Senior Lecturer in Cybersecurity

Voted role-model of the year (2019) in the Computing Women in IT excellence awards, Rebecca Harrop is a key educator of Networking and Cyber Security.  

In her 20 years+ of teaching she has successfully taught thousands of people professional computing skills and motivated many, from diverse and under-represented backgrounds, to pursue IT careers.

Digital Security specialist familiar with complex configurations of computing and networking equipment to support and implement cybersecurity operations and cyber defence.

Rebecca is well respected and appears publicly as a technical guest speaker at professional conferences. Asked to share expertise at numerous events and parliamentary groups including:

All-party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Cyber-Security - National Cyber-Security Skills Strategy- Call for Views; CompTIA A+ Launch - Tech Sector Skills Gaps - Bridging with Diversity; CompTIA EMEA Conference - Do the Work, Get the Cert - Educational best-practise in delivering the CompTIA curriculum.

Rebecca completed a Psychology degree at the University of St. Andrews; specialised in cognitive thinking and computing, cyber-psychology, neural networks, and artificial intelligence.

She gained a 1st class master's degree, on an ESRC scholarship, in Cognitive Science (master's dissertation involved developing a computer simulation of the prisoner's dilemma to investigate social strategies) at the University of Dundee.

Qualified teaching and learning status with acknowledgements and awards by professional bodies. Professional Certifications and instructor status in Cisco Networking, CCNA Security, Cybersecurity Fundamentals and Operations (SECFND and SECOPS) and Cybersecurity Fundamentals as well as CompTIA A+ and IT Essentials and has been a long-standing Cisco Academy Manager.

Rebecca also works with the Open University as an Associate Lecturer for Computer Networking and Cybersecurity micro credential consultant and co-author.

Teaching Expertise/Areas

• Cybersecurity and Networking
• Computer Systems and Platforms
• Creative Technologies, Graphic and Games Design

Research Interests/Areas

• Human factors in Cybersecurity Defence
• The Art of Social Engineering
• Cyberpsychology and human-machine interaction
• Diversity in Digital Skills and improving Cybersecurity education
• Wireless and IoT Assistive Technology Solutions

Publications

• Smith, A. Et al (2020), Cybersecurity Operations Microcredential. Open University - Future Learn.
• All-party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Cyber-Security (2019) - National Cyber-Security Skills Strategy - Call for Views
• Stracke, C., Et al (2012). ‘E-VIWO - Education in a Virtual World’. The Future of Learning Innovations and Learning Quality: How do they fit in? European Project.

Contact Details

E: rebecca.harrop@beds.ac.uk