Design Engineering PhD Scholarship 8

Democratising AI through Decentralization: Governance: P2P Learning and Incentives

Abstract
Decentralised AI is an emerging field that redistributes computation and data across networks of devices rather than relying on a central server or data repository. This paradigm holds the promise of more equitable access to AI and broad societal benefits. This project focuses on peer-to-peer machine learning, investigating how devices and organizations can collaboratively train AI models without any centralized coordinator. Building on concepts like federated learning and swarm intelligence, the research aims to develop new algorithms and protocols that enable distributed nodes to share model updates directly, preserve data privacy, and maintain high model performance.

How to Apply 
Please contact Dr Pietro Ferraro if you are interested in applying for this project. 

For more information on submitting a PhD application, please consult our application pages here. When you submit your application, please cite this project title in the 'how you are planning to fund your PhD' section.   

The deadline for submitting your application is 09 January 2026.