Project Title: Secure Machine to Machine Wireless Communication Between Mobile Platforms

Eligibility: Non-EU international students

Funding: Both overseas fees and maintenance (2014/15 maintenance rate £13,863 per annum).

Closing date for application is: Friday, 27th March 2015

Entry Requirements: Candidates should have or expect to obtain (within 6 months) a first class Honours degree or equivalent in Electronic Engineering, Physics or Applied Mathematics.

English Language: Candidates applying from countries where the first language is not English should produce evidence of their competence through a qualification such as IELTS or TOEFL score. For a list of English Language qualifications also accepted by the School and University please see the following link:

http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/StudyatQueens/InternationalStudents/EnglishLanguageRequirements/

Apply online via the Queen's on-line application portal. Guidance is available on the University’s Prospective Student pages.

When applying for a project, please choose ‘EEECS’ as your subject area/School.

If you have any further queries please contact: pgoffice.smdb<στο>qub.ac.uk or +44 (0) 28 9097 2619/2042.

Project Description : Massive amounts of data of various types and from various sources, like GPS, mobile phones and social networking sites need to be transported using Wireless. Paramount is securing such data from eavesdropping, or its malicious modification. Modern encryption techniques are currently perceived as ultimately becoming not fit for purpose due to the rapid evolution of quantum computing which has the power to crack mathematical encryption. Therefore the focus is now on physical layer wireless security.

Directional modulation (DM) technology, is a keyless physical layer security means, for protecting data transported using wireless between mobile to mobile and mobile to fixed platforms. Over the past three years researchers in QUBs High Frequency Research Cluster have lead the world effort and are amongst the first to lay down a rigorous theoretical and practical basis for this technology. DM enabled wireless has the capability of transmitting artificially distorted signals along all spatial directions other than along a specified communication direction, in this way the possibility of unwanted interception by eavesdroppers is significantly reduced, even when the eavesdropper is equipped with equipment identical to that of bona-fide recipients.

This project will address major extensions to DM technology such that it can been seamlessly integrated with next generation 5G wireless systems. These extensions will include millimetre wave operation at Gigabit/sec data rates and operation in propagation challenging scenarios such multipath rich environments. These are known to be the critical path for microcell base station quality of service impairment and showstopper for fully integrated always connected future machine to machine communications systems.

Start Date: Second/Third Quarter 2015
Duration: 36 Months

Supervisor:

Professor Vincent Fusco
School: EEECS
Research Cluster: High Frequency Electronics