The doctoral programme, aims to research issues in the following research areas:
- Cybersecurity
- Artificial Intelligence
The above areas aim to address research topics in the following research areas:
-
Cybersecurity:
- Cybersecurity capabilities development
- Cybersecurity curriculum design
- Cybersecurity situational awareness
- Cybersecurity in childhood and adult education
- Engaging teaching and learning pedagogies
- Cybersecurity educational technologies
- Cybersecurity skills’ frameworks
- Cyber Ranges
- Gamification in cybersecurity
- Human factor cognition in cybersecurity
- Cybersecurity culture
- Threat hunting
- Critical infrastructure protection
- Societal cyber resilience
- IoT security
- Security Operation Centres
- Wireless Security
- Wireless Communications
- Maritime cybersecurity
- Aeronautical cybersecurity
Candidates can also propose other topics that fall within the research areas of Cybersecurity .
Indicative thesis topics that can be considered by candidates include:
- Building entrepreneurial mindsets and transversal skills in HEIs/VETs through cybersecurity education
- Increase interest of students in upper secondary education/HEIs/VETs to pursue a career in cybersecurity
- Use of innovative distance learning pedagogies to develop engaging cybersecurity undergraduate curricula
- Design of games to promote UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through cybersecurity education
- Design of innovative cybersecurity education and training curricula to build a multidisciplinary cybersecurity workforce
- Use of cyber ranges to create engaging cybersecurity awareness, education and/or training curricula in primary/secondary/HEIs/VETs
- Enhance societal resilience against social engineering attacks through the design of targeted cybersecurity awareness campaigns
- Engage young people in cybersecurity through STEM hands-on activities
- Build cybersecurity table-top exercises / escape-rooms for effective learning
- Develop citizens’ IoT-related cybersecurity skills
- Situational awareness training cyber-attack scenarios
- Improving Security Operation Centre Efficiency
- Threat hunting in cellular, WiFi and other wireless networks
- Wireless Training in Cyber Ranges
- Cybersecurity for Maritime/Aeronautical/Industrial environments
For further details on the above topics, you are encouraged to contact Professor, Dr. Stavros Stavrou (
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) or/and Assistant Professor, Dr. Eliana Stavrou (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) or/and Lecturer Dr. Adamantini Peratikou (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). -
Artificial Intelligence:
- Artificial Intelligence and Explainable AI.
- Cognitive Systems / Personal Assistants.
- Nature and Biology-Inspired Computation.
- Machine-Mediated Social Interactions.
- Computational Machine Learning Theory.
- Learning-Based User Personalization.
- Knowledge Engineering and Reasoning.
- Knowledge-Based Story Comprehension.
- Smart City / Smart Building Applications.
- HCAI-Based Sustainable Development.
- Swarming in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
In the declaration of interest, applicants should indicate explicitly their chosen subject(s) and should include (for each chosen subject) a proposal of their envisioned contribution (i.e., thesis topic).
Applicants must hold an M.Sc. Degree, and have either strong programming skills or a solid background in Theoretical Computer Science. Admitted Ph.D. students will carry out their research at the Computational Cognition Lab at Open University of Cyprus, under the supervision of Dr. Loizos Michael, Professor,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 0035722411963.
EUROPEAN CREDIT TRANSFER SYSTEM – ECTS: 180
TEACHING LANGUAGE: The Doctoral Thesis writing will be in the English language. Supervision will be carried out in Greek or English.
LEVEL: Doctorate
DEGREE AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Candidates must:
- be holders of a Masters degree related to or similar to the research areas listed above, e.g. Informatics, Cyber Security, Computer and Network Security, Computer Science, Wireless and Computer Communication System, Educational Studies, etc.
- have excellent knowledge of the English language
For further details on the above topics, you are encouraged to contact Professor, Dr. Stavros Stavrou (
Additional qualifications for candidates are:
- Any publications in prestigious international scientific journals and conferences in the above cognitive areas
- Any participation in research projects
- Previous work or other experience in the above topics.
Candidates must submit:
- Complete and detailed CV in EUROPASS format
- If there are any, a detailed list of publications or participation in research projects
- Full research proposal up to 2000 words including:
- A Preliminary Title of the Doctoral Thesis
- Statement of interest (the subject you are interested in must be explicitly stated)
- Problem statement, purpose of doctoral dissertation (depending on the topic you choose) and importance of the research
- Research questions/objectives
- Brief analysis of the current situation depending on the topic you choose
- Research methodology of approaching the subject
- Expected results & impacts
- Implementation schedule
- Suggested bibliography
Candidates who do not submit complete supporting documents as listed in point 1-3 will not be evaluated.
TUITION FEES
Tuition fees for doctoral programs amounts to €675 per semester for the first six (6) semesters. In case the study lasts longer, then the following applies: for the first four (4) and the last two (2) semesters, the cost amounts to €675 per semester and for the remaining semesters, the cost amounts to €100 per semester. No tuition is paid for the "Academic Writing (DXXX796)" and the "Research Methodology (DXXXX795)", which are mandatory at the beginning of the study.
Internal Regulations for Doctoral Studies (Revised)
APPLICATIONS
Applications can be submitted exclusively online:
Application dates for the fall semester of the Academic year 2024-2025 : March 4 - May 30, 2024.
For additional information, please contact Ms. Marianna Prodromou (