Dr Manesh Thankappan

I am a passionate academic with over 20 years of experience in higher education, specializing in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, and Network Security. I earned my PhD in Network and Information Technologies – Cybersecurity from Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Throughout my career, I have led various academic leadership roles and key responsibilities at different universities, focusing on curriculum development, mentoring and facilitating faculty members and students, fostering a collaborative and innovative educational environment, and managing large-scale IT infrastructure projects.

My passion for education extends to my teaching and mentoring contributions in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, and Penetration Testing. I actively mentor postgraduate students in research and thesis development, guiding them in critical areas such as intrusion detection, cyber threat intelligence, and network security protocols. I always ensure that students gain deep theoretical and practical expertise, equipping them with the necessary skills to excel in the field of cybersecurity.

As a passionate researcher, my research focuses on the development of AI-powered Intrusion Detection Systems for Wireless and IoT networks, and Network Forensic Investigation of Cyber Physical Systems and Cloud Architectures. I have participated in several funded research projects from the European Union and Government of Spain, Government of Saudi Arabia, and Government of India, during my tenure at various universities, contributing to major advancements in cyber defense mechanisms and security innovation. I have published several research papers in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences and serve as a reviewer for multiple high-impact cybersecurity journals. I am a Senior Member of IEEE and ACM, actively participating in technical program committees, journal reviewing, and conference organization. I am open to research collaborations with like-minded and motivated researchers.

Currently, I am a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at the University of the West of Scotland (London Campus), where I continue to lead cybersecurity teaching and research, curriculum innovation, student mentorship, and fostering activities of Cyber Innovation lab. My passion lies in developing next-generation security professionals and contributing to cutting-edge advancements in cybersecurity.