Blockchain Forensics: Investigating the Dynamics and Evolution of Blockchain Crimes

This PhD project, “Blockchain Forensics: Investigating the Dynamics and Evolution of Blockchain Crimes,” offers a unique opportunity to explore the changing landscape of blockchain crimes, focusing on how technological advancements impact criminal tactics. As the global adoption of blockchain technology continues to rise, so do the challenges associated with tracking and preventing digital crimes such as cryptocurrency theft, fraud, and identity theft. This project seeks to create a real-time, interactive database and analytical dashboard to monitor these crimes, providing insights that benefit researchers, law enforcement, and the industry.

Methodologies include web scraping and text mining to collect relevant data from credible online sources, alongside qualitative interviews with experts in blockchain technology, law enforcement, and cybersecurity. An interactive dashboard will be developed using R Shiny or Power BI, enabling users to visualize and analyze crime patterns in real-time. This research, supervised by leading experts from the University of Manchester and partners, will yield tools and insights valuable for understanding and mitigating blockchain crime. The project will be especially relevant to candidates interested in the intersection of criminology, data science, and blockchain technology, offering practical experience in real-world digital forensics and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Eligibility

Based on the project proposal, the subject experience outside of the standard entry requirements should include:

Undergraduate/master’s degree Areas: Criminology, Data Science, Blockchain Technology, Cybersecurity, Economics or Financial Economics (with exposure to blockchain and cryptocurrency systems)

Professional Experience

• Practical experience in blockchain technology, digital forensics, or crime investigation.
• Familiarity with tools like R, Python, or data visualization and analysis.
• Experience with web scraping, text mining, or handling large unstructured datasets.

Academic Requirements

• Bachelor’s (Honours) degree in a cognate subject at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent); and
• Master’s degree in a relevant subject – with an overall average of 65% or above, a minimum mark of 65% in your dissertation and no mark below 55% (or overseas equivalent)

English Language

All applicants must provide evidence of English language proficiency:

• IELTS test minimum score – 7.0 overall, 7.0 in writing, 6.5 in other sections.
• TOEFL (internet based) test minimum score – 100 overall, 25 all sections.
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) UKVI/SELT or PTE Academic minimum score – 76 overall, 76 in writing, 70 in other sections.
• To demonstrate that you have taken an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a majority English speaking nation within the last 5 years.
• Other tests may be considered.

Application procedure

The application deadline will be Midnight (GMT) on 03/03/2025. Apply online for PhD Criminology at the University of Manchester. 

Under Section 6 Research Details select ‘Yes’ to Are you applying for an advertised project. Insert the project title as stated at the top of the advert. It is recommended when entering the name of the supervisor to enter this and not use the supervisor search function. 

Please indicate in Section 9 Funding Sources your intention to apply for the AI Trust & Security Studentship. 

Please ensure all required supporting documents are included at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered. Your application must include the following: 

• A copy of your Bachelor’s academic transcript and certificate.
• A copy of your Master’s academic transcript and certificate. If your Master’s degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript.
• If you have completed more than one Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, please provide evidence for each.
• An academic CV, summarising your employment history, publications and highlighting experience demonstrating your research potential.
• Supporting statement of a maximum of 700 words indicating why you would like to undertake this studentship and explaining how your focus, experience, and skills link to the research outlined above.
• Example of a piece of academic writing produced by you of up to 5,000 words (you may consider submitting two shorter pieces if these deal separately with conceptual and empirical analyses). This may be an academic essay or chapter(s) from a dissertation, in which case, an abstract or introduction outlining the context/aims/research questions of the study must also be included. In Section 12, upload the Writing Sample under Research Statement/Proposal and label it clearly as “Writing Sample.”
• You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your most recent institution). Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following the submission of your application form. You may wish to contact your referees to request they submit your reference in a reasonable timeframe;
• A PhD Proposal is not required.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please contact Dr Yuanyuan Zhang (yuanyuan.zhang@manchester.ac.uk).

Equality, diversity and inclusion 

Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and are at the heart of all of our activities. We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact. 

We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status.