PhDs in Geopolitics, Cyber Security and Society @ RHUL

by RHULgeopolitics: http://rhulgeopolitics.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/phds-in-geopolitics-cyber-security-and-society-rhul/

Royal Holloway is pleased to announce a number of 4 year PhD studentships in Geopolitics, Cyber Security and Society (see subject areas below).

The studentships are intended to develop research capacity and training in cyber security research, including public understandings of cyber security vulnerabilities and threats in specific geopolitical, economic and cultural contexts.

Interested applicants should be cognisant of cyber security discourses, practices and technologies in relation to broader conceptualisations of geopolitics and security, the political and ethical concerns that might pertain to them, as well as areas of critical theory.

The studentships are funded through the Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security at Royal Holloway (http://www.rhul.ac.uk/isg/cybersecuritycdt/home.aspx) and a collaboration between RHUL Geography and the Information Security Group (http://www.rhul.ac.uk/isg/home.aspx) which builds on two successful postgraduate programmes in the form of the MSc in Geopolitics and Security and the MSc in Information Security.

Students are expected to interact with those wider student cohorts and will undertake seminars in geopolitics and security as part of their first year of training before embarking on a 3 year doctoral studies programme.

It is expected that some period of time will be spent working with outside partners and research stakeholders in industry, government or the public sector.

The studentships will be an ideal opportunity for those interested in cyber security and related areas to develop their future career. The studentships are only available on a full-time basis only.

Applicants should identify a particular project area that aligns most closely with their research interests. Along with an updated cv, candidates should apply with a 1 page covering letter explaining how their interests relate to that theme, and how they envisage pursuing it within a three year doctoral research project.

Recommended Subject Areas

• Hacking, Wikileaks and Forms of Cyberprotest

• Cyber security and the possibilities of post-security

• Techno-Orientalism: The geographies of cyber-insecurity

• Critical Infrastructures: Security materials and the internet of things

• Keeping Britain Safe: Cyber security, public understandings and British Security Policy

• Cybersecurity and the Global South: Drivers and Trends

• Homeland Security: Social media and emerging forms of extremism

Application

Interested applicants should send their CV and the 1 page covering letter to peter.adey@rhul.ac.uk by 31st March.

Expressions of interest and further queries should be directed to either Professor Peter Adey peter.adey@rhul.ac.uk, Professor Klaus Dodds k.dodds@rhul.ac.uk or Dr Alasdair Pinkerton a.pinkerton@rhul.ac.uk

The successful candidates will be expected to begin in September 2014, and will be supervised by staff within the Geography department, with an adviser in Information Security, although this depends on the nature of the project.

The number of studentships to be awarded will depend on the calibre of candidates and their project idea.

Candidates who have or are expecting to obtain a first class honours degree or a masters degree (distinction) are especially encouraged to apply. To qualify, the full studentships are available to UK residents only and applicants should read the entry requirements carefully.