Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a rapidly developing area that addresses the proliferation of highly interconnected and ubiquitous embedded devices in environments such as manufacturing. Large numbers of IIoT devices, connected in a dynamic and sometimes mobile networking environment creates a significant challenge for security of communications. This PhD project will aim to investigate the use of Named Data Networking (NDN) communications in an Industry 4.0 context. NDN is a novel emerging approach that shifts networking infrastructure away from a host-centric paradigm, based on connecting hosts end-to-end, to an approach in which the focal point is the data. NDN has security features ‘baked in’ at the network layer, offering enormous potential advantages for IIoT.
This project will explore experiments in the practical design and implementation of NDN technology for application to Industry 4.0 environments, focusing on researching the efficiency, latency and resilience characteristics achieved when NDN is applied to IIoT devices.
The NDN architecture (https://named-data.net/) intends to nullify several inherent TCP/IP security vulnerabilities such as IP spoofing, man-in-the-middle, DOS attacks, port scans, network enumeration, etc., that take advantage of the addressability of hosts. With NDN, this is not an issue, as data is accessed by its ‘name’ rather than by a host address. Nevertheless, NDN raises new potential security questions regarding Interest Flooding and Cache Poisoning which target routing nodes rather than end hosts. The effects are predominantly to cause network performance issues. While compromising availability would be a significant concern, mitigations are proposed by emerging NDN research, and evaluating these are key to understanding how suitable NDN is in IIoT.
Objectives:
• Study research literature on emerging NDN software and platforms, as well as industry information and technical roadmaps regarding Industry 4.0 networking requirements and novel IoT-based architectures.
• Develop use-cases for experimentation to investigate the functionality of NDN technologies in potential future-oriented Industry 4.0 scenarios.
• Explore solutions that allow NDN to be adaptable for Industry 4.0 scenarios where reconfigurable and dynamic manufacturing scenarios are enabled, while assuring resilient and secure networking functionality.
• Develop and execute experiments that demonstrate functionality and security with a focus on IoT-based architectures in an Industry 4.0 context.
ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING OVERVIEW
The School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EEECS) aims to enhance the way we use technology in communication, data science, computing systems, cyber security, power electronics, intelligent control, and many related areas.
You’ll be part of a dynamic doctoral research environment and will study alongside students from over 40 countries worldwide; we supervise students undertaking research in key areas of electronics and electrical engineering, including: power electronics,robotics, wireless communications, cybersecurity and sensor-based systems. As part of a lively community of over 100 full-time and part-time research students you’ll have the opportunity to develop your research potential in a vibrant research community that prioritises the cross-fertilisation of ideas and innovation in the advancement of knowledge.
Within the School we have a number of specialist research centres including a Global Research Institute, the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) specialising in Cyber Security, Wireless Innovation and Data Science and scalable computing.
Many PhD studentships attract scholarships and top-up supplements. PhD programmes provide our students with the opportunity to acquire an extensive training in research techniques.
Electrical & Electronic Engineering Highlights
Professional Accreditations
- ECIT brings together, in one building, internationally recognised research groups specialising in key areas of advanced digital and communications technology.
Industry Links
- CSIT brings together research specialists in complementary fields such as data security, network security systems, wireless-enabled security systems, intelligent surveillance systems; and serves as the national point of reference for knowledge transfer in these areas.
- Electric Power and Energy Systems research is focused on problems related to distributed sources of energy and their integration into power networks. The cluster is a member of the IET Power Academy and is a major collaborator on all-island energy research.
- SoCaM is dedicated to the design of advanced, integrated, high-speed wireless and couples activities in High Frequency Electronics, System-on-Chip, Signals and Systems and Digital Signal Processing, and for Gigabit/sec wireless.
World Class Facilities
- The Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology, with state-of-the-art technology, offers a bespoke research environment.
Internationally Renowned Experts
- You will be working under the supervision of leading international academic experts.
Key Facts
Research students are encouraged to play a full and active role in relation to the wide range of research activities undertaken within the School and there are many resources available including:
- Access to the Queen's University Postgraduate Researcher Development Programme
- A wide range of personal development and specialist training courses offered through the Personal Development programme
- Office accommodation with access to computing facilities and support to attend conferences for full-time PhD students
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