Posted: 12th June 2014

Ten of the UK¹s most inspirational scientists and engineers have been recognised by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The Council has announced the ten RISE (Recognising Inspirational Scientists and Engineers) Leaders for 2014 ­ including the Department's Sadie Creese.

The campaign, in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, was launched by the Science Minister, David Willetts in November 2013 to mark the 20th anniversary of EPSRC. The scheme is designed to celebrate the incredible innovation that has taken place over recent decades and, in particular, the researchers who have led that innovation.

Sadie is Professor of Cybersecurity within the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of Worcester College Oxford. Her research experience spans time in academia, industry and government. She is engaged in a broad portfolio of cyber security research spanning cybersecurity policy, situational awareness, security metrics, visual analytics, risk propagation prediction and communication, threat modelling and attack detection, network defence, dependability and resilience, and formal analysis. Prior to joining Oxford, Sadie was Professor and Director of e-Security within The University of Warwick¹s International Digital Laboratory, and previously QinetiQ.

An independent panel comprising of Philip Greenish, Imran Khan, Dr Sarah Main, Professor Sir Richard Brook, Professor Harold Poor and chaired by Professor David Delpy, selected the leaders from nominations put forward by over 30 universities, industries and learned societies. They assessed leadership, engagement, influence and impact. The RISE leaders will now be paired with individuals from government, business or media to communicate the importance and impact of their research, helping their partners to become champions for science.

The Leaders have also nominated researchers who are the "Rising Stars", tipped to lead internationally excellent research in the future, and who attended the final RISE award ceremony which took place on 10th June 2014 at the House of Commons. Sadie has nominated as her rising star Dr Jason Nurse, a post-doctoral Researcher in the Cyber Security Centre, working on the Identity Security in Cyberspace, and the Corporate Insider Threat Detection: Cyber Security Inside and Out research projects. Jason is also a Junior Fellow at Wolfson College Oxford. He has previously completed a PhD in Computer Science (specialising in online security for businesses) at the University of Warwick, an MSc in Internet Computing from the University of Hull, and a BSc in Computer Science and Accounting from the University of the West Indies.

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: "It's important to celebrate and champion our leading scientists and engineers who are vital to both society and our economy. Their research has a real impact across a range of sectors from manufacturing to financial services. The RISE leaders announced today will help to inspire and encourage others, keeping us ahead in the global science race."