Contact Huw Whitworth
Areas of expertise
- Autonomous Systems
- Communications Systems
Background
Huw completed his degree in Electronic and Communications Engineering from the University of Kent graduating in summer 2019 with a focus on Embedded Systems Engineering and Antenna Design. He began his masters degree in Applied Artificial Intelligence in Sept 2019 where he wrote his masters thesis on synthetic data generation for augmenting datasets. As of 2024 he completed his PhD under Professor Saba Al-Rubaye researching future communication methods and security. Funded by the Department for Transport and Home Office as part of the Future Aviation Security Solutions programme supported by Thales, UK. Currently a Research Fellow in securing NTN vertical integration and multi-functional network services. This involves investigating how to securely integrate currnet and emerging multi-functional network services such as ISAC or PNT. We aim to build AI augmented architecture and interfaces on current NTN RIC to ensure NTN data and ORAN interfaces can security incoprate multi-functional service extentions and will evalute potential mitigation techniques to enhance cyber resiliance.
Research opportunities
My research interests sit at the intersection of AI-driven cyber security, critical infrastructure protection, and intelligent systems engineering. I focus on developing autonomous red teaming frameworks and simulation environments that model complex hybrid systems such as Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), applying approaches like Curiosity-Driven Reinforcement Learning, POMDPs, and generative adversarial AI.
I am particularly interested in the integration of behavioural modelling to assess human operator vulnerabilities within cyber-physical ecosystems. My work spans secure architecture design for 6G Open RAN and NTN systems, intelligent network optimisation, and the secure deployment of multi-functional network services including ISAC and PNT.
I am also committed to applied research in sustainable digital infrastructure, and have delved in to projects combining environmental modelling, AI, and user-centric design to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Current activities
Huw is currently based in DARTeC where his research area is Future Communications Networks. Currently reviewing data exchanges between actors, analysing security and vulnerabilities in these networks and producing countermeasures and security methodologies.
Methods of focus include Deep Learning, Graph Neural Networks and Statistics.
Clients
- Thales SA
- Department for Transport