Fully-funded PhD Studentships

The Context

Are you considering pursuing a PhD in Computer Science? Look no further than Edinburgh Napier University, the top modern university for research power in Scotland and among the first 600 universities in the world according to the prestigious Times World University Rankings 2024.

The Computer Science subject group is part of the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, the largest of the five schools at Edinburgh Napier University. With a practical focus on adding value to the social, cultural, and economic capital of the communities it serves, recently the School has invested heavily in research staff and facilities, making it an excellent environment for those seeking to embark on a PhD journey.

Located in the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland and one of the most liveable cities in the world, the School offers not only world-class academic opportunities but also an exceptional quality of life. The medieval Old Town and the elegant Georgian New Town, the beauty of Arthur’s seat and the fascinating Calton Hill; the vibrancy of the life, and the large and international student population; cultural events like the Fringe festival make the city one of the best place to live in the world. In 2022, Edinburgh was the top city in the world according to the Time Out Index.

The studentships and the research projects

The School is delighted to offer fully funded studentships in the areas below. These Projects are sponsored by CGI, a global IT and business consulting firm with a strong presence in Scotland. During the course of the PhD, the student may have opportunities to undertake short internships/visits to the company. Staff from the company may also periodically attend supervision meetings.

The studentships will cover full UK tuition fees and will include a standard living allowance at the RCUK rate (currently £19,237 per annum).

Students are expected to spend at least 36 hours a week on their research project, and to attend the University in person for most of their time. Normally, they will be based at the Merchiston Campus (10 Colinton Road, EH10 5DT).

Projects are available in the following areas:

1. Adapting to concept drift in ML – Although strategies exist to detect concept drift, making use of this information in a meaningful business context is challenging. We see many businesses adopting AI/ML solutions that provide business benefit in the short term, with little or no strategy for ensuring that they continue to provide that benefit over time despite changes in usage, data, and demand. We are seeking an evolutionary/MLOps approach to managing drift to ensure that models can automatically adapt to changes in context to maintain their effectiveness over time.

• Detecting patterns in distribution network telemetry data – Oil & Gas SCADA systems produce large volumes of time-series data. Although this can be used in real-time to manage the network and has mature visualisation capability in existing systems, utilising it to identify potential efficiencies in throughput, or combining it with other data to enable preventative maintenance is challenging. 
  We are seeking a means to analyse large scale datasets over multiple years to identify previously undetected patterns that enable optimisation of network configuration, planned maintenance, procurement decisions and throughput aligned to demand.

• Distributed AI/ML for IoT management – Combining deployed ML/AI models attached to OT (SCADA) devices in distributed networks such as pipelines, electricity grids or road networks to enable on-site decision-making as well as sharing data with centralised predictive analytics models to provide a feedback loop enabling improved local decision-making.

• Continuous assessment – School-level, Higher/Further education, and Workplace learning attainment measures are often slow, limited in scope and focused on specific targets. Using continual assessment data captured in real-time, how can AI/ML be used to provide continuous assessment of progress, strengths and focus areas to individual students to support improved engagement and attainment.

The full description of the projects is available here.

Projects are anticipated to start on 1 October 2025.

The students we are looking for

Successful applicants will

• Be keen on advancing knowledge and developing applications to improve the world in which we live.
• Have, or expect to achieve by the time of start of the studentship, a minimum of a 2:1 honours degree, or a masters, or equivalent achievements. Only degrees in a subject relevant to the PhD project will be considered.
• If your first language is not English, comply with the University requirements for research degree programmes in terms of English language.

Edinburgh Napier University aims to build a community where all our members are empowered to fulfil their full potential and find their own unique place in the world.

We do not just accept difference, we promote and celebrate it. We encourage applications from the right candidates regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief or race.

The application process

The application must include

• 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.
• Recent and complete curriculum vitae. The curriculum must include a declaration regarding the English language qualifications of the candidate. Supporting documents will have to be submitted by successful candidates.
• Two academic references (but if you have been out of education for more than three years, you may submit one academic and one professional reference), on the form can be downloaded here.

Applications can be submitted here. To be considered, the application must use

• CGI-PhD as project code.
• the advertised title as project title

All applications must be received by 1^st May 2025.

Contact details

Should you need more information, please email SCEBERDL@napier.ac.uk.

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