FY2024 Cybersecurity Research Lab Annual Report
The Cybersecurity Research Lab (CRL) and team members are delighted to announce another successful academic year for 2023-2024! The lab has experienced significant growth and now houses a team of 22 staff, researchers, and students. Under the leadership of Dr. Atefeh Mashatan, the CRL received continued recognition for its training of the next generation of cybersecurity experts, its strong relationship with the industry, and its mission to find innovative and cost-effective cyber risk mitigation strategies and solutions. The CRL’s research focuses on developing novel cybersecurity designs based on emerging technologies such as IoT, Blockchain, and Quantum Computing.
This reporting period has been remarkable with numerous awards that the lab is extremely proud to share. Dr. Mashatan continues her Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in the Quality of Security Framework for the Internet of Things (IoT) (external link) program that started in September 2021. Earlier this academic year, she received the Cyber Security Research Expert of the Year Award, Canada (2023) (external link) , in the category of Cyber Security Awards (2023) from Wealth & Finance International, a UK-based finance research firm. She was also recognized as Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award 2023 under the Executive Leader category awarded by Women’s Executive Network (WXN). Additionally, she has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Women of Influence (2024) (external link) , awarded by Women of Influence +, an organization that has cultivated a community of members and partners across Canada, and beyond, centered around one important goal: driving equity and equality in the workplace. Last but not least, Dr. Mashatan was awarded the TRSM Research Ambassador Medal (2024).
Dr. Mashatan’s PhD in Management students have also made extraordinary achievements within this reporting period. Dane Vanderkooi, received the Ontario Graduate Scholarship in 2023 and Victoria Granova, was recognized as one of Canada's Most Powerful Women in the BMO STEM Category at the Women's Executive Network Top 100 Awards (2023).
Since 2023, the CRL has published 5 journal papers, with 3 journals in very high-ranking outlets. The CRL has also published 7 conference proceedings, with many more papers in the works! During this reporting period, Dr. Mashatan was invited to speak at events on topics related to the research done at the CRL. She was invited to the Bank of Canada's first Quantum Conference to speak about quantum threat mitigation and had a great discussion with the financial industry leaders in Canada and other central banks from Italy, Germany, France and Japan.
Over the past decade, Dr. Mashatan has advocated for a crucial dialogue between academia, industry, and regulators to address information security and privacy gaps to alleviate societal concerns more effectively. She serves on the board of directors at Compute Ontario (external link) and on the board of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst (external link) , which is dedicated to solving critical cybersecurity challenges in Canada. Moreover, she is also an Advisory Group member of the Mastercard Emerging Leaders Cyber Initiative (ELCI) (external link) , designed to empower women and non-binary leaders. In addition, Dr. Mashatan continues to be a member of the Program Advisory Committee (PAC) for the Bachelor of Engineering in Information Systems Engineering at Humber College and the Quantum College of Reviewers, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). More recently, she has also joined the Editorial Board for the Computer & Security Journal, a well recognized cybersecurity journal.
The CRL’s research has received support from the Tri-Council Agencies and provincial grants as well as from both domestic and international industry partners. Since 2023, the CRL has successfully secured over $7.8 million dollars of funding (including $6,999,708 of external and competitive funding), which includes significant funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Collaborative Research and Development (NSERC CRD) (external link) and the Canada Research Chair (external link) to improve cybersecurity on advanced IoT technologies. Through strategic collaborations with government and industry, the CRL plays a pivotal role in spearheading solutions to help the Information and Computer Technology (ICT) industry in Canada through innovative research into cyber risk mitigation stratagems.
Another significant update is that the Government of Canada invited Dr. Mashatan to be one of the 10 researchers to form the national Quantum Advisory Council (external link) reporting to the Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). The Quantum Advisory Council represents an important opportunity to help shape the future of quantum science and technologies in Canada and successfully implement the National Quantum Strategy (external link) . Dr. Mashatan looks forward to participating in thoughtful discussions and helping generate the advice needed to amplify Canada’s significant strength in quantum research, grow Canada’s quantum technologies, companies, and talent; and solidify global leadership in this area. This opportunity is of great value to both Dr. Mashtan and the university. It is a testament to her scientific leadership, expertise, and standing in the scientific community in this cutting-edge area of research. Overall, the CRL continues to demonstrate exceptional work over the 2023-2024 academic year and looks forward to the exciting opportunities the upcoming year will bring!
