Verifiable, Privacy‑Preserving Decision Accountability for Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAV)

About the project

About the Project As Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) deployments grow, society needs trustworthy, auditable vehicle decisions and coordination, especially at intersections, merging/convoying, and emergency manoeuvres, without exposing sensitive data (routes, identities, internal logic). This project investigates how to enable verifiable decision accountability and inter‑vehicle trust while preserving privacy and vendor IP. Core research questions • How can vehicles demonstrate compliance with safety/coordination policies without revealing internal sensor data or proprietary logic? • What lightweight assurance mechanisms allow peers or auditors to verify claims about decisions and software integrity? • How should these mechanisms integrate with real‑time constraints at the edge and multi‑vendor ecosystems? • What threat models matter most (spoofing, replay, collusion), and how do we bound information leakage while keeping systems usable? Academic qualifications First degree (minimum 2:1 classification) in: Computer Science OR Cybersecurity / Information Security OR Electrical / Electronic / Computer Engineering OR Data Science / Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning OR Robotics / Autonomous Systems English language requirement IELTS score must be at least 6.5 (with not less than 6.0 in each of the four components). Other, equivalent qualifications will be accepted. Full details of the University’s policy are available online. Essential attributes: Strong programming skills (e.g., C++/Rust/Go/Python) and an interest in policy/standards are valued Backgrounds in systems security, autonomous systems, applied cryptography / verification, distributed systems, or real‑time/edge computing APPLICATION CHECKLIST Completed application form CV 2 academic references, using the Postgraduate Educational Reference Form (download) Research project outline of 2 pages (list of references excluded). The outline may provide details about Background and motivation of the project. The motivation, explaining the importance of the project, should be supported also by relevant literature. You can also discuss the applications you expect for the project results. Research questions or objectives. Methodology: types of data to be used, approach to data collection, and data analysis methods. List of references. The outline must be created solely by the applicant. Supervisors can only offer general discussions about the project idea without providing any additional support. Statement no longer than 1 page describing your motivations and fit with the project. Evidence of proficiency in English (if appropriate) To be considered, the application must use the advertised title as project title For informal enquiries about this PhD project, please contact N.Moradpoor@napier.ac.uk Application link: https://evision.napier.ac.uk/si/sits.urd/run/siwsso.go?ElOlarlItFiG37xnH5PRRBvv3d563wLdwX4JfhYskMa3bJWTuc PhD Start Date : October 2026

Research areas