Centre for Cyber Security Research recognised as ‘academic centre of excellence’ for the next five years

Cardiff University is one of 21 universities in the UK recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre

The Centre for Cyber Security Research has been awarded the status of an ‘Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research’ (ACE-CSR) for the next five years by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

This is the second time that the centre has been recognised by the NCSC, having held the status of ACE-CSR since 2018. It is currently the only ACE-CSR in Wales.

The ACE-CSR is an interdisciplinary team comprised of academics, postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate students from the Schools of Computer Science and Informatics, Psychology, Social Sciences and Law and Politics.

Director of the Centre for Cyber Security Research, Dr George Theodorakopoulos, said: “We are proud to have been recognised again as Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research, the only one in Wales. This is validation of our core interdisciplinary focus on Cyber Security Analytics - fusing AI and cyber security.

“Our core philosophy is that cyber security is a global, human-centred issue that cannot be solved by technology alone, and our research endeavours to understand, explain and model behaviours and interactions in cyberspace as well develop and commercialise technological innovation to predict and classify risks and threats to systems and people.”

Director of the Wales Cyber Innovation Hub and Cardiff University Digital Transformation Insititute, and former Director of the Centre for Cyber Security Research, Professor Pete Burnap, said: “I’m delighted to see Cardiff University retain recognition as an ACE-CSR by the UK’s leading authority for cyber security. It’s testament to the sustained excellence exhibited by the team, which has grown significantly since our first recognition in 2018, both in terms of overall members and the diversity within the team.

“Cardiff University is also now leading the Wales Cyber Innovation Hub which aims to build a unique model for the commercialisation of academic research and grow the number of home-grown companies creating cutting edge solution that solve cyber problems all over the world."