Agentic, Federated and Explainable Cybersecurity for 6G-Enabled Connected Autonomous Vehicles

About the Project

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) operating over emerging 6G networks rely on tightly coupled sensing, control, and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. While 6G enables ultra-low latency and distributed intelligence across edge–cloud infrastructures, it also introduces complex and dynamic attack surfaces that cannot be addressed by traditional centralised Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS).

This PhD proposes a next-generation cybersecurity framework that moves beyond static IDS towards an agentic, collaborative, and explainable security architecture.

The research will develop:

• Agentic AI-based IDS capable of autonomous decision-making and adaptive response to threats in real time,
• Federated learning mechanisms to enable multiple vehicles and network nodes to collaboratively detect attacks without sharing raw data,
• Explainable AI (XAI) techniques to ensure transparency and trust in security decisions within safety-critical environments,
• Cross-layer security intelligence, integrating data from sensors, V2X communication, and 6G network telemetry.

A key focus will be on defending against adversarial attacks targeting both data and AI models, including data poisoning and evasion attacks, which can compromise decision-making in autonomous systems. The proposed framework will be validated using realistic datasets and deployed on edge–cloud and 6G testbed environments, ensuring scalability, low latency, and robustness under real-world constraints.

University of Reading:

The University of Reading, located west of London, England, is ranked at 194 globally, according to the QS World University Rankings 2026. 98% of research at the University is of international standing (REF 2021, combining the University’s world leading, internationally excellent and internationally recognised submissions). The University’s main Whiteknights Campus is set in 130 hectares of beautiful, award-winning parkland, less than a 30-minute train ride to London Paddington and is approximately 30 miles from London Heathrow airport.

During your PhD at the University of Reading, you will expand your research knowledge and skills, receiving supervision and training in a number of different forms. We also provide dedicated training in important transferable skills that will support your career aspirations. If you need to develop your academic English skills before you start your studies, then the University has an excellent International Study and Language Institute which can help with this.

Eligibility:

• Applicants should have a good bachelor’s degree (minimum of a UK Upper Second (2:1) or equivalent)/master’s degree in Computer Science or a strongly-related discipline.
• International applicants will also need to meet the University’s English Language requirements. We offer pre-sessional English courses that can help with meeting these requirements.

*The University of Reading is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and non-discriminatory treatment for all members of its community.*

How to apply:

Submit an application for a PhD in Computer Science via ouronline application system.

Further information:

PhD study in the Department of Computer Science

Enquiries:

Dr. Zahra Pooranian, email: z.pooranian@reading.ac.uk