thesis

How to Find a Good Research Topic?

/ bugejajoseph / Leave a comment

Finding a good research topic is not an easy task. Rookies and even seasoned professionals struggle with brainstorming about topics in academic or workplace settings. If you have not already been through the process of selecting a dissertation topic and writing your Ph.D., then it is best to think about suitable research topics before starting work on your dissertation.

There are numerous research topics that you can investigate and write about. Whether you choose to specialize or explore different areas at the same time, you need to ensure that your research topic will help establish your reputation as a professional in the field. The most important thing to remember when choosing a study topic to write about is to choose one that has a lot of promise.

There are various ways to find a good topic. You could find a gap in the scientific literature, you could look into emerging technologies, or you could focus on an issue that has personal meaning for you. No matter how you go about it, it is important to familiarize yourself with a topic before diving right in.

A good research topic is likely to carry you through your entire thesis and/or dissertation process. While the process of finding a topic may be difficult and time-consuming, the rewards are great. When done correctly and with effort, this will be a good exercise for you and will help you in the future. Once you have the right topic, your thesis will come to you naturally.

If you need help deciding on a topic for your thesis or your next paper, please do not hesitate to contact me.

My FOSAD experience and Ph.D. security courses

/ bugejajoseph / Leave a comment

Going back to the summer of 2016, I had the opportunity to attend a summer school on information security. It was the International School on Foundations of Security Analysis and Design (FOSAD) held in the University Residential Center of Bertinoro, Italy. FOSAD is one of the best Ph.D. summer schools I have ever attended.

There were various outstanding and demanding presentations on a wide range of topics, including mathematical models, analysis tools, and Internet security, as well as formal verification of security protocol implementations, practical system security, and others. We also covered information security from a practical perspective as well.

Aside from education, we also enjoyed the Italian countryside, breathtaking views, exquisite food, and some local wine. I had the opportunity to meet and mingle with exceptional students from all around the world, as well as professors from renowned universities. This also helped me in the expansion of my academic network.

If you are a Ph.D. student or simply you want to delve deeper into the intricate world of information security, I recommend attending FOSAD, preferably in person. It is a challenging summer school, but it is one of the best schools I have ever attended.

Here is a group photo from that event.

FOSAD 2016 group photo (adapted from http://www.sti.uniurb.it)

More details about FOSAD can be found on their website: https://sites.google.com/uniurb.it/fosad

Finally, if you want to learn more about security-related Ph.D. courses organized in Sweden, I highly recommend that you visit the website: https://swits.hotell.kau.se/Courses/SWITS-PhD-courses-in-IT-security.htm

Also, please feel free to drop me an email or a tweet in case you want to know more about Ph.D. courses in general.

Successfully Defended my PhD Dissertation

/ bugejajoseph / Leave a comment

I am pleased to announce, that on Thursday, 11th February, I successfully defended my PhD dissertation in Computer Science, titled On Privacy and Security in Smart Connected Homes.  This was a journey that has been incredible and exciting, to say the least. It took close to 6 years, including taking 12 PhD courses, writing 10 main publications,  authoring and co-authoring 6 other supplementary publications, traveling to 8 different countries, and hundreds of hours of writing.  A heartfelt thanks to all the people who have been part of my journey, especially to my academic advisors – Dr. Andreas Jacobsson and Prof. Paul Davidsson.

Book Cover

Here is a link to access my doctoral defence presentation.

Using Mindmaps to Organize My Writing

/ bugejajoseph / Leave a comment

Especially, when working with a long manuscript but as well when you want to organize concepts and brainstorm ideas, mind maps offer a great visual tool for helping in that.

You can draw mind maps by hand but personally, I prefer to use software tools for this. A tool that I find particularly effective is XMind. I have used the free version of this software to layout the structure of my thesis. Once you know the shortcuts keys you can layout a structure in minutes and then refine it accordingly.

Take a look at the main structure of my licentiate hereunder and an expansion of it in the second diagram.

Screen Shot 2020-04-10 at 16.06.00

Mind map showing the main structure of my licentiate thesis.

Screen Shot 2020-04-10 at 16.08.45

Expanding the nodes of the mind map to show some of the concepts I have used for Part 1 and Part 2 of my thesis.

At the moment, I am also working on an idea for my journal article, and have already created a structure for that as a mind map. After I get the structure ready and approved by my coauthors, I can start working on the actual text. I would already know how the pieces would connect together in a cohesive structure and flow well if I follow the mind map in my writing.

Certainly, if you need help on how to create mind maps for your manuscript, course, talk, or for whatever reason you may have, feel free to get in touch.

My Licentiate Seminar

/ bugejajoseph / Leave a comment

On Monday, 03 September, I have my licentiate seminar at Malmö University.  On that day, I will give a presentation, where I will talk for about 40 minutes about the smart connected home ecosystem.

Here, I will emphasize the security and privacy risks such as an Internet of Things system bring to the smart home residents, threat agents interested in conducting attacks on the home,  challenges in implementing effective mitigations, and more.

This talk is essentially a summary highlighting key parts of my licentiate thesis (see picture of it below):

The full thesis is 192 pages long with a word count of about 48,000 words.

Take a look at my thesis and upcoming seminar by following the link: http://iotap.mah.se/smart-connected-homes-joseph-bugeja/