PhD position on Knowledge Graphs and LLMs for Decentralised Data Governance

About the Project

The rapid growth of the data economy and the privacy implications accompanying it have motivated a new paradigm shift towards decentralisation of data on the Web, which aims to foster data sovereignty and empower individuals by allowing them to take back control over their data. However, the process of implementing data governance in a decentralised setting, especially when AI is involved, brings forth various socio-technical challenges related to data interoperability, process transparency, legal compliance (e.g. with GDPR, EU AI Act), privacy-preservation, and individuals’ trust and comprehension of decentralisation itself.

Person specification:

• MSc in Computer Science or AI (minimum of 2:1 degree or higher)
• UK home student status holder
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Strong problem-solving abilities
• Interdisciplinary computer science interests
• Ability to work independently and in a collaborative environment

Essential skills:

• Experience with ontologies and knowledge graphs
• Experience with data privacy and interest in data governance
• Familiarity with, or keen interest in, decentralised technology (e.g. SOLID, distributed ledgers)

Desirable:

• Experience with generative AI (e.g. LLMs)
• Interest in Human-Computer Interaction
• Interest in privacy enhancing technologies (PETs)

Other:

• Experience in presenting or preparing scientific papers for journals and conferences is preferred but not essential.

How to apply?

Please submit your (i) CV, (ii) motivational letter outlining why you are interested in the topic and your prior relevant experience, (iii) academic transcripts for consideration and (iv) a reference letter (e.g. from your MSc thesis supervisor) to a.kurteva@bham.ac.uk.

Funding Notes

We are looking for an ambitious and motivated student with background in Computer Science or AI to undertake a 3 - 3.5 year fully funded PhD research project at the School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham. This scholarship covers (UK home) tuition fees and stipend. The stipend is the national UK standard.

We particularly encourage applications from students who have a background in ontologies, knowledge graphs and data privacy.

References

A. Kurteva and H. J. Pandit. “Relevant research questions for decentralised (personal) data governance”. In: Trusting Decentralised Knowledge Graphs and Web Data (TrusDeKW) Workshop at ESWC 2023, 28 May - 1 June 2023, Hersonissos, Greece.
A. Kurteva and J. Domingue. “Towards Cultivating Decentralised Data Privacy, Interoperability and Trust with Semantic PETs and Visualisations”. In: NXDG: NeXt-Generation Data Governance, SEMANTiCs 2024, 17-19 Sep 2024, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
A. Meroño-Peñuela, E. Simperl, A. Kurteva, and I. Reklos. "KG. GOV: Knowledge graphs as the backbone of data governance in AI." Journal of Web Semantics 85 (2025): 100847.