Announcing the new Optus Chair of Cyber Security & Data Science

With a cyber crime reported every seven minutes in Australia¹ - a whopping 13% increase on the previous year – it’s no surprise that cyber security is one of the most important considerations for any organisation in this age of information.

It should also be no surprise that cyber security is one of the fastest growing areas of employment, with the Australian market projected to grow to over $7 billion by 2027² and demand for highly skilled and qualified cyber security and data science professionals continuing to surge.

Education and skills pipelines will be key to growing the nation’s cyber security capability and overcoming the current skills shortage, and Optus is delighted to announce that from 9 March 2023, we will be adding to our existing network of Academic Research Chairs with the appointment of the – the Optus Chair of Cyber Security and Data Science at the University of South Australia (UniSA).

At Optus we know first-hand the impacts that cyber crime can have on businesses of all sizes and how it affects lives of everyday Australians who rely upon them. This new appointment is designed to identify and drive collaborative research outcomes that drive technology innovations for our nation’s most critical industries and to educate Australia’s next generation of cyber security and data science specialists.

This co-funded chair reflects the long-standing strategic alliance between our organisations and reflects the importance we at Optus place on advancing cyber security innovation and preparing the students of today to become the next generation of cyber experts – some of whom may very well build a career with Optus. 

We extend a warm welcome to the inaugural chair, Dr Mamello Thinyane, who brings more than 15 years’ experience managing digital development projects across Africa and Asia. Before accepting the role with Optus and UniSA, Dr Thinyane was the Principal Research Fellow at the United Nations University Institute in Macau (formerly the United Nations University Institute on Computing and Society), where he led multistakeholder and multidisciplinary projects on digital development (ICT4D), cyber security, and data and sustainable development. 

In his new role, Dr Thinyane will prepare a comprehensive plan to develop and lead UniSA’s Cyber Security and Data Science research program, including a detailed plan for the university’s future research and innovation activities which will be developed in partnership with Optus with a core focus on how these technology solutions can be applied across our nations most critical industries

As well as working with our own network representatives at Optus, Dr Thinyane will work closely with many internal and external stakeholders, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Enterprise, Executive Dean, Dean of Programs, and Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre and Local, State and Federal Government agencies.  

Sources:

[1] Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), Annual Cyber Threat Report, July 2021–June 2022, November 2022.
[2] Statista