Improving acoustic security through the lens of mathematics and physics

About the Project

Supervisory team: Prof Jeff Yan

Acoustic security is rapidly emerging at the intersection of cybersecurity, privacy, cyber physical systems, and acoustical physics. While machine learning has produced notable results, this project goes further—advancing both attacks and defenses through new mathematical approaches and deeper insights from acoustics.

Acoustic security is no longer a niche curiosity—it is a growing field at the intersection of cybersecurity, privacy, cyber-physical systems, and acoustical physics. As a powerful and versatile method, machine learning has delivered some interesting results from the engineering perspective, e.g. recovering confidential information unintentionally leaked via acoustic side channels. However, many open problems remain.

We will go a step further to:

1. crack some interesting mysteries in this field, and
2. improve acoustic attacks and defences, by exploring new insights with advanced techniques developed in mathematics and acoustical physics.

A limitation of machine learning is that it often identifies correlations without revealing causation. In contrast, a first-principles approach can pinpoint and establish the causal relationships between potential variables and the observed effects. Advanced mathematical tools—such as inverse problem theory, signal processing, and partial differential equations—will be essential for uncovering causal mechanisms, improving reconstruction algorithms, and designing more robust defences against acoustic attacks.

This project is based at the University of Southampton but will be jointly supervised by Dr. Andrey Korolkov from the University of Manchester.

Entry requirements:

You must have a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent.

This is a demanding interdisciplinary project involving advanced mathematics, physics, engineering, and cybersecurity.

Applicants with backgrounds in acoustical physics—both theoretical and experimental— or in inverse acoustic problems are especially encouraged to apply.

Candidates from computer science or electrical engineering should have a strong mathematical inclination.

Fees and funding:

Full scholarships include tuition fees, a tax-free stipend at the UKRI rate for up to 3.5 years (totalling £20,780 for 2025/26, rising annually). UK, EU and Horizon Europe students are eligible for scholarships. Chinese Scholarship Council funded students are eligible for fee waivers. Funding for other international applicants is very limited and highly competitive. Overseas students who have secured or are seeking external funding are welcome to apply. For more information, please visit our postgraduate research funding pages.

How to apply:

Apply now

You need to:

• choose programme type (Research), 2026/27, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
• select Full time or Part time
• search for programme PhD Computer Science (7089)
• add name of the supervisor in section 2 of the application

Applications should include:

• research proposal
• your CV (resumé)
• 2 academic references
• degree transcripts and certificates to date
• English language qualification (if applicable)

The School of Electronics & Computer Science is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.