PhD position in Security, Trust, and Stewardship in Information Ecosystems, UK

July 5, 2010

Job Description:

The delivery of services to individuals and organizations, in both public- and private-sector contexts, is increasingly dependent on complex ecosystems of service-providers, based on large, highly distributed infrastructures. In order to receive and benefit from services, individuals and organizations must, to varying extents, submit confidential and private information to the stewardship of the ecosystem.

What does it mean for an ecosystem to be a (good, bad, careful, careless, etc.) steward of information? How can the service-user make a make an informed judgement about the reliability of an ecosystem’s stewardship, and hence about the risks to which they will be exposed in seeking to obtain a service? For example, do you trust the UK’s NHS to protect adequately the confidentiality of your medical records? Do you trust the UK government to maintain the integrity of your identity in its operations of tax records? How should a rural SME assess the costs, risks, and benefits of outsourcing its IT operations to the cloud?

In all cases of this kind, the user of a service must decide what trade-off, between the security of data and the accessibility of a service, is acceptable, and at what cost. That is, the questions and their answers are about incentives, policies, and utility.

In order to make judgements about these issues, the user — be it an individual, an organization, or a regulator — must have available to it a conceptualization of the ecosystem and its associated threat environment. Ideally, that conceptualization will support the provision of analytical and predictive decision-support tools.

This studentship will address the formulation of conceptual and technical tools to support decision-making about security, trust, and stewardship in information ecosystems, with the particular focus depending on the background and preferences of the student.

Candidates should have a strong first degree in a conceptually rigorous discipline — such as computing science, economics, mathematics, philosophy, or engineering — and a Master’s degree or equivalent experience in a topic closely related to information security or information management. Strong programming skills would be advantageous.

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/postgraduate/apply.shtml. You should apply for MSc with a view to transfer to PhD in Computing Science, to ensure that your application is passed to the correct College for processing. Please note, you should apply at least 4 days before the deadline to allow us to contact you for further information, if required. All applications received up to, and including the closing date, will be processed.

Informal Enquiries should be directed to Professor David Pym by email (d.j.pym@abdn.ac.uk), including a CV and covering letter. All general enquiries should be directed to the Graduate School Admissions Unit.

Application Deadline: 14 July 2010

Start Date: 1st October 2010

For further details:

Scholarship Tags: Ecosystems, Information, PhD, Position, Security, Stewardship, Trust, UK