As we ‘zoom in’ on Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October 1-31), it’s undisputed that the utilisation of cyberspace has become common-place, permeating every aspect of our personal and professional lives but more so with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the added convenience, access and opportunities that it provides. The mere thought of its absence or the intermittent loss of connectivity is therefore met with great disdain. Coupled however with this great advancement is the need to safeguard our hardwares, softwares and data from cyber-attacks/threats through the adoption and implementation of sound Cybersecurity practices. The Faculty is cognisant that Cybersecurity practices, now more than ever is critical to nation building and has thus embarked upon contributing to this dynamic area through teaching, research and national discourse. These initiatives are being coordinated by Dr. Curtis Busby-Earle (and team), the Faculty’s ‘Cybersecurity Expert.’
Dr. Curtis Busby-Earle is the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computing where he established and currently leads the Department's Computer Intrusions, Forensics and Exploitations Research (CIFER) group. He is a certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) from the International Council of e-Commerce Consultant (USA) with certifications in creating computer security incident response teams (Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University) and Architecture, Algorithms and Protocols of a Quantum Computer and Quantum Internet (Delft University of Technology, Netherlands). With primary interests in the fields of data and software security, and requirements engineering, Dr. Busby-Earle has recently begun exploring quantum computing and its potential impact in data and software security. He also has a number of publications in his primary areas of interest, including publications with his research students.
Dr. Busby-Earle’s wealth of knowledge and experience led to his appointment as the Lead Author of The UWI-Mona’s response to an invitation from the Parliament of Jamaica for submission of comments on revisions to the Cybercrimes Act 2015. He was also a member of The UWI Mona team that made a presentation to the Joint Select Committee of Parliament.
For Cybersecurity related matters, contact Dr. Busby-Earle at curtis.busbyearle@uwimona.edu.jm or fst@uwimona.edu.jm
Published on 26 Oct, 2021
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