The first year starts with an Induction Residential Week (IRW) – an in-depth introduction to your time on the course and a chance to get to know your fellow-students, and the academics, better. This takes place at both Bristol (Monday – Wednesday) and Bath (Thursday and Friday).

Later in the year, you will be invited to attend our Joint CDT Summer School. Over two or three days, a programme of talks, activities and presentations will ensure that you receive a broad coverage of key issues and advances in cyber security, drawing from the themes identified for the summer school. You will connect with other CDT students from around the UK, as well as academic, industry and government experts, helping you to develop innovative ideas for your own research.

During the Spring and Summer Terms, masterclasses will be scheduled at intervals throughout the programme, delivered by leading experts in academia and industry.  These activities will provide you with a clear understanding of the current aspects of cyber security from a practitioner and research perspective, and thus enriching your PhD research project.

During your first year you will complete a 2 - 4 week long placement with one of industry partners, as well as a 2-week academic placement with a research group.

In the first year teaching will be scheduled over the week to cover the taught modules.  During the week there will be unscheduled time for additional work in groups and individually.

Whatever your academic background, you will develop a holistic understanding of cyber security challenges and solutions, rooted in a framework for responsible innovation. This includes learning to reflect on and analyse the impact of security and privacy technologies on society.

Our specially designed taught first year is delivered through teaching, masterclasses, placements and guided self-study including peer-supported learning and group work. Taught modules include:

• Fundamentals of cyber security 
• Cyber threats and risks 
• Human and Organisational Factors
• Security of Industrial Control Systems
• Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT)
• Secure Software Engineering
• Futures Thinking and Responsible Innovation
• Research Methodologies
• Sandpit, masterclasses and placements

In Years 2 to 4 , you will conduct world leading research under the guidance a supervisor from our college of supervisors based either at the University of Bristol or at the University of Bath. You will continue to attend enhanced training opportunities and therefore further develop a wider learning base on a full-time or part-time basis, as best suits your commitments. 

Our annual Responsible Innovation Challenges will give you the opportunity to take your learning from the taught first year and put it into practice in a real-world scenario.

We run a 3-day annual RI Challenge in which you will work in teams with mentors and an external partner to address a data-related challenge in an area of innovation for their external partner. You are required to participate in a minimum of two Challenges during your time on the CDT programme.

From the second year onwards you will carry out in-depth and innovative research on your choice of topic with the support of one or more academic supervisors.

During this time you will continue to attend masterclasses, placements, RI challenges and summer schools to enhance your academic learning and to ground it in real world situations. Finally you will deliver your thesis, present it in a viva voce examination and graduate with a PhD.

You will have the opportunity to attend international conferences with the benefit of meeting and listening to information security researchers, practitioners, developers, and users from all over the world. As CDT funded student, your travel and accommodation will paid by the CDT programme.

You will be allocated a member of the Leadership Team as a mentor, who will meet you at least once every 2 months throughout your CDT programme to discuss training opportunities and to evaluate progress.