Hazel is a cybersecurity lecturer and researcher with interests in password security, authentication, systems security and quantum cryptography. She completed her PhD in Mathematics in 2021 from Maynooth University. She is a lecturer with the CyberSkills project at Munster Technological University. Hazel has made significant contributions to the field of cybersecurity which will benefit society, economy, research and education.
Hazel leads the Digital resilience for SMEs project to improve the security resilience of SMEs to protect their business, social and global interests and responsibilities. Despite most small and medium businesses experiencing a cyber-attack in the past year, SMEs have inadequate resources to effectively address the risk. Hazel leads a team of experts in cybersecurity, governance, risk and compliance to develop resources, guidelines and training for Irish SMEs. SMEs account for 99.8% of Irish enterprises and support 70% of all employment. The societal impact of improving the Irish SME sector’s resilience to cyber risk will accrue not only to the SME sector but the wider Irish economy and the outputs of this research will have global impact.
Hazel leads the “Cyber Safety for Vulnerable Individuals” project, which focuses on strengthening cybersecurity for vulnerable segments of society, working with groups such as age friendly Ireland, down syndrome Ireland and alone. Collaborating with an international team of experts across diverse fields, Hazel endeavours to bridge the digital divide, empowering all Irish citizens to navigate the online world with confidence and safety, ultimately enhancing their overall quality of life.
Hazel is the director of the QCloud project enabling free, scalable access to quantum computing infrastructure for researchers across the country of Ireland. Quantum computing is tomorrow’s disruptive technology but building and maintaining quantum computers is not feasible for small Irish research teams. Hazel won EU funding to provide free access to quantum compute resources and establishing a trusted research environment for all Irish researchers to bring Ireland to the forefront of this cutting-edge technology.