 2025 start. 

A PhD studentship that comprises tax-free stipend of £20,870 (increasing in line with UKRI per annum), tuition fees paid, and a generous study package (e.g., limited research consumables, travel budget, and training when appropriate) each year for 3 years. The studentship is fully funded for 3 years.

Project Description:

The increasing use of encryption in IoT communications hinders traditional deep packet inspection for malware detection. This research aims to develop lightweight, behaviour-based anomaly detection systems. These systems will identify malicious activity or compromised IoT devices by analysing encrypted traffic patterns, focusing on metadata, flow characteristics, and timing rather than decrypting payloads. 

The core challenge is creating features and models sensitive to malicious deviations while remaining resource efficient. Solutions must operate effectively on network gateways or even capable IoT devices. The research will investigate statistical methods, machine learning, and information-theoretic approaches to achieve robust, non-intrusive security for the ever-expanding IoT landscape. 

Supervisory Team: The candidate will be supervised within the Division of Cybersecurity and Computing by Prof Ian Ferguson and Dr. Salma Elsayed. Mr Sean Sturley will act as advisor. Queries on this project should be directed to Professor Ian Ferguson (i.ferguson@abertay.ac.uk).

Entry Requirements: Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a first class or upper second-class honours degree in a computing, cybersecurity, ethical hacking (or equivalent), or a closely aligned discipline. We are looking for an independent, enthusiastic, and driven candidate with an understanding of AI and IOT.

The successful candidate will have to have some experience of working AI and/or IOT devices. Candidates must work well with others and represent the university when working with key stakeholders (e.g., cyberQuarter partners).

For applicants who are non-native speakers of English, the University requires IELTS of 7.0 (with no band less than 6.5) or an equivalent qualification accepted by the Home Office.

Applications and closing date: 8^th of August 2025

Applicants should submit through the Abertay University jobs page https://www.abertay.ac.uk/about/working-at-abertay/jobs/, submitting a personal statement of application detailing why you are interested in undertaking this project, and a CV.

If you are selected for interview you will be required to complete an online Research Student Application Form which includes the submission of a research proposal. Guidance on how to write the proposal can be found here: https://www.abertay.ac.uk/study-apply/how-to-apply/how-to-apply-postgraduate-research/ Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Professor Ian Ferguson (i.ferguson@abertay.ac.uk) for advice on developing a proposal prior to submitting it.

To apply visit Abertay Jobs.

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Project Title: Autonomous AI-powered red agents for enhanced cybersecurity

Please note, this is open to home students only.

PhD Studentship: cyberQuarter. The Studentship is available for an October 2025 start.

A PhD studentship that comprises tax-free stipend of £20,870 (increasing in line with UKRI per annum), tuition fees paid, and a generous study package (e.g., limited research consumables, travel budget, and training when appropriate) each year for 3 years. The studentship is fully funded for 3 years

Project Description:

Advances in AI are extending the capabilities of tools for penetration testing (i.e. red agents). However, due to a fragmented market, rapid technical developments, and nascent research the extent of capabilities and optimal solution architectures are not well understood. Current research identifies an active and growing research field, with numerous advancements in the past 18 months. A focus on generative AI agents has progressed capabilities towards exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities. Frontier models show superior performance when combined with a focused knowledge base and multi-agent architectures. However, in most cases human involvement is still required, and fully autonomous solutions are not yet evident. 

There are several aspects that should be considered: 

• The level of AI sophistication in terms of decision-making autonomy and human-machine teaming.
• The use of logic and data to make decisions, solve problems, and learn. Moving from rule-based systems to agents with strategic flexibility.
• The range and complexity of tactics, techniques, and procedures that are supported, as well as justification for actions taken.

This project aims to advance the state of AI-powered red agents by developing an adaptive multi-agent framework capable of learning about its environment and evolving attack scenarios. By enabling more realistic and dynamic adversarial simulations this project will support the creation of more effective cybersecurity testing, consequently strengthening organisational resilience against emerging threats. The proposed research question is: What design approaches enable an autonomous AI-powered red agent to effectively detect system vulnerabilities and emulate realistic adversarial behaviours?

The proposed approach will focus on developing a multi-agent AI framework that integrates traditional penetration testing methodologies with machine learning techniques and advanced generative AI models. This framework should be engineered to simulate a range of attack scenarios with high fidelity (i.e. exploitation of network and device vulnerabilities). Abertay University possesses a mature, well-engineered cyber-range which is available to the project to simulate a wide variety of target systems and set-ups. By combining established cybersecurity practices with adaptive AI-driven techniques, the framework aims to enhance the effectiveness of red team operations.

Supervisory Team: The candidate will be supervised within the Cybersecurity and Computing by Dr Jacques Ophoff, Dr Sanaz Kavianpour  and Dr Karl van der Schyff. Queries on this project should be directed to Dr Jacques Ophoff (j.ophoff@abertay.ac.uk).

Entry Requirements: Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a first class or upper second-class honours honours degree in a computing, cybersecurity, ethical hacking (or equivalent), or a closely aligned discipline. We are seeking an independent, enthusiastic, and driven candidate with a strong understanding of AI and offensive security.

The successful candidate will have to have some experience of working with AI .

Candidates must work well with others and represent the university when working with key stakeholders (e.g., cyberQuarter partners and Scottish Government).

For applicants who are non-native speakers of English, the University requires IELTS of 7.0 (with no band less than 6.5) or an equivalent qualification accepted by the Home Office.

Applications and closing date: 8^th of August 2025

Applicants should submit through the Abertay University jobs page https://www.abertay.ac.uk/about/working-at-abertay/jobs/, submitting a personal statement of application detailing why you are interested in undertaking this project, and a CV.

If you are selected for interview you will be required to complete an online Research Student Application Form which includes the submission of a research proposal. Guidance on how to write the proposal can be found here: https://www.abertay.ac.uk/study-apply/how-to-apply/how-to-apply-postgraduate-research/ Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Jacques Ophoff (j.ophoff@abertay.ac.uk) for advice on developing a proposal prior to submitting it.

To apply visit Abertay Jobs.

• Project Title: Embodied Approaches to Participatory Audi-Haptic Composition

• Project Title: Inclusive Competition: Towards an Improved Understanding of Competitive Videogame Playing for the Visually Impaired. 

• Project Title: Environmental chemical exposure and metabolic disease: Exploring risk evaluation and perception

• Project Title: Enabling People to Identify Deepfakes

• Project Title: BARIToNE: Towards climate-Positive barley: Developing Model-Based Approaches to Identify Pathways and Evidence Benefits (PROTECT)

• Project Title: Trauma and Technology: Identifying Best Practice for Video-Recorded Interviews (VRIs) with Victims of Sexual Crimes

• Project Title: Privacy-Preserving for Machine Learning for Next-Generation IoT (NG-IoT) Security. 

• Project Title: Towards Machine Understanding of Human Languages: AI for Storytelling Across Languages

• Project Title: 5G & Edge computing technologies to unlock compelling immersive multiuser experiences for mobile XR applications

• Project Title: Bridging the gap between Virtual & Physical Film & Television Production: Virtual Production and Real-Time pipelines in the studio environment.

• Project Title: When an Adult with Learning Disability Goes Missing: A mixed methods study to inform prevention and response

• Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning for Next-Generation IoT (NG-IoT) Security

• Helpful and unhelpful aspects of therapy following spiritually transformative experiences

• Gateway to esports: Enhancing access and retention for casual audiences in competitive video games

• Open your MIND: Leveraging the ecological validity of language control research using immersive technologies

• Quantifying organic carbon losses in soils through natural processes and land management practises

• Revolutionising Heritage Conservation through AI-Powered Analysis of Timber Beam-Column Connections

• Project Title: 5G & Edge computing technologies to unlock compelling immersive multiuser experiences for mobile XR applications

• Project Title: Towards Machine Understanding of Human Languages: AI for Storytelling Across Languages

• Project Title: Reframing the 'social' in social return on investment: constructing more meaningful monitoring and evaluation in football, development and beyond. 

• Project Title: Active transport of Gold-coated iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles: A universal delivery vehicle.

• PhD Research Studentship: BARIToNE Project 9 - towards climate-positive cropping: developing model-based approaches to identify pathways, and evidence benefits.

• PhD Research Studentship: Reframing the ‘social’ in social return on investment: constructing more meaningful monitoring and evaluation in sport for development and beyond.

• PhD Research Studentship 5G Edge- XR for unlocking compelling immersive experiences

• PhD Research Studentship: Investigating the impact of police communications and initiatives on public perceptions of progress in enhancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: A case of Police Scotland

• PhD Research Studentship: How, when and where can preconception interventions be utilised in Scotland

• PhD Research Studentship: Co-creating Performance and Play: Supporting community cohesion and well-being through mixed-media co-production

• Masters by Research (MbR) with technical work experience.

• PhD Studentship: Towards climate-positive barley: developing model-based approaches to identify pathways and evidence benefits

• PhD Research Studentship: Investigating the potential of Extended Reality for alternative understandings of forced migration and devastated Middle Eastern Cultural Heritage Sites.

• PhD Research Studentship: Using avatars in investigative interviews with children.

• PhD Research Studentship: How do we best teach our children to be cyber secure?

• PhD Research Studentship: Machine learning to determine soil properties: a smartphone-based solution for stakeholders

• RLINCS PhD studentship: The effect of different types of omega-3 fatty acids on exercise capacity in the elderly

• RLINCS PhD studentship: Using Affective Computing to Create an Emotional Bond between Users and Virtual Agents for Enhanced Social Interaction

• R-LINCS PhD Studentship: Using VR to Investigate the Visual Features that Determine the Effectiveness of Disruptive Camouflage

• R-LINCS PhD Studentship: Eco-grief and community experiences of changing water practices in Malawi

• PhD Studentship: Seals as sentinels of antimicrobial resistance: mapping antimicrobial resistance genes in UK waters

• PhD Studentships: A 4D Virtual Tumour for Cancer Ecology.

• RLINCS PhD Research Studentships: Investigating the Chemistry of a Cold Smoking Process and its Impacts on Food Safety and Quality; Deep Learning Intrusion Detection System for the Internet of Things; Characterising fat tissue structure and function in grey seals, an animal model of extreme fat deposition and mobilisation, using novel in vivo and in vitro approaches; Applying the self-reference effect to improve children’s mathematical problem solving; Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in female athletes.

• Master by Research Studentships in Mental Health Nursing: Various areas of research focus will be considered. 

• Master by Research Studentship: Developing a successful food new product development tool linking effective testing (using facial electromyography) with sensory attribute selection

• PhD Research Studentship: Exploiting yeast diversity in whisky fermentations for biocatalysis of desirable flavour compounds. 

• PhD Research Studentship: Evaluating the effect of plant species on soil carbonation flux

• PhD Research Studentship: Fluid-aerosol modelling of cloud evolution in substellar atmospheres (R-LINCS)

• Master by Research Studentship: Developing a successful food new product development tool linking effective testing (using facial electromyography) with sensory attribute selection

• MSc Research Studentship: Utilising crushed dolerite columns to stabilise unstable substrates using microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP): coupling ground improvement and climate mitigation - laboratory approach 

• Games and Media Facilitated e-Learning 

• Developing a successful new food product development, tool linking effective testing (using facial electromyography) with sensory attribute selection

• A generic framework for atmospheric fluid-aerosol modelling with applications in astrophysics, computer games and environment

• Utilising crushed dolerite columns to stabilise unstable substrates using microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP): coupling ground improvement and climate mitigation – numerical modelling approach

•  Exploring self-reference effects in children with ADHD

• Application of focused 'omics' approaches to the study of biological phenomena implicated in musculoskeletal ageing. (R-LINCS)

• CLOSED - Modelling of multiphase flow in deformable agricultural soils (Hosted at Abertay University for Tayside Centre for Geotechnical Engineering in Natural Environments)

• Development of Effective Guidelines and Communication Tools for the Protection of Rural Private Water Supplies from Sources of Pollution 

• Detection, analysis and clinical application of spermatozoa biochemical profile using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). (R-LINCS)

• Multiple missing: an exploration of behavioural consistency in repeat missing adults. (R-LINCS)

• Application of focused 'omics' approaches to the study of biological phenomena implicated in musculoskeletal ageing. (R-LINCS)

• Connecting Performance and Play: interdisciplinary design methods for the development of games and performance – ARCS/ SGSAH  studentship (Abertay University, National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland)

• Investigation into and Development of Processes for the Enhancement of Safety and Shelf Life of Fresh Produce. (R-LINCS and James Hutton Institute)

• Ecology at play: An exploration of natural data through game design. (IW Stewart PhD Studentship) 

• Developing of 4D Imaging Methods to Quantify Soil Structural Dynamics with applications to Soil Science and Environmental Engineering. (R-LINCS)

• Addressing the Fundamental Problems of Cyber-Security through Anti-Patterns. (R-LINCS)

• Interaction between emotion and communication. (R-LINCS)

• Investigating structural synaptic plasticity as a novel therapeutic target for functional recovery from spinal cord injury. (R-LINCS)

• Securing cyberspace: Development and validation of a novel research and evaluation toolset. (R-LINCS)

• The Social and Organisational Construction of Ethical Hacking. (R-LINCS)

• A systematic study of the effect of ultrasound on food enzymes and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds (model and real food systems). (R-LINCS)

• Assisting Digital Forensic Reconstruction via Exploratory Information Visualisation. (SICSCA)

• Exploring the Role of Monitoring Agents and Affective Feedback in Enhancing Cyber Security for Average Users. (SICSCA)

• Games Design, a new Approach for a New Industry. (ESRC)

• Design and Action. (AHRC)

• Exploring Interactive Design Engineering Methodologies. (AHRC)

• Investigation of the performance of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) on the Scottish Trunk Road Network (STRN). (BEAR)

• Factors controlling root growth in heterogeneous substrates: physical structures and root behaviour. (R-LINCS in partnership with James Hutton Institute)

• When do dialects become languages? (Leverhulme)

• Computer and Web Enabled Food Product Evaluation. (MacPhie of Glenbervie Ltd)

• Customer Honesty in Self-Service Interactions. (R-LINCS)

• Nano-and bio-technologies for food science and technology. (SORSAS)

• Role of Second Generation Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor(s) and Adenosine-Triphosphate on Human Sperm Motility. (SORSAS)

• Influence of soil structure on the spatial and temporal distribution of bacteria in soil. (SORSAS)

• Ecosystem service goods and benefits accruing from sustainable approaches to urban water management (SORSAS)

• Understanding Early Intervention: A Case Study of Dundee (SIPR)

• MPhil Research Studentship, 2 years: Project Title: Games and Media Facilitated e-Learning

• PhD Research Studentship: Mapping for Social Innovation

• MPhil Studentship: Development and validation of sequencing and bioinformatics methodologies to identify pathogenic mutations in candidate male infertility genes.

• PhD Studentship: Parental Involvement in Sport: Improving the Quality of Children’s Sport Experiences and Wellbeing

• PhD Studentship: Co-Design Mapping for Social Innovation Project.

• PhD Studentship: Enhancing Scotland’s resilience to climate change.

• PhD Studentship: Active transport of Gold-coated iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles: A universal delivery vehicle.

• PhD Studentship: BARIToNE CTP - Towards climate-Positive barley: developing model-based approaches to identify pathways and evidence benefits (PROTECT)

• Project Title: Trauma and Justice: Advancing Investigative Interviews with the Trauma-Informed Cognitive Interview (TICI).