I did my PhD in Computer Science in Missouri, US, focusing on security in sensor networks, then worked at the University of West Florida before joining the University of Waikato in 2015.
As an academic researching and teaching cybersecurity, one of the biggest challenges I face is keeping our program up-to-date with the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. The holy grail is to achieve the balance between new tools and technologies and transferable knowledge that is future proof. We try to engage with the industry to understand current trends and requirements and continuously review our curriculum.
I can't give you an example but we have seen a shift towards a better understanding of cyber threats and risks in the last two years. The recent events of this year, however unfortunate for the organisations involved have also served to bring attention to these threats.
As researchers, we work at the cutting edge of technology. At the University of Waikato, I am fortunate to be working with people who are experts in a wide range of areas in computing as well as non-computing disciplines. Working collaboratively in such an environment means that when it comes to problem-solving, we are able to use a wide variety of ideas. Staying current is then a function of understanding deeply the future implications of such ideas so that you are on top of the change.
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