Biography
Zakwan is a distinguished academic and cybersecurity expert, currently holding the position of Lecturer in the School of Computing Engineering and the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU). He obtained his PhD degree in Context-aware Pervasive Computing from ENU in 2012, showcasing his commitment to academic excellence. In his role at ENU, he shares his profound expertise in blockchain, privacy-preserving techniques, and secure software development with both undergraduate and postgraduate students. His dedication to research and education is underpinned by over seven years of industry experience, where he served as a Principal Security Engineer with Dell SecureWorks prior to joining ENU in 2018.
His research portfolio embodies a passion for decentralisation, with a particular focus on cutting-edge areas such as blockchain technology, web3 protocols, crypto assets, and tokenization. His academic skills extend to supervising seven PhD students, reflecting his dedication to nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity scholars. His previous research endeavours have yielded valuable insights into the application of blockchain technology and smart contracts in tokenization processes, decentralised authentication and authorization, secure digital asset sharing, combating misinformation, and decentralised cryptographic secrets management. His most recent research achievements have been published in several highly-cited IEEE Computer Society, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing journal and International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, as well as premier international conferences.
His recent work in the secure custody of crypto assets has not only led to the filing of a UK patent application but has also received significant recognition from Innovate UK. He secured two grants totalling £90,000 through the CyberASAP program to implement his innovative solutions, underscoring his commitment to pushing the boundaries of cybersecurity technology. A true visionary, Zakwan is deeply passionate about exploring blockchain's transformative potential in reshaping how we exchange value and share information. Therefore, his current research focuses on combating impersonation phone call frauds, a critical area of cybersecurity concern. Notably, his ground-breaking work has attracted three grants totalling £485,000 from The Data Lab and Scottish Enterprise, cementing his reputation as an expert in the field. With the university's approval to spinout and establish LastingAsset, a company geared towards providing enterprise solutions for combating phone call fraud, Zakwan is set to make an enduring impact in cybersecurity.