WMG appoints first cyberpsychologist

WMG at the University of Warwick is delighted to announce the appointment of cyberpsychologist Professor Monica Whitty, who joins the Cyber Security research team from the University of Leicester, as Professor of Human Factors in Cyber Security.

As WMG’s first cyberpsychologist, Professor Whitty will work alongside colleagues in WMG’s Cyber Security Centre concentrating on the human element focusing on behaviour online to identify cyber criminals and in turn protect people from becoming victims.

Professor Whitty’s research spans 15 years focusing on the way individuals behave in cyberspace examining identities created in cyberspace, online security risks as well as detecting and preventing cybercrimes (e.g., mass-marketing fraud, insider threats).

Professor Whitty previously held a Chair at the University of Leicester (2010-2016). Prior to working at Leicester she held full-time academic posts at Nottingham Trent University (2007-2010); Queen’s University Belfast (2003-2007), University of Western Sydney (1998-2003) and Macquarie University (1995-1996).

Professor Whitty is first author of ‘Cyberpsychology: The study of individuals, society and digital technologies’ (Wiley, 2017) with Garry Young and ‘Truth, Lies and Trust on the Internet’ (2009, Routledge) with Adam Joinson. She is the author of over 100 publications, given over 25 invited and keynote lectures and has supervised over 50 Masters and doctoral students.

She leads an EPSRC funded project working with colleagues at a number of other universities on entitled “Detecting and Preventing Mass-Marketing Fraud.”

One of the first new research projects she will lead at WMG – UNDERWARE (UNDERstanding West African culture to pRevent cybercrimEs) – is funded by the National Cyber Security Centre (part of GCHQ) in collaboration with Research Institute in Science of Cyber Security.

The project aims to gain a greater understanding of West African culture in order to: scientifically evaluate current methods employed to prevent and deter cybercrimes that emanate from West Africa; as well as to develop and test new methods to prevent and deter cybercrimes that emanate from this region.

Findings of the project will be shared with cyber security researchers, cyber security practitioners dealing with these issues.