The programme covered a wide range of leadership topics and gave the students opportunities to apply what they learned through interactive exercises, real-life challenges, and team projects. Throughout the course, the students explored key themes such as Personal Leadership Styles, Leading Teams, Emotional Resilience, and Dealing with Conflict, ensuring that the experience was as engaging as it was impactful.

Personal Leadership Styles and Personality offered students insights into the different ways individuals approach leadership. Understanding that leadership effectiveness is closely tied to personality traits, students engaged in personality assessments to uncover their leadership strengths and areas for growth. These self-discovery exercises enabled them to reflect on how their personal styles might influence their team management and decision-making processes in future leadership roles.

 Leading Teams and the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI)

The students explored the art of Leading Teams. They were introduced to the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), a tool designed to help leaders understand how their behaviors influence team dynamics and outcomes. The training emphasized the importance of building trust, fostering collaboration, and motivating team members to achieve common goals. Students engaged in practical exercises, simulating leadership situations that tested their ability to inspire and lead teams effectively in diverse environments.

Emotional Resilience and Dealing with Conflict

The students explored two critical leadership topics: Emotional Resilience and Dealing with Conflict. Leadership roles often come with high levels of pressure and stress, and students learned strategies for maintaining emotional control and resilience when facing difficult circumstances. This included techniques for stress management and staying composed under pressure.

A key component of this week was conflict resolution, with students engaging in interactive exercises and case studies to develop practical strategies for managing and resolving conflicts within teams. These activities allowed students to practice resolving tensions in a way that maintains team cohesion and promotes effective collaboration.

Vitae RDF Framework and Personal Development

An additional focus of the training was the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF), which the students reviewed to identify areas for their own professional development as researchers. The framework offered a structured approach to understanding the competencies needed to thrive in academia and beyond. The Cyber AI DTP students were encouraged to reflect on their development goals and how they could use the RDF to advance not just their leadership skills, but also their broader career ambitions as researchers.

Employer Challenges: BT Innovation Centre and Cyber AI Hub

One of the most exciting and practical elements of the program was the Employer Challenges, which involved working in teams to solve real-world problems posed by industry partners. On Day 1 of the training, the students were joined by representatives from BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIIC) and  Pytilia,( a Cyber AI Hub company) who presented challenges reflective of the current issues faced in the cybersecurity and AI industries.

Over the course of the four weeks, the students worked collaboratively in teams to develop innovative solutions to these challenges, applying the leadership theories and skills they had gained throughout the training. On the final day, they presented their solutions to the BTIC and Pytillia teams, receiving positive feedback on their ideas, approaches, and leadership potential. The opportunity to engage with industry experts not only gave the students valuable hands-on experience but also helped them better understand the practical applications of leadership in tackling complex, real-world problems.

A big thank you goes out to the teams from BTIC and Pytillia for their time and valuable input, which enriched the students’ learning experience and provided them with a unique platform to apply their skills in a meaningful way.

Looking Ahead: Leadership in Cyber AI

As the training came to a close, the hope is that the Cyber AI DTP students will carry forward the lessons and leadership techniques they learned throughout the program. With the skills gained from this comprehensive training, they are now better prepared to respond to the ever-evolving challenges in the fields of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

The Graduate School and the Cyber AI DTP team remain committed to developing well-rounded professionals capable of leading the next generation of advancements in AI and cybersecurity. With the support of industry leaders like BTIC and Pytilia, these future leaders are well-positioned to make significant contributions to the sector in the years to come.

Workshop Highlights

Topic 1: Motivations and Processes of Engaging with the Public

Jamie Gallagher introduced students to the core motivations behind public engagement and the processes involved. The session focused on transforming complex research topics into compelling and shareable narratives. Key highlights included:

• Understanding Compelling Narratives: Students learned techniques to turn their research into engaging stories that captivate a general audience.
• Preparing Engagement Plans: The workshop covered how to prepare high-quality public engagement plans and activities.
• Recognizing Engagement Benefits: Students discussed the various benefits of external engagement and strategies to achieve these benefits.
• Building Confidence: Practical exercises helped students feel more comfortable and confident in engaging with the public.
• Utilizing Evaluation: The importance of evaluation in reporting and monitoring engagement activities was emphasized.

Topic 2: Planning and Delivering Engagement Experiences and Events

The follow-on session delved into the specifics of planning and delivering successful engagement events. This segment was particularly focused on ECIT’s "Spring School" and "Capture the Flag" events. Key objectives and insights included:

• Identifying Opportunities: Students collaborated to identify key engagement opportunities in the Cyber landscape and tips to decide which events are of value
• Event Planning: Students were guided through the key steps of planning an engaging event based on their research topics.
• Planning Stages and Milestones: Detailed discussions on the essential planning stages, milestones, and deadlines necessary for successful event execution.
• Presentation Tips

Outcomes and Future Opportunities

By the end of the workshop, Cyber AI DTP students had a clear understanding of how to engage effectively with the public. They gained practical skills in developing narratives, planning events, and conducting evaluations. The session also mapped out future engagement opportunities, demonstrating how these activities can enhance their research careers.

Students left the workshop equipped with the confidence and knowledge to execute their public engagement plans, ready to contribute to the broader community and disseminate their research in impactful ways.

We extend our gratitude to Jamie Gallagher for hosting this valuable workshop and look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this training on our students’ future engagements!

Led by Louise Cushnahan, Head of Innovation at ECIT, the session provided a comprehensive overview of key concepts and practical strategies to maximize the value and application possibilities of research outputs.

Students were introduced to the core concepts of innovation, translation, and impact and gained valuable insights into the significance of these elements in driving research towards tangible outcomes and societal benefits.

A pivotal aspect of the session was the exploration of an innovation process aimed at establishing a common language of innovation.

Louise provided an overview of ECIT's internal innovation programme, "Innovate to Impact." Students received valuable insights into the program's objectives, methodologies, and available support mechanisms aimed at maximising the value and application possibilities of research outputs.

Rebekah Tougher Commercial Development Manager – EEECS IP and Commercialisation Team, shared insights into the IP protocols at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and the process involved in safeguarding intellectual property. Students gained a deeper understanding of the importance of IP protection in research and innovation endeavors alongside the value of licensing technology.

CSIT Post Doctoral researcher Jack Miskelly showcased the impact of his own PHD research, providing the students with tangible examples of how research outcomes can translate into real-world applications and societal benefits.

An interactive session allowed students to provide feedback to ARC PhD student Gyan, who presented his research using the NABC framework. This interactive exchange facilitated constructive discussions and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.

This session marks the beginning of a series of innovation sessions that students will have access to throughout their academic journey, promising continued growth and enlightenment in the realm of research and innovation.

The CSIT Doctoral Training Programme also provides an exciting and unique opportunity to:

1. Advance research in exciting and emerging areas of cyber security research
2. Focus on enterprise and leadership skills
3. Co-design the Research Program with Industry
4. Effective cohort interaction and experience with a comprehensive training programme
5. Extensive industrial collaborative opportunities with CSIT’s many industry partners, e.g. Thales, Qualcomm, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and many others
6. Use world-class facilities including our Cyber Range, industry standard Wireless labs, and extensive hardware development and measurement infrastructure
7. Access to modules in our NCSC-certified MSc Advanced Cyber Security and MSc AI 

Doctoral Training Programmes are prestigious programmes which aim to enable cutting-edge doctoral study within a dynamic research culture that encourages innovative, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and a cohort student experience. The cohort nature of the programme fosters collaborative learning, creativity, and confidence in a unique way, where students benefit from mutual academic, emotional, and logistical support, helping to improve research outputs and timely PhD completion.

A comprehensive and tailor-made training program has been designed for this program. This includes inductions and/or team-building activity each year to ensure cohort cohesion, access to up to 3 relevant modules from Queen’s NCSC-accredited MSc in Applied Cyber Security, the opportunity to undertake 3 to 6-month internships with our industry partners, a Spring School in Year 2 comprising a programme of intensive advanced-level master classes on technical topics and policy/regulatory issues with lectures given by international experts in the field, a Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge (group-work) in our Cyber Range and many other activities (QUB’s Master your Leadership programme, a public engagement training course, responsible innovation training and a wide range of personal development and transferrable skills training courses run by QUB’s Graduate School, such as Academic Writing Skills, Project Management, Stress Management, Ethics, GDPR, Presentation Skills, Communication Strategies and Applying Research to Policy.