In our digitalised world, cyber security is of paramount importance. As cyber attacks become increasingly complex and unpredictable, threatening the devices and services we all use, talent is the industry’s main defence, but currently there is a worldwide shortage of qualified professionals.

Associate Professor Rich Macfarlane has played a significant role in the development of the University’s cyber security offer over the past 15 years: “Attracting, training and retraining cyber security professionals is key to helping organisations and society stay safe online and essential to plugging the huge global skills gap. Here at Edinburgh Napier, we have been developing an impactful infrastructure to help develop the talent needed to tackle the growing threat environment.”

A recognised Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE), Edinburgh Napier was the first university in the UK to have full National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) certification for its undergraduate and postgraduate courses. “Our graduates are some of the best around and make a major contribution to the cyber security workforce,” explains Rich, who is co-director of the ACE-CSE. “In addition, spin-outs from our world-leading research make a significant contribution to real world challenges.

 

Pioneering industry-relevant cyber education

Students join Edinburgh Napier’s cyber security courses from diverse backgrounds; some come straight from school or college onto the undergraduate degree, while those in industry use the Masters programme to upskill and cross train. “Our education offer is completely relevant to the evolving environment,” Rich explains. “Since establishing our pioneering cyber security master’s in 2010, we’ve continually developed it through input from government, industry and research.”

For example, alumnus Rafe Pilling, who graduated from the masters programme in 2006, has fed real-world experience into the creation of the cyber modules for both the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes via his roles as an analyst and researcher – firstly at dns Ltd, a security services and consulting business serving clients across the UK, and then at Secureworks, a leading global information security company, which acquired dns. Currently, Rafe is Director of Threat Intelligence within the Counter Threat Unit at SecureWorks.

“Studying the masters was a really important foundation for my career in threat intelligence and instrumental to my first role in cybersecurity,” Rafe comments. “My work has encompassed a range of roles from security operations to securing financial services, to cyber threat group modelling. Now I manage a specialised global team producing intelligence on cybercrime and state-sponsored hackers.” As an industry expert and specialist in offensive cyber operations, Rafe is regularly asked to advise businesses and provide insights for news stories, as well as speak at industry and academic events.

“Rafe continues to input into course content, as well as mentoring and giving talks to our students,” comments Rich. “Secureworks also sponsored and contributed to many events, including our student security society (ENUSEC) Le Tour de Hack annual conference. It’s so important to have this kind of engagement from alumni who are working at the highest levels. It is super inspiring for our students to learn from people like Rafe, whose work is sometimes so confidential and top secret he can’t tell us the details!”

 

Supporting law enforcement

As Head of Cybercrime and Investigations, former Police Scotland DI, alumnus Eamonn Keane, served on the frontline of forensic investigation into many national and international digital crimes. He graduated from the Masters programme in 2021. “Police Scotland supported staff to study the programme through places funded by the government and NCSC,” Eamonn explains. “Focused on key skills and real-world tools and techniques, this was exactly what we needed. I was delighted that the cohort from Police Scotland I was part of all went on to important roles in cyber security using their skills in the fight against child sexual abuse, human trafficking, organised cybercrime and so much more. And Police Scotland continues to recruit graduates from the programme.”

Eamonn left the police force to join the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, leading its cyber security workstream. Now at Systal Technology Solutions, he is currently VP of Security Services. A tireless champion of the Scottish cyber community, acknowledged through a lifetime achievement award at the 2022 Scottish Cyber Awards, he continues to inspire the next generation of talent at Edinburgh Napier through his guest lectures, schools outreach support, and other engagement activities.

“Work with Police Scotland, and industry partners, led to the development of pioneering virtual teaching and training environments, which provide practical activities for students using real-world devices, tools and techniques,” adds Rich. “And collaboration with Police Scotland on forensic triage led to several applied research projects and PhD’s, including our Cyacomb spin-out.”

Developing top talent

Alumnus Charley Célice, a double degree holder from Edinburgh Napier, is currently a Senior Solutions Architect for Pentera, a company pioneering automated security validation. Charley won Edinburgh Napier’s Student of the Year in 2015 and was a Silver Medalist in the Best New Cyber Talent at the 2016 Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Business Resilience Centre awards. Most recently, he’s received the XL Excellence Award at Pentera.

“During my Honours studies I had the opportunity to collaborate with Police Scotland around digital forensics triage methods, which was so interesting. Then through my Masters I was inspired by penetration testing (simulating a real cyberattack to exploit a system’s undetected vulnerabilities). I went on to roles in industry focused on pentesting and red teaming, and now work for a leading company sharing an attacker mindset and knowledge, and advising customers,” Charley explains.

Charley was instrumental in setting up ENUSEC, the University’s student security society: “The aim was to build a vibrant internal society genuinely connected to the real-world cyber community. I’m delighted that it continues to foster project collaborations that really enhance the student learning experience.” Charley has continued to support the degree programmes, inputting ideas for the curriculum aligned to real-world methods, and by delivering industry-informed workshops and sessions for students. “Charley is a great example of how we develop top talent and how maintaining relationships with our alumni informs what we do,” comments Rich

Transformative student experiences

Alumnus Shalu Madan is a Cybersecurity Engineer at banking giant Lloyds. “Studying the undergraduate programme was transformative. It’s one of Scotland’s best and has well prepared me for a thriving career in cyber security,” she comments. “It’s so good to put all the knowledge I gained to use in my current role. I contribute to the bank’s security strategy and work to improve controls to address emerging threats as we embed security into digital transformation.”

While studying at Edinburgh Napier, Shalu also took on roles as a student ambassador and lab demonstrator to broaden her learning experience: “I felt the supportive faculty was integral to my growth and I enjoyed helping other students to succeed,” she comments. Shalu won ‘Outstanding Contribution from a University Student’ at the 2024 Herald Higher Education Awards and ‘Career Changer of the Year’ at the Scottish Women in Technology awards, in recognition of her transformative journey

Building global careers

“Our world-class cyber security courses cover a wide range of industry-informed security and forensic topics, alongside the latest research work, which equips our graduates with the skills to enter a diversity of cyber roles and to seek global positions,” explains Rich.

Alumnus, Aisling Freeman is a Manager at S-RM, a global intelligence and cyber security consultancy, and is based in their New York office. “Without doubt this programme opened doors to opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” she comments. “It shaped my understanding, particularly from a technical perspective, and gave me the knowledge to navigate complex technical challenges. Now, I apply that understanding to help my clients and really enjoy the problem-solving aspect of cyber security – every challenge is unique and finding solutions that help organisations is incredibly rewarding.”

Innovating solutions through world-leading applied research

Edinburgh Napier has been a leading hub for applied research in cyber security for well over a decade. “We’ve spun out a number of high-profile companies from our research, including ZoneFox, Cyacomb, and TrueDeploy, with several being led by alumni,” explains Rich.

Cyacomb was spun out from a PhD research project led by alumnus Phil Penrose, who was in the first cohort of the Masters programme. Alumnus Bruce Ramsay, a former police forensic analyst and key contributor to the research project, along with Ian Stevenson, spearheaded the company. “Underpinning Cyacomb is our cutting-edge block level hashing technology which quickly finds, blocks and removes illegal images and video. It can scan devices up to 100 times faster than traditional methods and is used across the world to find evidence of child abuse or terrorist activity on suspect’s devices,” Bruce explains.

“In the UK, it has made considerable impact in law enforcement by supporting officers to identify material efficiently and rapidly progress investigations,” Bruce adds. The Government’s Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) was upgraded with Cyacomb’s fast forensic triage technology in 2019. “We’ve recently received a further contract to continue our support of CAID,” Bruce explains, “which will ensure that UK policing remains at the forefront of the fight against child sexual abuse material and sees Cyacomb playing a major role in online safety.

ALUMNI MAKING A DIFFERENCE

“It’s fantastic receiving positive comments on how studying with us helped our alumni to progress in the cyber security field,” comments Rich. “It’s also brilliant how many keep in touch via our diverse and dynamic cyber security community and actively feedback to help us develop our teaching, research and outreach. I believe this is a critical aspect of the success of cyber security education and research at the University.”

This article is part of the Red Triangle 2025 - Edinburgh Napier magazine for alumni, friends and supporters. Click here to explore this year's edition.