Supervisory team: Dr Leonardo Aniello and Dr Weijia He
Deadline: Friday, December 04, 2026 — Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
This project applies usable security to understand how users perceive and respond to crypto wallet threats, then design and evaluate security features, interfaces and decision-support tools that support safer behaviour and reduce human error.
Crypto wallets are applications or devices that allow people to manage the cryptographic keys needed to access and use digital assets. However, users must navigate seed phrases, irreversible transactions, scams and difficult choices between convenience, privacy and security. Poorly understood security features can themselves lead to mistakes and financial loss.
This project will apply usable security, the study of how to design security mechanisms that people can understand and use effectively, to crypto wallets. You'll investigate how different users perceive, prioritise and respond to threats when choosing and using wallets. The aim is to understand the gap between the risks identified by technical security research and the risks that users recognise and act upon.
You'll develop a user-centred mental threat model capturing who users believe may harm them, which outcomes they fear and which protective actions they trust. The research will combine qualitative and quantitative methods, potentially including interviews, focus groups, co-design workshops, longitudinal studies and surveys. It may compare newcomers and experienced users, as well as users of custodial, self-custodial, mobile, hardware and multi-device wallets.
Building on these findings, you'll design and implement novel wallet security features, interface mechanisms or decision-support tools that help users make safer decisions and reduce opportunities for human error. Potential solutions may include improved risk communication, transaction warnings, recovery mechanisms or security-enhancing workflows.
The project will evaluate these interventions with end users and assess their effectiveness in improving security outcomes. The intended contributions are both a deeper understanding of user security behaviour and practical solutions for building safer crypto wallets.
The School of Electronics and 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.
Entry requirements
You must have a UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.
Fees and funding
We offer a range of funding opportunities for both UK and international students. Horizon Europe fee waivers automatically cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for qualifying students.
Competition-based Presidential Bursaries from the University cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for top-ranked applicants.
Competition-based studentships offered by our schools typically cover UK-level tuition fees and a stipend for living costs for top-ranked applicants.
Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.
For more information, please visit our postgraduate research funding pages.
How to apply
Apply now
You need to:
- choose programme type (Research), 2027/28, 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)
Contact us
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
For questions about applying, doctoralcollege-admissions@soton.ac.uk.
Project leader
For an initial conversation, L.Aniello@soton.ac.uk.