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Secure Digital Twins and Cyber-Physical System Emulation for Critical Infrastructure Cyber Ranges

School: School of Science and Technology

Study mode(s): Full-time

Starting: 2026

Funding: UK student / EU student (non-UK) / International student (non-EU) / Fully-funded

Apply online

Project overview

This PhD will focus on the development of secure digital twins and cyber-physical system emulations within the Hybrid Cyber Range, with particular emphasis on critical infrastructure such as energy, transport and industrial control systems. The research will enable safe, repeatable experimentation to study cyber threats, system interdependencies and attack impacts, supporting both academic research and industry-focused resilience assessment.

Research Aim and Question:

  • Develops secure emulation frameworks for cyber-physical systems that preserve realism while ensuring safety and ethical use.
  • How can digital twin and emulation techniques be implemented to safely represent complex cyber-physical systems in a way that supports rigorous experimentation?

This project will be a lab based and there's an opportunity to collaborate with the funder.

This project will deliver originality through the development of secure, cyber-physical digital twin frameworks that enable safe yet realistic experimentation on critical infrastructure systems within cyber ranges.

Supervisory team

Tawfik Al-Hadhrami

Ali Sadiq

Omprakash Kaiwartya

David Brown

Abdallah Naser

Entry qualifications

  • A bachelor (First Class or 2:1 equivalent in UK and master’s degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Cyber Security or related field.
  • Strong software skills in an experience or exposure with ML frameworks.
  • Familiarity with networking hardware, tools, technologies
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Knowledge of operational technology is an advantage.
  • Proven ability to publish papers in peer journals is and advantage.

How to apply

Please visit our how to apply page for a step-by-step guide.

Applications close Friday 30 January 2026 with interviews planned to take place from Monday 2 February to Friday 16 February 2026.

This project belongs to a series of similar research projects, name the project title at the start of your application statement to ensure your application is considered for the correct title.

Fees and funding

The PhD will be fully funded by the University (via an Externally funded Research Project). The funding covers monthly stipend, tuition fee, travel for conferences as well as access to state-of-the-art Cyber Range testbed lab and related research equipment.

Guidance and support

Find out about guidance and support for PhD students.

Still need help?

Contact Dr Tawfik Al-Hadhrami on: