Dr Rory Hopcraft

I am a Research Fellow within the Maritime Cyber Threats research group at the University of Plymouth. I have a background in geopolitics, with my own research exploring the international governance of maritime cybersecurity. I am currently working on the EU Horizon 2020 CyberMAR Project, helping to develop various cyber-awareness training materials.

Qualifications

Education:

• PhD (2023) in Cybersecurity, Royal Holloway University of London
• MSc (2016) in Geopolitics and Security, Royal Holloway University of London
• BSc (2012) in Geography and Global Politics, Canterbury Christ Church University

Other Academic Positions:

• Visiting Lecturer - Royal Holloway, University of London

Previous Positions:

• July 2019 - Sept 2019 -- Maritime Technology and Regulation Intern, BIMCO, Copenhagen, Denmark
• June 2019 -- Research Intern, International Maritime Organisation, London, UK

Professional membership

• Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology - Student Member - SIMarEST
• International Cyber Security Center of Excellence - Expert

Roles on external bodies

• Early Career Research Representative  - UoP Research & Innovation Committee, Task & Finish Group
• Member of the program committee of the 2nd European Workshop on Maritime Systems Resilience and Security (MARESEC 2022) - organised by the German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Teaching interests

Interested in teaching all aspects of maritime regulation and cybersecurity, and will be supporting the delivery of cyber-related content to non-technical students.

Teaching in 2021/2022

COMP3009/COMP5006 - Information Security Management & Governance (University of Plymouth)

• Introduction to Legal and Regulatory Aspects of Information Systems Security
• Data Protection and International Regulation
  

SEC301HK -  Information Security Management (University of Plymouth)

• Human Aspects and Security Culture
• Security Awareness and Training

IY5605 - Cyber Crime (Royal Holloway University of London)

• Transport Cyber Crime

Teaching in 2020/2021

LAW2220 - Cybercrime: Issues and Regulation (University of Plymouth)

• Principles of Cybersecurity
• Cyber Threats
• Social Engineering and Phishing
• The Dark Web and Open Source Intelligence

COMP5007 - Cyber-Physical Systems Security (University of Plymouth)

• Protection, Analysis, Law, Policy

 CyberMAR - EU Horizon 2020 Project (833389)

• Level 1 - Attacks in Deep
• Level 1 - Mitigation and Remediation
• Level 1 - Managing Cyber Risk

IY5605 - Cyber Crime (Royal Holloway University of London)

• Transport Cyber Crime

Research interests

My research primarily focuses on the regulatory aspects of maritime cybersecurity. I am interested in understanding how the international community manage cyber threat, and create governance frameworks that help increase security. My current focus is on the skills and training needed by the digital seafarer. I enjoy adopting and inter-disciplinary approach to my work, and exploring new topics and themes, these include (but not limited to) maritime security, piracy, environmental protection, sustainability and critical infrastructure protection.

Reports & invited lectures

2023

• Improving Maritime Cybersecurity (IMarEST / RINA Western Joint Branch)

2021

• Improving Cyber Training: How Seafarers can Learn from Real Cyber Attacks (Digital Ship Webinar)
• Cryptography: Cracking the Code (Festival of Computing - Computing at School)
• Seafarer Digital Competencies (Maritime Cyber Tech and & Ops - Riviera Media)

• Maritime Cybersecurity Governance (The Know Show Podcast, Online)

2019

• Cybersecurity Governance: The Case for a Cyber Code (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Haugesund, Norway)
• Cyber Crime & Transport (Royal Holloway University of London)

2018

• Securing Maritime Cyberspace through Regulation (International Security Expo, London)
• A Pirates Bounty - A New Way to Look at Maritime Cyber Security Regulation? (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Haugesund, Norway)
• Pirates, Polar Bears, Programs and Portholes (Royal Holloway University of London)