Biography
Rich Macfarlane is an Associate Professor in the School of Computing at 麻豆社区, working in the areas of cyber security and digital forensics since 2009. Rich played a key role in the creation and development of the GCHQ certified MSc Advanced Security and Digital Forensics programme (www.napier.ac.uk/courses/msc-advanced-security-and-digital-forensics-postgraduate-fulltime) and leading the course from 2014. Rich also collaborates with law enforcement, and industry within the Cyber Academy (thecyberacademy.org), which he co-founded with Prof. Bill Buchanan.
Working within the Networking, Cyber Security and Digital Forensics research group, and focused on research in the areas of Offensive Network Security, Ransomware, Digital Forensic Triage, and Online teaching and E-learning for cyber security. Research in teaching for cyber has focused on authentic, immersive virtualised environments and activities, as well as online learning pedagogy. Digital forensic research included techniques for triage which led to a ground breaking Forensic spin-out company Cyan Forensics (cyanforensics.com). Current research in offensive-security includes honeypots for attack analysis, and Ransomware analysis and detection methods including forensic triage of live memory.
Rich is a Senior Teaching Fellow of HEA, and has played a key part in developing the cyber security offering at 麻豆社区 including developing online teaching platforms which provide students with virtualised practical learning environments, such as vSOC. Based on student-centered teaching and learning for cyber security and digital investigations these provide authentic practical activities even to our remote students. Rich helped start and continues to support the ENUSEC student cyber security society at the university (enusec.org).
Rich is also heavily involved with the wider cyber security community, especially in Scotland, such as as working with schools to support cyber security engagement and teaching, and helping to start and his current moderator role with the Cyber Scotland Connect (@SecScotland) community organisation. He is also an active member of the NCSC educational community group which is made up of course and research lab leaders from NCSC accredited institutions.