RHUL Cyber CDT Blog

The CDT are delighted that three of our students were among the winning entries in our College-wide competition inviting students to submit a creative response to climate change and related issues of sustainability.   Students were asked to consider climate change and the impact that it is having and will have, both in terms of the global context and at a more local level.  They were encouraged to respond to the 2021   IPCC report , which was unequivocal in placing responsibility for climate change with human action. We suggested reflecting on how the   COP26 global conference  i n Glasgow, which has been described as a “pivotal moment” for change, could also be seen as a point from which to reflect on our agency as individuals, our relationships, and responsibilities to the broader communities, including that of the university, to which we belong. Entries took many forms: creative writing, visual arts, film, digital projects and essays. The judges were delighted and surprised by the

I joined the CDT in 2016, having graduated months earlier with a degree in mathematics. As an undergraduate, I loved pure mathematics, and was excited to learn about cryptography as an application of this. I quickly realised that I wanted to pursue this interest further. I started looking at options, and it didn’t take long for the CDT to show up in my search results. It seemed a perfect fit - a broad training structure in the first year would allow me to expand my knowledge and, as I hadn’t chosen a specific research subject, give me time to pick a topic. I applied and was thrilled to receive an offer to join the CDT. Upon arrival at Royal Holloway, I was surprised (and a little intimidated) by the scope of information security – I had not thought beyond cryptography! However, the activities and classes of the first year helped to make this subject more accessible (and definitely expanded my knowledge). At the end of my first year, I completed a summer project on formal definitions of

The CDT recently hosted a hybrid engagement event at Cumberland Lodge in Winsor Great Park. This was an exciting event for us to host as it provided an opportunity for us to bring together students from across the cohorts (many meeting for the first time), to reconnect students and staff, and for everybody to share what they've been up to. We had great attendance at this event with many staff and students choosing to join us in-person (following covid measures), and others joining in online. There was a packed programme, full of student talks to update us on their research, some interesting presentations from students who have recently returned from internships, and some engaging sessions from some of our recent graduates in which they delivered an inspiring message and words of wisdom to those who are just at the beginning of their CDT journey. Below we hear from Professor Chris Mitchell, Head of Information Security Group at Royal Holloway with his thoughts on the event.  I had t