Value of award

Full UK/EU fees (eligibility criteria applies to EU students) and annual living allowance of £15,285.

Number of awards

1

Start date and duration

April 2021 for 3 years.

Application closing date

31 January 2021.

Overview

Traditional smart farming systems manage data and program execution in a centralized fashion and are prone to inaccurate data, data distortion and misuse, as well as cyber-attacks. E.g environmental data is generally managed by centralized entities with their own interests potentially affecting the decision-making related to data. Another example is when an unsecure execution of a crop management program leads to a substantial product loss. Blockchain-based solutions can significantly improve the performance, security and privacy of the agri-tech sector by decentralising processes. Examples include traceability (equipment, grain movement), food supply chain authenticity, crop insurance (e.g. bad weather), secure transactions and micro-farm lettings, and creating marketplaces for rare plants/herbs.

This project aims to minimise the cyber security and privacy risks of smart farming technologies by designing, implementing, and evaluating a secure light-weight blockchain-based system using smart farm sensors. We aim to:

- Evaluate, systematize, and contextualize existing knowledge and practice on the use of blockchain in smart farming,
- Establish a state-of-the-art agri-tech experimental testbed at NU, utilising the existing NUFarms platforms,
- Design a lightweight blockchain-based framework for smart farming (particularly for automated crop management of cultivation, treatment, harvest,) exploiting sensor data,
- Implement a proof-of-concept system using the NUFarms platform and evaluate it via real-world and simulated experiments.
The student is expected to have a strong interest in practical problem solving in computing science, engineering, and agriculture. The student will develop a variety of skills enabling them to enter the fast-growing world IoT applications in smart agriculture. This is an interdisciplinary project between computing science and agriculture. Previous experience with programming and basic understanding of hardware and software security is essential. Previous knowledge on blockchain, sensors and IoT platforms (e.g. agri-tech) is desirable but not essential.

Sponsor

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Name of supervisor(s)

Maryam Mehrnezhad, Changyu Dong, Dave George and Yit Arn Teh

Eligibility Criteria

The award is available to UK/EU applicants only. Depending on how you meet the EPSRC’s eligibility criteria, you may be entitled to a full or a partial award.

You must have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent, in Computing Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Agriculture, or a related subject.

How to apply

You must apply through the University’s online postgraduate application system.

You will need to:

• insert the programme code 8050F in the programme of study section
• select PhD Computer Science (full time) - Computing Science as the programme of study
• insert the studentship code COMP022 in the studentship/partnership reference field
• attach a covering letter and CV. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote reference code COMP022 and state how your interests and experience relate to the topics outlined above
• attach degree transcripts and certificates (if available) and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualifications (if available).

Please also send a copy of your application documents to computing.pgradmin@ncl.ac.uk

Contact

Dr Maryam Mehrnezhad