The Centre for National Training and Research Excellence in Understanding Behaviour (Centre-UB) at the University of Birmingham, in collaboration with The Home Office, is offering a fully funded PhD studentship focused on the intersection of emerging technologies, digital surveillance, and stalking. This research opportunity addresses urgent national concerns, as technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) and stalking affect a significant proportion of the UK population, with one in seven adults and one in five women reporting lifetime experiences. The project will investigate how consumer technologies—including IoT devices, wearables, GPS trackers, and AI-based tools such as deepfake generators—are weaponised for coercive control, impersonation, harassment, and surveillance. Despite increasing awareness, there remain substantial evidence gaps: there is no UK-wide taxonomy of emerging-tech stalking, no reliable population-level measurement of prevalence, and no empirical models identifying which technologies or behaviours are associated with serious harm or escalation. Current practice responses, such as police cyberstalking guidance, Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs), platform safety measures, and specialist tech-abuse services, are fragmented and rarely evaluated. This PhD aims to map technological harms and the behaviours that sustain them, estimate prevalence, model risk trajectories, and identify system-level interventions relevant to the Online Safety Act, the VAWG Strategy, and the Domestic Abuse Plan. Key research questions include: (1) How are emerging technologies used for digital surveillance, harassment, and coercive control? (2) What patterns and trajectories of tech-enabled stalking behaviour can be identified, and how do practitioners interpret these in operational contexts? (3) What is the prevalence and impact of tech-enabled stalking in the UK? (4) Which technology-enabled behaviours are linked to elevated risk of escalation or harm? (5) What system-level responses offer the greatest potential for harm reduction? The successful candidate will join a vibrant research community at Centre-UB and the School of Psychology, working under the supervision of Dr Anthony Murphy, Professor H Flowe, and Professor C Baber. Applicants should have a 1st class or 2:1 degree in Forensic Psychology, Criminology, Social Policy, Computer Science, or Mathematics. An MSc in a relevant area is desirable but not essential. Experience with quantitative and qualitative data, especially in a criminal justice context, is advantageous. Due to Home Office security clearance requirements, applicants must have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. Up to 30% of international applicants may be recruited each year, subject to UKRI funding stipulations. Centre-UB studentships provide full tuition coverage, a maintenance stipend, support for research training, and research activity support grants. The application deadline is February 17, 2026, with interviews expected on March 13, 2026. For further details on eligibility and funding, visit the Centre-UB studentships website. Informal enquiries about the project can be directed to Dr Anthony Murphy at [email protected]. To apply, follow the instructions at the Centre-UB application process page and ensure you meet all eligibility criteria. This is an excellent opportunity for candidates passionate about understanding and addressing the societal impacts of technology-facilitated abuse and stalking.

The Centre for National Training and Research Excellence in Understanding Behaviour (Centre-UB) at the University of Birmingham is offering a fully funded PhD studentship in partnership with VisionMetric Ltd, a leading provider of facial identification software for law enforcement. This interdisciplinary project, commencing October 2026, addresses the critical challenge of poor-quality CCTV footage in policing, where over 80% of real-world images are insufficient for reliable person identification. Generative AI-based super-resolution (SR) technologies, such as VisionMetric’s iREVEAL, have the potential to revolutionize facial identification by enhancing low-quality images, but their real-world impact on human and machine accuracy, as well as demographic bias, remains underexplored. The PhD will investigate how SR technologies affect both human and machine-based facial identification, combining behavioural experiments, machine learning, and explainable AI methods. Key research questions include: whether SR techniques improve human face identification accuracy, how SR-enhanced images influence machine recognition and the divergence between human and machine decisions, the equity of SR methods across demographic groups, and the potential for improving SR models using human perceptual insights. Students will receive comprehensive interdisciplinary training in behavioural experimental design, statistical modelling, computer vision, AI techniques, explainable AI, and responsible innovation. The project includes two placements at VisionMetric, providing hands-on experience with AI development pipelines and product development. This opportunity is ideal for candidates seeking to develop expertise at the intersection of psychology, AI, fairness, and forensic technology, preparing them for careers in academia, applied behavioural science, AI research, technology, or policy. The research addresses both societal risks and benefits of AI in high-stakes environments. Applicants should hold a 1st class or 2:1 undergraduate degree in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Data Science, or a related field. An MSc in a relevant area is desirable but not essential. Experience in coding (Python, R, Matlab), behavioural experimentation, statistics, or machine learning is advantageous, with full training provided. Interest in human perception, AI ethics, or forensic science is especially encouraged. Centre-UB studentships cover tuition fees, a maintenance stipend, support for research training, and research activity support grants. Up to 30% of international applicants can be recruited each year due to UKRI funding stipulations. For further details and application instructions, visit Centre-UB Application Process and Call for Applicants . The application deadline is February 17, 2026, with interviews expected on March 16, 2026. Informal enquiries can be directed to Dr Melissa Colloff at [email protected] .