PhD Studentship in Computer Science in AI and Machine Learning Explainability for Different Audiences

Award Summary

100% home fees covered, and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £21,805 (2026-27 UKRI rates)

Overview

One of the main issues with machine learning algorithms is that they are black boxes to human users. It is difficult to make sense of why a machine learning approach has provided a particular result as output. In this project, students will create explainable systems for machine learning systems. Through visualisation techniques, we will help open the black box of the model to understand training and/or predictions. This area, broadly speaking, is the target and applicants could help shape the project in this domain.

In this topic we are particularly interested in explaining machine learning methods to audiences to support explainability in these tasks where the user community is undertaking tasks outside of computer science and machine learning (for example, medicine). The focus will be on visualisation systems to support the understanding of the machine learning decisions.

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

September 2026

Award Duration

3.5 years

Application Closing Date

26 June 2026

Sponsor

School of Computing, Newcastle University

Supervisors

Professor Daniel Archambault

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant subject or subject relevant to the proposed PhD project. Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.

Experience in machine learning and visualisation is desired.

The studentship covers fees at theHome rate (UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status and meet the residency criteria). International applicants are welcome but must cover the difference between Home and International fees.

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.

International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme.

How To Apply

You must apply by clicking the 'Apply' button

Once registered select‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:

• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code:8050F
• Research Area:Computing Science
• Select‘PhD Computer Science (Full time) – Computing Science’ as the programme of study

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form
• The studentship code COMP2179in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert – and provide your own statement.

Contact Details

Professor Daniel Archambault