Algorithms and Decision-Making Processes in Distributed Attacker-Defender Games (CDT in Distributed Algorithms)

Description

This PhD project is part of the CDT in Distributed Algorithms: The What, How and where of Next-Generation Data Science.

The University of Liverpool’s Centre for Doctoral Training in Distributed Algorithms (CDT) is working in partnership with the STFC Hartree Centre and 20+ external partners from the manufacturing, defence and security sectors to provide a 4-year innovative PhD training course that will equip over 60 students with: the essential skills needed to become future leaders in distributed algorithms; the technical and professional networks needed to launch a career in next generation data science and future computing; and the confidence to make a positive difference in society, the economy and beyond.

The studentship is open to: UK Home and International students (specifically, UK nationals and candidates from Italy, France, Germany Spain and Ukraine) and already have or be able and willing to obtain UK Government security clearance.

The successful PhD student will be co-supervised and work alongside our external partner MBDA.

The project will consider a few missions from the air combat domain and map these to simpler/abstracted ‘canonical’ problems; these will form the focus for the early research.  Ideally, the research will yield methods/algorithms that can be usefully mapped across to illustratively complex air-combat situations; later research will then focus on investigating these within a suitable configured game-derived simulation.

Further, the solution of these problems in a complex, uncertain and dynamic situation in real-time is a challenging computational task. For problems of representative complexity, this will therefore likely require an application of distributed/decentralised high-performance computing methods.

Computational games provide a powerful abstract framework to model and analyse interactive processes with uncontrollable adversaries or a nature. Abstract representation can reveal the weaknesses in existing strategies and allow to develop new strategies with a mathematical guarantee. For many Attacker-Defender games it can be computationally hard or even undecidable to check the existence of a winning strategy. Various restrictions on the objectives and player’s moves/actions can significantly change the computational complexity of the problems. It creates the scope for research on the design of algorithms to verify the existence of the winning strategies or to design new strategies.

The project will focus on developing Theoretical Computer Science techniques to overcome computational constraints by developing approximation algorithms, applying machine learning techniques and solving strategic optimisation and combinatorial problems on different discrete arenas and geometric environments.

We are looking for enthusiastic candidate with background in Computer Science, Mathematics or other relative subjects.

Students are based at the University of Liverpool and part of the CDT and Signal Processing  research community. Every PhD is part of a larger research group which is an incredibly social and creative group working together solving tough research problems. Students have 2 academic supervisors and an industrial partner who provides co-supervision, placements and the opportunity to work on real world challenges. In addition, students attend technical and professional training to gain unparalleled expertise to make a difference now and in the future. 

This studentship is due to commence 1 October 2022.

Visit the CDT website for funding and eligibility information.

Visit the CDT website for application instructions, FAQs, interview timelines and tips.

For any enquiries please contact: Prof Igor Potapov:  and Prof Jason Ralph: