Centre overview
| Research Approach | Our Impact | Teaching Methods | Networks, Projects & People | Research Groups |
The Centre for Cybersecurity, IoT and Cyber-physical systems (CIC) is the main research group associated with the Cybersecurity and Systems Engineering (CSE) subject group in the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment (SCEBE) at Edinburgh Napier University. It has a sustained track record in creating impact from its research, including with three highly successful spin-out companies.The research, knowledge exchange, and innovation work cover a wide spectrum of areas including cybersecurity, networking, energy engineering, applied cryptography and blockchain, data science and cybersecurity, digital twins, intelligent control, robotics, wireless communications, sensors, RF system, digital forensics, electronics and IoT security. This applies is applied into many application areas, including FinTech, NetZero, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Health Care, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Identity Systems, 5G/6G wireless networks and Law Enforcement. The Centre also integrates the Blockpass ID Lab, and which focuses on advanced areas of digital identity, cryptography and blockchain, and The Cyber Academy.
Research approach
The Centre is led by Professor Bill Buchanan and has research leads from six internationally-leading professors (Hongnian Yu, Amir Hussain, Ahmed Al-Dubai, Leandros Maglaras, Berk Canberk and Xiadong Liu), along with 10 Associate Professors and 26 Academics. It has received a wide range of funding including from EPSRC, Horizon Europe, Innovate UK and industry.
Our impact
A key focus of the Centre is on research excellence and industry engagement. It has 20 leading academics who are rated in the Top 2% of scientific authors within 2022. A core strength of the Centre is the translation of research into high impact outputs and impacts into industry. This includes three highly successful spin-out companies (Zonefox, Symphonic and Cyacomb), along with two forthcoming spin-outs (True Deploy and LastingAsset). For its submission to REF 2021, 38% of its research outputs were rated as world-class (4*), and all of its impact case studies were all rated as world leading.
Teaching methods
The Centre hosts a range of courses related to cybersecurity and digital forensics, electronic and electrical engineering, and computer systems and networks. This includes NCSC-accredited MSc in Advanced Security and Digital Forensics and BEng (Hons) in Security and Digital Forensics. It was recently awarded an NCSC Centre of Excellence in Cybersecurity Education.
For engineering, the subject group is rated in the Top 250 in the world in the recent Times Higher World University rankings, and within the Top 300 for Computer Science. Along with this, the academics in the Centre have developed a range of innovative teaching environment for students, including with:
• vSoC (a Cloud-based environment that supports students in the teaching of cybersecurity).
• SOCLAB (a training space for the integration of data and cybersecurity).
• LinuxZoo (an innovative learning environment for guided approaches to teaching in cybersecurity and digital forensics).
The Centre supports a range of CPD activities and strategic partnerships around skills development, including within The Cyber Academy and the AWS Academy. Key areas of CPD have been built around Cybersecurity skills developments and in Cloud-based training.
Networks, Projects & People