{"id":214,"date":"2026-10-02T14:11:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:11:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/?page_id=214"},"modified":"2026-10-02T14:11:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:11:50","slug":"current-phd-topics-and-studentships","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/study\/phd-students\/current-phd-topics-and-studentships\/","title":{"rendered":"Current PhD topics and studentships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">PhD opportunities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>We have funding for PhD study to start in October 2027. This covers fees and a stipend and is open to UK or International applicants, and will be awarded by competitive application. The official advertisement will appear shortly.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following is a list of topics our academics proposed for PhD projects. These projects are open to both full-time and part-time PhD study. Please contact the relevant academic for further information and advice.&nbsp;The application procedure can be found&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/phd-students\/how-apply\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Artificial Intelligence and Interdisciplinary Modelling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/181\">Automatic Generation of Dialogue Acts: Understanding Dialogue through Computational Modelling<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/pp2464\">Dr Paul Piwek<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/183\">Dialogue Games, Argumentation and Meaning: Computational modelling of Brandom&#8217;s inferentialism<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/pp2464\">Dr Paul Piwek<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/182\">From data to questions and stories: inclusive technologies for data exploration<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/pp2464\">Dr Paul Piwek<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/191\">Explainable machine learning and natural language processing for automatic assessment<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/agw96\">Dr Alistair Willis<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/192\">Lightweight semantics for text similarity<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/agw96\">Dr Alistair Willis<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/194\">Semantics of ambiguity<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/agw96\">Dr Alistair Willis<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/341\">Framing Generative AI: Chatbot conceit or intelligent interaction?<\/a> Contact: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/pp2464\">Dr Paul Piwek<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/mmh352\">Dr Mark Hall<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/242\">Exploring Quantum Models for Contextual Classification and Decision Making over Online Information Spaces<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/research\/people\/ds7946\">Prof. Dawei Song<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/243\">Incorporating Domain-specific Knowledge into Pre-trained Language Model based Controllable Text Generation<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/research\/people\/ds7946\">Prof. Dawei Song<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/246\">Simulation Models for Theoretical Life Science Research<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/al23526\">Dr Adam Linson<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/271\">Adaptive Continuous Learning<\/a>\u00a0Contact: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/al23526\"><\/a><a href=\"mailto:ian.kenny@open.ac.uk?subject=PhD%20studentship\">Dr Ian Kenny<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dk6467\">Dr Dhouha Kbaier<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/276\">Exploring Machine Learning and Computational Techniques to Inform Rapid Adaptive Climate Change<\/a>\u00a0Contact:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/al23526\">\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"mailto:ian.kenny@open.ac.uk?subject=PhD%20studentship\">Dr Ian Kenny<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dk6467\">Dr Dhouha Kbaier<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/281\">How Do you have an AI forget &#8211; responsibly?<\/a>\u00a0Contact:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/al23526\">\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"mailto:ian.kenny@open.ac.uk?subject=PhD%20studentship\">Dr Ian Kenny<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dk6467\">Dr Dhouha Kbaier<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/366\">Engagement of humane AI in practice<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/skm234\">Dr. Soraya Kouadri Most\u00e9faoui<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/376\">AI-based biometric sentimental analysis protocols for ATM fraud detection<\/a> Contact: <a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.open.ac.uk\/zeeshan-siddiqui\">Dr Zeeshan Siddiqui<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Critical information studies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/163\">Decolonial Computing<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/sma78\">Dr Mustafa Ali<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Interaction design<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/261\">Interfacing with complex data: Interactive pattern exploration and discovery by domain experts<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/al23526\">Dr Adam Linson<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/169\">Interfaces for life logging mood and affect<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dg7692\">Dr Daniel Gooch<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/356\">Designing for pro-social interventions and responses to reduce online harms<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/mz936\">Dr Min Zhang<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/172\">Music and Human Centred Computing<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/sh2\">Dr Simon Holland<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/173\">Digital Health and Interaction Design<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/sh2\">Dr Simon Holland<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/223\">Animal-Computer Interaction<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/cm476\">Dr Clara Mancini<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/241\">Socialised Exploration and Sense-Making over Online Information Spaces<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/research\/people\/ds7946\">Prof. Dawei Song<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/244\">Decision dashboards for clinicians to make sense of patient-collected data<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dg7692\">Dr Daniel Gooch<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/245\">Digital Civics<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dg7692\">Dr Daniel Gooch<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/386\">Adaptive Multi-Robot Coordination in Multi-Human Settings<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.open.ac.uk\/ayodeji-abioye\">Dr Ayodeji Abioye<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/391\">Safe and Socially Aware UAV Navigation in Co-Located Human Spaces<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.open.ac.uk\/ayodeji-abioye\">Dr Ayodeji Abioye<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/396\">Smart Rehab: AI-Powered Markerless Mobile Rehabilitation for Neuro-Musculoskeletal Recovery<\/a> Contact: <a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.open.ac.uk\/manoharan-ramachandran\">Dr. Manoharan Ramachandran<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dg7692\">Dr Daniel Gooch<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Next generation multimedia and networking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/252\">Deepfake images detection for forensic purposes<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/kcpw2\">Dr Patrick Wong<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/266\">eXplainable Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing for Satellite Deepfake Images Detection<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/skm234\">Dr. Soraya Kouadri Most\u00e9faoui<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/209\">Future trends in wireless communications: Exploring new structures of turbo codes<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dk6467\">Dr Dhouha Kbaier<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/225\">A hardware module for Robust and Resilient UAVs Communications<\/a>\u00a0Contact:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dk6467\">\u00a0Dr Dhouha Kbaier<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/253\">Game-Theoretic Approaches to Environmental Risk<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/dk6467\">Dr Dhouha Kbaier<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/228\">Participatory Machine Learning &#8211; Rethinking the Power Dynamics<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/skm234\">Dr. Soraya Kouadri Most\u00e9faoui<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/411\">Detection of Temporal Interference in Medical IoT Sensor Networks<\/a> Contact: <a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.open.ac.uk\/andy-reed\">Dr Andy Reed<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Software engineering and design<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/260\">Sustainable software engineering<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/crd96\">Dr\u00a0Chris Douce<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/220\">Security by design: Trust, Reliability and Resilience for IoT devices in Healthcare<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/cb32322\">Dr Chitra Balakrishna<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/321\">Cyber security behaviour assessment using serious games concepts, artificial intelligence and human behaviour analytics<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/cb32322\">Dr Chitra Balakrishna<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/401\">Developer Know-How and Collective Practice in the Age of Generative AI<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.open.ac.uk\/tamara-lopez\">Dr Tamara Lopez<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/406\">Depictions of Professional Identity in Software Engineering<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.open.ac.uk\/tamara-lopez\">Dr Tamara Lopez<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/351\">Exploring the influence of AI on software engineering practice<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/crd96\">Dr\u00a0Chris.Douce<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/ir2787\">Dr Irum Rauf<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/166\">Participatory Security: Self-protecting Communities On the fly<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/ab33792\">Dr Amel Bennaceur<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/251\">The role of storytelling in software engineering practice<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/crd96\">Dr\u00a0Chris.Douce<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/tl4224\">Dr\u00a0Tamara Lopez<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/197\">Automating Online to Offline Services using Smart Contracts<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/yy66\">Dr Yijun Yu<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/198\">Live Forensics for Drones<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/yy66\">Dr Yijun Yu<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/249\">Business agility in an era of hybrid working<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/ad24727\">Dr Advait Deshpande<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/250\">Mobilising artificial intelligence to identify patterns of criminal behaviour on digital devices<\/a>\u00a0Contact: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/imk29\">Dr\u00a0Ian Kennedy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/381\">Security and Privacy in Quantum Cryptography<\/a> Contact: <a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.open.ac.uk\/zeeshan-siddiqui\">Dr Zeeshan Siddiqui<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Technology and education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/331\">Reducing the Skill Barrier for Educator-Driven Development of Immersive Learning Environments<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/sm577\">O<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/oh679\">li Howson<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www5.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/346\">A Learning Approach for Adaptive Multi-Modal Augmentative and Alternative Communication<\/a> Contact: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/az2276\">Prof Andrea Zisman<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/university.open.ac.uk\/stem\/computing-and-communications\/node\/189\">Teaching programming at a distance<\/a>\u00a0Contact:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/people\/crd96\">Dr Christopher Douce<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PhD opportunities We have funding for PhD study to start in October 2027. This covers fees and a stipend and is open to UK or International applicants, and will be awarded by competitive application. The official advertisement will appear shortly.&nbsp; The following is a list of topics our academics proposed for PhD projects. These projects [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":70,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_unity_review_frequency":"","_unity_review_next_due":0,"_unity_review_reset_requested":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-214","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":215,"href":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/214\/revisions\/215"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/70"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/schools.stem.open.ac.uk\/computing-and-communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}