Dr Eirini Anthi

(she/her)

Publication

• Date
• Type
• Promoted

Research

Research Interests

My research focuses on enhancing the security and trustworthiness of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. I specialise in leveraging machine learning and adversarial machine learning (AML) techniques to develop intelligent, robust mechanisms for detecting and mitigating cyber-attacks. Additionally, I am exploring the application of cognitive AI architectures to cybersecurity and safe AI systems, investigating how reasoning, learning, and adaptability can improve the resilience and reliability of AI in high-stakes environments. Ensuring that AI systems are transparent, reliable, and adaptive is central to my work, as these qualities are critical for fostering trust and safe deployment.

Teaching

Over the past 4 years apart from giving a range of guest lectures, assisting with labs, and creating CTF based teaching events, I have also supervised more than 30 state-of-art research based final year projects in cyber security for both postrgaduate and undergraduate students. Few of the projects I supervised included:

• Investigating adversarial machine learning against malware detection systems
• Investigating Malware propagation via IoT devices to internal networks
• Vulnerability assessment and risk modeling of attacks in IT systems
• Detecting network based attacks in Industrial Control Systems
• Evaluating the robustness of a lattice-based cryptosystem
• Investigating the Security and Privacy of a Real-World Internet of Things Environment (During the project the student Identified and reported to the company a vulnerability against the IoT device)
• Investigation and analysis of security issues in smartphone applications
• Intelligent Attack Detection for IoT Networks (Led to publication)
• Investigating Radio Frequency vulnerabilities in the Internet of Things using HackRF (Aim to produce a publication)
• Cryptanalysis of a Wireless Security System
• Simulating the Effects of Releasing Malware into the Internet of Things
• Security Issues, Privacy, and Challenges in the Internet of Things: Vulnerabilities, Threats and Attacks.

Biography

Dr. Eirini Anthi is a Senior Lecturer in Data Science and Cybersecurity at the School of Computer Science & Informatics, Cardiff University, where she leads the Cybersecurity Laboratory and oversees Capture The Flag (CTF) activities. She teaches Operating Systems Security and Cybersecurity Operations, drawing on her extensive expertise in cybersecurity and data science. Her research focuses on the security of IoT and Industrial Control Systems, with an emphasis on developing intelligent, robust mechanisms for detecting and defending against cyber-attacks using machine learning and adversarial machine learning techniques. She also explores the security and trustworthiness of AI systems, addressing critical challenges in deploying AI in high-stakes environments.

As Principal Investigator in a high-impact £120,000 collaboration with National Highways, Dr. Anthi has led research on enhancing AI trustworthiness for Intelligent Transport Systems. She has also managed other research projects totalling approximately £300,000, delivering impactful outcomes such as publications in top-tier journals and the creation of a startup. Building on her extensive work in AI safety, Dr. Anthi is a co-founder of TrustAI, a startup developing tools to evaluate and enhance AI trustworthiness. TrustAI provides organizations with solutions to ensure AI systems are transparent, compliant, and aligned with ethical standards, fostering trust and operational efficiency.

Dr. Anthi’s contributions to cybersecurity and AI safety are also widely recognised. Her research has earned awards, including Best Paper for her work on adversarial attacks in industrial control systems and recognition from Elsevier for advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Her papers are highly cited, with one being the third most downloaded in its field. Combining academic expertise and practical industry experience, including her tenure at Airbus as a cybersecurity researcher, Dr. Anthi is at the forefront of systemic AI safety and cybersecurity research.

Honours and awards

• Recognized by Elsevier for Advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: For impactful research on cybersecurity and AI safety.
• Best Paper Award: For research on adversarial attacks in industrial control systems, recognizing excellence in developing robust cybersecurity defenses.
• Third Most Downloaded Article in Field: Published research on adversarial machine learning and cybersecurity achieved significant global engagement and impact.
• 1st Place in Open-Source Intelligence Competition, 2019: Member of a winning team in an international competition showcasing expertise in intelligence and cybersecurity.
• Best Paper Award, 2017: Presented at the Second EAI International Conference on Cloud, Networking for IoT Systems in Italy, for outstanding research contributions.
• Best Research Poster, 2017: Awarded by Cardiff University for presenting impactful research findings in cybersecurity and AI.

Supervisions

- Internet of Things Security

- Industrial Control Systems Security

- Network Security

- Smartphone security 

- Machine Learning & Adversarial Machine Learning

- Malware Analysis

Current supervision

Vasilis Ieropoulos

Graduate Demonstrator

Turki Al Lelah Al Lelah

Research student

Muhammad Setiadji

Graduate Demonstrator

Swardi Silalahi

Research student

Tristram Ridley-Jones

Research student