Revealing Hidden Structures of Trust via Information Exchange [Self-Funded Students Only]

When seeking out information, a rational human agent will call upon an information source that it *trusts*, or the source that it perceives to have *expertise* on the topic at hand. But how does an agent know which sources are experts on which topics? In this project we will assume that an agent bases its beliefs about the various sources' expertise on the statements that the source has made previously in similar instances of the problem at hand. To give a simple example, a source that has consistently made statements that are known with certainty to be false would seem not to be an expert on that topic. Of course, things get more complicated if, in addition to the uncertainty about the sources' expertise, we also have some uncertainty on which statements are true or false. This project will develop a logic-based framework to formalise and investigate the interaction between trust and belief and will use ideas and techniques from the area of Artificial Intelligence known as *belief revision* to examine how trust in information sources changes over time.

Academic Criteria

A 2:1 Honours undergraduate degree or a master's degree, in computing or a related subject. Applicants with appropriate professional experience are also considered. Degree-level mathematics (or equivalent) is required for research in some project areas. 

Applicants for whom English is not their first language must demonstrate proficiency by obtaining an IELTS score of at least 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in each skills component. 

Keywords

trust, expertise, symbolic logic, belief revision, knowledge representation

Contact for information on the project

Dr Richard Booth: [Email Address Removed]

How to apply

Please contact the supervisors of the project prior to submitting your application to discuss and develop an individual research proposal that builds on the information provided in this advert. Once you have developed the proposal with support from the supervisors, please submit your application following the instructions provided below

This project is accepting applications all year round, for self-funded candidates via https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research/programmes/programme/computer-science-and-informatics 

In order to be considered candidates must submit the following information: 

• Supporting statement 
• CV 
• In the ‘Research Proposal’ section of the application enter the name of the project you are applying to and upload your Individual research proposal, as mentioned above in BOLD
• Qualification certificates and Transcripts
• Proof of Funding. For example, a letter of intent from your sponsor or confirmation of self-funded status (In the funding field of your application, insert Self-Funded)
• References x 2 
• Proof of English language (if applicable)

Interview - If the application meets the entrance requirements, you will be invited to an interview.  

If you have any additional questions or need more information, please contact: [Email Address Removed]