Edinburgh Napier University is celebrating a cybersecurity awards double – with wins at two leading ceremonies on the same day.
Professor Bill Buchanan added to a prestigious series of accolades with the 10th Anniversary Security Veteran Award at the Computing Security Excellence Awards 2026 in London last night.
At the same time, ENU student Aimie Grant was recognised at the Scottish Cyber Awards, where she won the Cyber Security Student of the Year honour.
Both awards strengthen the University’s widely recognised cybersecurity reputation – having been named an Academic Centre of Excellence by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre.
‘We can’t do this job in isolation’
Aimie claimed her award from a packed category of seven finalists, picking up the prize during a ceremony at the EICC in Edinburgh.
Now in their eighth year, the Scottish Cyber Awards are described as a cornerstone of Scotland’s annual cyber calendar, celebrating innovation, resilience and excellence across the industry.
The winning entry in the Cyber Start-up of the Year category, Infrawatch, also has a strong ENU link, as its founder and CEO Lloyd Davies graduated from the University.
In total there were four ENU finalists at this year’s edition - which follows a double award success in 2025.
Ray Bugg, director of DIGIT, which organises the Scottish Cyber Awards, said: “Cybersecurity is a tough profession, one that constantly challenges us, pushes our limits, and tests our resilience – which is why community and collaboration matter so much in this field. We can’t do this job in isolation, and I really want everyone to embrace that spirit this evening.
“It was incredibly difficult to whittle down winners from such an esteemed group of finalists.
“It’s about celebrating achievement, championing each other’s successes, and moving forward as a collective.”
‘Every day is a new start’
Responding to his win at the Computing Security Excellence Awards, Professor Buchanan from ENU’s School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment said: “It has been an amazing couple of decades in cybersecurity and I loved every minute of working with great people, and especially with our amazing students and graduates.
“I've seen little acorns grow to mighty oaks, and still, this industry surprises me with the talent and the passion that it hosts.
“I may be a veteran in the industry but I feel every day is a new start, and with something new to learn and with a whole lot of new students that can share the greatness of this industry.”
Bill’s award recognises his distinguished cybersecurity career, which has led to numerous honours.
Last year he was named Evangelist of the Year at the Scottish Cyber Awards, having previously won the Most Innovative Teacher of the Year title at the 2023 Times Higher Education (THE) Awards.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, was awarded an OBE in 2017, and has also played an instrumental role in several successful ENU spin-out companies, such as Zonefox, Cyacomb, Symphonic, Memcrypt and LastingAsset.