Fully-Funded PhD in Cyber Security 2026 at University of Edinburgh

Overview

Ready to turn your curiosity about cyber threats into world-changing research? The University of Edinburgh-consistently a global top-tier name in Computer Science-has opened applications for its Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust PhD for 2026 entry. This is your chance to join a powerhouse research ecosystem at the School of Informatics, College of Science & Engineering, right in the heart of one of Europe's most dynamic tech hubs.

Why this PhD is a big deal?

From ransomware to AI-powered scams and nation-state attacks, the stakes in cybersecurity have never been higher. Edinburgh's PhD programme attacks this challenge from every angle-security engineering, privacy-preserving computation, usable security, trust, risk, law, policy, economics and real-world deployment-so your work doesn't just look good in theory; it lands in practice.

• Study mode: Full-time, 3 years, multiple start dates
• Location: Central Area, Edinburgh (PhD by Distance not available)
• School scale: 1,750 students and 150 academic staff across Informatics-instant community, mentorship, and collaboration
• Reputation: REF 2021 ranked the School 1st in the UK for research power in Computer Science & Informatics-expect cutting-edge labs, world-class supervision, and serious publication pipelines.

Meet Edinburgh-Your New Research Arena

Edinburgh consistently ranks among the most liveable cities in the world and is one of the UK's fastest-growing tech hotspots. You'll be surrounded by startups, scaleups, accelerators, and public sector partners hungry for solutions in cyber resilience, digital trust, and privacy-by-design.

Funding: what's on the table?

Most Informatics PhD candidates receive full scholarships that cover tuition + living costs. Additional avenues include University/School-level scholarships (some via a separate Scholarships Portal), loans, employer sponsorship, savings, or work income. International students should also scan featured funding streams from the School of Informatics and the wider University in parallel with their PhD application.

What they're looking for (and how to stand out)

This is a research-intensive programme. Show them you're ready to push the field forward:

• A sharp, focused research proposal (3-5 pages unless your selected project specifies otherwise)
• A relevant background in computing, security, cryptography, data protection, AI/ML security, HCI/usable security, formal methods, networks, or policy/regulation of emerging tech
• Evidence of research potential (projects, preprints/publications, code, internships, competitions, open-source contributions)

What you can Research?

• Privacy-preserving ML & data sharing (federated learning, homomorphic encryption, differential privacy)
• Software & systems security (program analysis, formal verification, vulnerability discovery, supply-chain security)
• Network & cloud security (zero trust, 5G/edge/IoT, secure virtualization)
• Human-centred security & trust (usable security, authentication, risk perception, decision making)
• Cyber policy, law & governance (data protection regimes, safety, AI risk, platform accountability)
• Adversarial AI & robust ML (poisoning, evasion, interpretability)
• Critical infrastructure resilience (health, finance, smart cities, energy grids).

Submit your completed file at least three (03) months before your preferred start date (and at least six (06) months if you require an ATAS certificate).