PhD student position in algebra and logic for policy and utility in information security, London (U.K.)

Applications are invited for a PhD position at UCL's Department of Computer Science, in the Programming Principles, Logic, and Verification and/or Information Security Research Groups. The studentship is funded by UCL in connection with the EPSRC-funded project, 'Algebra and Logic for Policy and Utility in Information Security', involving teams from UCL, the University of Bath, and the University of Aberdeen, and the University of Exeter. The project is multidisciplinary, drawing upon logic, theoretical computer science, economics, and security management and policy.

The overall project has three main components. First, a basic mathematical foundation that will address utility theory from the perspective of algebraic theories of processes and their associated modal and substructural logics. This work will provide foundations for a systems modelling framework that both incorporates utility and is fully compositional. Second, formulations of industrial- and large-scale security policy design and decision-making informed by the concepts of the systems modelling framework. Third, agent- and game-based interpretations of the modelling framework described in the first part that will address the policy issues formulated in the third part. Depending on the academic strengths and interests of the successful candidate, the studentship may be associated with any of the three components of the project.

The studentship will be supervised by Prof. David Pym, and funded for a period of 4 years. The start-date for the studentship will be in September 2014. The deadline for applications is Monday 30th June 2014.

For more information, see http://prism.ucl.ac.uk/pgadmissions/apply/ or contact Or contact Prof. David Pym at d.pym at ucl.ac.uk