The University of Waterloo's Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute (CPI) hosted its annual conference on October 12, 2023. The event brought together cybersecurity and privacy experts, students, faculty, entrepreneurs, government officials and businesses to delve into the pressing challenges and innovative solutions within the field. The conference was notably interdisciplinary, closely aligned with the University's Waterloo at 100 framework - focusing on society, health and technology.
The conference kicked off with a special announcement by Charmaine Dean, vice-president, Research and International at Waterloo, unveiling a $550,000 partnership between Mastercard and the University of Waterloo Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute (CPI).
"It's my pleasure and honour to announce such an amazing partnership focused on research and talent advancement in cybersecurity. I'd like to take a moment right now on behalf of the University to express our tremendous gratitude to MasterCard for this significant gift," Dean said.
From left to right: Bernard Duncker, associate vice-president, Research and International at University of Waterloo, N. Asokan, executive director of CPI, Bardish Chagger MP, Waterloo, Jennifer Sloan, senior vice-president Public Policy and Stakeholder Engagement, Mastercard Canada, Charmaine Dean, vice-president Research and International at University of Waterloo, Bridget McMahon, associate vice-president, Development Programs at University of Waterloo and Sajin Sasy, graduate student at University of Waterloo
The funding will back initiatives focused on enhancing trust in data, including fingerprinting, identification, validation and data protection. Additionally, the collaboration will provide scholarships to graduate and undergraduate students engaged in cybersecurity and privacy-related studies. By addressing the growing challenges associated with digital technology, the partnership aligns with Mastercard's commitment to fostering innovation in the fields of cybersecurity, privacy and data science.
"The cybersecurity challenges we face right now in this country and worldwide are evolving at a pace we've never seen before. No one individual, institution, corporation or government can address these challenges alone; they must be addressed through collaboration," said Jennifer Sloan, senior vice-president of Public Policy and Stakeholder Engagement at Mastercard Canada, announcing the investment. "Our partnership with CPI and the University of Waterloo will become the first central Canada research partnership that threads our cyber innovation needle from coast to coast."
One of the first recipients of the funding was Sajin Sasy, a graduate student in the Cryptography, Security and Privacy Lab at Waterloo, where he is studying security and privacy focused solutions for enabling privacy-preserving communications and data analytics online. He was presented the Mastercard Graduate Excellence Scholarship for his outstanding contributions to his field of study.
"I'm truly honoured to receive this prestigious award from MasterCard and to be recognized by CPI. I want to express my deep gratitude to my colleagues, mentors, and collaborators who have shaped my research and supported me throughout my academic journey," Sasy said.
Following the funding announcement, The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Member of Parliament for Waterloo thanked MasterCard for its funding commitment to the University. Chagger also discussed the government's commitment to combat cybersecurity threats, starting with the National Cyber Security Strategy launched in 2018.
The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Member of Parliament, Waterloo
"The need for cybersecurity in today's world and its real-life impact on individuals, particularly those less familiar with technology needs to be better understood," Chagger said. "The government's investment in the Global Intelligence and Cyber Centre of Excellence at MasterCard is essential for the future, and we want to engage and collaborate with all of you here."
Dr. N. Asokan presents on the state of CPI
The conference continued with Dr. N. Asokan, executive director of CPI, giving a state of the institute address, explaining what the future holds for CPI. Asokan outlined seven strategic priorities for the organization which include strengthening relationships with the Center for Privacy Studies and National Cybersecurity Consortium, facilitating excellence in research, strengthening and broadening training, building partnerships with industry, influencing public policy and promoting cybersecurity and privacy matters.
"CPI has established partnerships with industry partners like MasterCard and BlackBerry, engaged in public policy discussions on cybersecurity and privacy at various conferences, and promoted the organization's expertise through media and outreach activities," Asokan said on how CPI has strengthened research engagement and communication with faculty and students and fostered industry collaboration.
The remainder of the conference was comprised of talks and panel discussions given by experts in various areas from artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer science, engineering and public health.
The panel on health discussed how collaboration and data sharing among researchers, organizations, and academia are vital for addressing complex challenges in health care and public health. The theme of trust became apparent throughout the day.
From left to right: Helen Chen, professor, Faculty of Health at University of Waterloo, Phil Vlach, founder at AgeTech Labs and head of IT at Schlegel Villages, Dr. Kyle Wilson, CIO/CPO, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
"Leveraging AI and open data can lead to groundbreaking insights, but the barriers to data access, privacy and security remain significant. These challenges highlight the need for policy changes, efficient data-sharing mechanisms and ongoing education to bridge the gap between the academic and health-care sectors," said Helen Chen, a professor in the Faculty of Health and director of the Professional Practice Centre in Health Systems at Waterloo.
Sirisha Rambhatla, a professor in management sciences and systems design engineering emphasized how we need trustworthy artificial intelligence in critical applications.
"We need these systems to be more transparent in how they work, they need to be interoperable, sustainable and must combat misinformation. Gaining trust in machine learning models is challenging, especially in domains like health care," Rambhatla said. "We saw that during the COVID-19 pandemic how much misinformation was generated, and it is important that this information doesn't make its way into large language models like ChatGPT."
The 2023 Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute Annual Conference proved to be a dynamic and exciting event, bringing together leaders and innovators to engage in learning, discussions and networking. The conference left attendees inspired and excited about the future of cybersecurity, privacy and research in Waterloo region and Canada. As the conference wrapped up, it was evident that the spirit of innovation and collaboration would continue to drive progress in these critical domains.
