Professor Bill Buchanan joins 71 leading specialists chosen to give the department rapid, independent access to UK science and technology expertise
Bill Buchanan, Professor of Applied Cryptography at Edinburgh Napier University, has been appointed to the new DSIT College of Experts, a network of independent specialists who will give the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) fast, flexible access to leading scientific and technical expertise.
The College was formally launched on 18 June 2026 at the Royal Society in London, bringing together members from universities, industry and research institutes across the UK.
Professor Buchanan is one of 71 members selected through a competitive process that attracted nearly 1,200 applications.
Members volunteer up to five days a year to support government work, from short advisory conversations to workshops and peer review.
The appointment adds to Bill Buchanan’s outstanding track record of research and teaching with ENU’s School of Computing & the Built Environment.
He was made an OBE in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to cybersecurity, and won Most Innovative Teacher of the Year at the 2023 Times Higher Education (THE) Awards.
He has also been behind several successful ENU spin-out companies, such as Zonefox, Cyacomb, Symphonic and Memcrypt.
Professor Bill Buchanan said: “Overall, there are many opportunities within AI, Cybersecurity, and Quantum, but also many risks.
“I feel my role on the DSIT College of Experts will be to represent the general sentiment of key academic and industry communities on how best to advance innovation in these areas.
“A core part of this is providing scientific and technological evidence, and not just hearsay. With this, we need to break down the barriers that can stall our advancements as a country, and make sure that innovation thrives at every level.
“This typically involves making sure we have governmental buy-in at key stages of these advancements.”
Professor Chris Johnson, DSIT Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the College of Experts, said: “The launch of the College of Experts at the Royal Society brought together an extraordinary group of independent specialists from across the UK, spanning AI, quantum, life sciences, cyber security, and far beyond.
“The experts volunteer their time to support us, reflecting a real commitment from the UK’s research and innovation community to contribute to government policymaking.
“Seeing DSIT colleagues and world-leading academics and practitioners in the same room was a powerful reminder of what this department can achieve when it draws on the best available expertise.”