Stipend Top up Scholarship: Detection and Mitigation of Advanced Persistent Threats in Intelligent Transportation Systems

This PhD scholarship is being offered by the Cyber Security Group at Flinders University. The top-up scholarship is for a candidate who can successfully secure a Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship from the university. The purpose of the PhD project is to detect and mitigate advanced persistent threats in transportation systems. The transportation systems have reached to a level of maturity that they now integrate more wireless and IoT technologies to better navigate the traffic flow in the system. Any perturbations or misconfiguration in the setting of vehicular networks can adversely influence the safety and security of passengers or drivers and place them at higher risks. This research will investigate the interdependencies between transportation subsystems and aims to detect and mitigate Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). Detection of APTs is not easy as they usually evade traditional security controls, are usually well constructed, and use a higher level of sophistication to perturb the system. Many APT attacks go on for years before being identified.

This PhD Scholarship offers:

• $10,000 top-up per annum tax-free, for up to 3 years
• Access to academic and industry expertise through joint supervision
• A supportive environment to learn leading-edge research methods and become an expert in your area
• The opportunity to manage a complex research project and respond innovatively to challenges

To be eligible for the PhD Scholarship you will need:

•  Meet Flinders University PhD admission requirements – an Australian Honours degree Class 1 or 2A or equivalent qualification (at least AQF Level 8), or evidence of equivalent research experiences, such as refereed publications or significant experience as a lead researcher; and
• Scholarship recipients are expected to take up their studies as soon as practicable within a timeframe specified by the Office of Graduate Research, up to a maximum of 3 months from the time of acceptance of the scholarship.  In exceptional circumstances and with the approval of the University, this time may be extended to 6 months.
•  Honours/Master’s degree with a focus on cybersecurity, IT or software engineering
•  Interest in working with an industry partner