[agents] PhD studentship in logic & security at UCL

[Pym, David]

PhD studentship in logic & security at UCL

University College London — Computer Science — Info Sec and PPLV — Prof David Pym & 
Prof Angela Sasse — https://www.prism.ucl.ac.uk/#!/?project=206

Applications are invited for a PhD position at the Information Security Group of the UCL 
Department of Computer Science, funded by the Government Communications Headquarters 
(GCHQ). The successful candidate will also be a member of the Programming Principles, Logic, 
and Verification (PPLV) Group. The studentship is open only to UK nationals because of the 
funder's eligibility requirements. The successful candidate will be required to undertake an 
internship of approximately 2 - 4 weeks per year at GCHQ's headquarters in Cheltenham. 
To be considered for this studentship, candidates must therefore be prepared to undergo 
GCHQ's security clearance procedures. 

The successful candidate will develop logical and mathematical models of access control policies 
in physical and information systems, including the architectural and behavioural issues that affect 
the extent to which an implemented system complies with policies. The aim of the project is to develop 
a framework for modelling access control policies and their implementation in system architectures 
and will provide tools for reasoning about the circumvention of policies in the presence of behaviours 
that are driven by competing priorities (the policy-implementation gap). Thus the project will address 
problems that of significant concern in business contexts using rigorous mathematical and/or 
computational tools. The project build on and integrate aspects three scientific literatures: within 
computer/information security, the study of access control models, such as Bell La Padula, Biba, 
and Chinese Walls; within logic/theoretical computer science, frameworks for modelling and reasoning 
about access control policies in system contexts; and, within usable security and security economics, 
the study of how individuals and organizations place different values on the benefits and costs of 
behaviours associated with security policies. 

All research that is undertaken at UCL as part of the studentship will be unclassified and published 
in the open literature. 

The start-date for the studentship will be no later than October 2017 (this cannot be delayed). 

We expect a candidate to have at least a strong 2:1 degree in Mathematics or Computer Science, 
or to have successfully completed an MSc course in a related area. Prior knowledge of some of 
logic, semantics, information/computer security, mathematical modelling using tools such as 
Matlab, and empirical methods in data collection and analysis would be advantageous.

Applications should be submitted to University College London using the "Apply" buttons on this 
page (https://www.prism.ucl.ac.uk/#!/?project=206). If you have any queries about submitting an 
application, please email Sarah Turnbull at s.turnbull at ucl.ac.uk.   

Your application must reach the Department by 28 February, 2017. 


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Professor of Information, Logic, and Security
Head of Programming Principles, Logic, and Verification
University College London

Fellow and University Liaison Director
Alan Turing Institute

d.pym at ucl.ac.uk
www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/people/D.Pym.html
www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Pym/