PhD Studentship: Safety from wandering with enhanced privacy for people with mild dementia

Safety from wandering with enhanced privacy for people with mild dementia

DoS: Hai-Van Dang, (hai-van.dang@plymouth.ac.uk)

2^nd Supervisor: Mona Nasser, (mona.nasser@plymouth.ac.uk)

Applications are invited for a 3.5-year EPSRC funded UDLA PhD studentship. The studentship will start on 1^st October 2025.

Project Description

Are you interested in creating an innovative solution to support people with mild dementia to live independently and protect their privacy/ identity?

This project aims at developing an innovative solution to mitigate the risk of wandering for people with mild dementia (PwMD). Geofencing technology, which tracks the location of PwMD and alerts carers when they leave a defined safety zone, is commonly used. However, continuous location monitoring raises the privacy concern (e.g. the leakage of their personal journey and possibly their activities) can discourage PwMD from using the technology. This project takes an innovative approach to engage with PwMD to co-design a new concept of wandering safety with enhanced privacy. The advanced cryptography and privacy enhancing technology (e.g. homomorphic encryption, differential privacy) will be explored and utilised to construct a privacy-preserving solution for such a concept. The solution will be tested and evaluated on accuracy, privacy, performance, and acceptance from PwMD.

Skills/Qualifications

• Ability to work independently while collaborating in a team environment
• Ability to communicate with the stakeholders
• Solid mathematical/analytical skills
• Strong programming skills
• Fluency in English (both written and spoken)
• Knowledge in privacy-enhancing technologies and/or applied cryptography
• Enthusiasm to create an innovative solution to support people with mild dementia

Eligibility

Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree in an appropriate subject and preferably a relevant Masters qualification. Applications from both UK and overseas students are welcome.

The studentship is supported for 3.5 years and includes full Home tuition fees, Bench fee plus a stipend of £20,780 per annum 2025/26 rate.  The studentship will only fully fund those applicants who are eligible for Home fees with relevant qualifications.  Applicants normally required to cover International fees will have to cover the difference between the Home and the International tuition fee rates.  The international component of the fee may be waived for outstanding international applicants.

There is no additional funding available to cover NHS Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) costs, visa costs, flights etc.

NB: The studentship is supported for 3.5 years of the four-year registration period.

The subsequent 6 months of registration is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ period.

If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact:

Dr Hai-Van Dang at hai-van.dang@plymouth.ac.uk.

To apply for this position please click on the Apply button above.

Please clearly state the name of the studentship that you are applying for on your personal statement.

Please see here for a list of supporting documents to upload with your application.

For more information on the admissions process generally, please contact:

research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk

The closing date for applications is 12 noon on 28^th March 2025.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview shortly thereafter. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications.

Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

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