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Dr Paul Stephens

I am an experienced academic, leader, and consultant specialising in digital forensics and cybersecurity.

I’ve held a number of interesting roles at the university since finishing my undergraduate studies here in 1999. Whilst carrying out these roles, I completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching (Higher Education) at CCCU, a Professional Diploma in Management at the Open University, an MSc at the University of Kent, and a PhD at University College Dublin.

In my current role at CCCU, I am a member of the School Management and Leadership Team (SchMaLT). I sit on the School Executive Group, working closely with, and supporting, the Head of School (HoS) on strategic planning and operational delivery of School business. I deputise as HoS when necessary and appropriate. This includes providing cover for holidays and other absences including a research sabbatical in 2017. As part of these delegated responsibilities I chair School Boards of Studies and Stage 2 Plagiarism Panels. I lead on School work streams and projects related to academic portfolio, student experience & satisfaction, innovation & enhancement of learning, teaching, & assessment, quality of academic programmes, and staff development. To support this work I co-chair the School Forum. I contribute to Faculty and University Committees and other administrative functions, for example, I represent the School on the Faculty Quality Committee, am the Faculty Lead for Contract Cheating Investigations, and act as a University Formal Investigator for Student Complaints, Academic Appeals, and Student Disciplinary cases.

My past roles have included IT Support & Infrastructure Engineer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Course Director, and leading the Department of Computing through an organisational change to become Computing, Digital Forensics & Cybersecurity. I led this unit for a five-year term before accepting my current role. During this time the employability results of DLHE and LEO surveys for those who studied Computing programmes at CCCU were consistently one of the highest for the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences. In 2018, the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) published a study which used the LEO dataset showing Graduates of Computing at CCCU added £4,267 to their earnings relative to the national graduate average. This report showed that Computing boosted graduate earnings more than any other subject at CCCU and more than many of our competitors nationwide. At the end of my directorship the most recent overall satisfaction results in the NSS were at their highest ever levels for Computing and IT programmes.

As Director I managed the partnerships between Computing at CCCU and, amongst others, the College of Policing, and the Justice Institute of British Columbia. As part of the College of Policing partnership I was a Projects Supervisor and module leader for Covert Internet Investigations, Core Skills for Network Investigations, Linux Forensics, and Advanced Internet Forensic Traces. In addition to module leading, I taught on the Linux Forensics course hosted at Wyboston between 2008 and 2012.

I currently lead the school’s work on cybercrime and digital policing.  Over the years I have created and validated a number of innovative programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels including the BSc (Hons) Forensic Computing, the MSc Digital Forensics & Cybersecurity, the BSc (Hons) Computer Science, and the BEng (Hons) Software Engineering courses.

I have taught on Computing, Science, Forensic Investigation, Applied Criminology, and Policing programmes.  

Over the years I have contributed to many resources for students and professionals such as ‘Policing Digital Crime’ (published by Routledge), ‘Investigating Digital Crime’ (published by Wiley), and ‘Blackstone's Handbook for Policing Students’ (published by Oxford University Press).

My research and knowledge exchange activity focuses on my interests in digital forensics, computer security, computer ethics, professional issues in computing, and learning and teaching in Higher Education.

I have been fortunate enough to carry out work in these areas with computer forensics specialists and law enforcement professionals from around the world primarily through my involvement with the European Cybercrime Training and Education Group (ECTEG) and its previous incarnations. ECTEG is funded by the European Commission and works in close cooperation with academia and law enforcement organisations including Europol, CEPOL, Interpol, and UNODC.

I have also carried out HEA funded research on problem-based learning in Cybersecurity with colleagues at the universities of Sunderland, Gloucestershire, and Warwick.

Research Projects

  • Atrocities in International Human Rights via Cyber-Crime and the Legal Ramifications. Researcher(s): Ms Ashleigh Jefferson. Supervisor(s): Dr Paul Stephens, Dr Paul Stephens. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Creation and Evaluation of LDF Testbed Software (CELTS). Researcher(s): Mr Ulf Bergum. Supervisor(s): Dr Paul Stephens, Dr Abhaya Induruwa. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Doctoral Research Project. Researcher(s): Dr Georgina Humphries. Supervisor(s): Dr Paul Stephens, Dr Abhaya Induruwa. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
  • Examine current digital forensic software in regards to how they visually represent data to digital forensic investigators (DFI) and assess which improvements can be made.. Researcher(s): Mr Danny Werb. Supervisor(s): Dr Paul Stephens, Professor Anne Nortcliffe. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Security and Privacy of Smart Home (IoT). Researcher(s): Mr FIDA HUSSAIN HUSSAIN. Supervisor(s): Dr Mandy Qi, Dr Paul Stephens. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • The usability of available tools for the recovery of digital evidence in computer forensics. Researcher(s): Dr Joseph Williams. Supervisor(s): Dr Paul Stephens, Dr Abhaya Induruwa. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]

I am a Chartered Fellow of the BCS: The Chartered Institute for IT (FBCS CITP) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

I am a Founding Committee Member of the BCS Cybercrime Forensics Specialist Group where I held the position of Membership Secretary between 2008 and 2018 and Treasurer between 2018 and 2022. 

I am an experienced external advisor/examiner and have worked in this capacity with Abertay University, Glyndŵr University, University of South Wales, University of Gloucestershire, University of Ulster, Leeds Beckett University, University of Portsmouth, University of Derby, University of Sunderland, and University of Greenwich.