Atefeh Mashatan

Dr. Atefeh (Atty) Mashatan is the founder and director of the Cybersecurity Research Lab (CRL) at Ryerson University and recognized as a leading expert in cryptography, blockchain technology, quantum-resistant solutions, enterprise security architecture and Internet-of-Things (IoT) security.

Mashatan’s expertise at the frontlines of the global cybersecurity field was recognized by SC Magazine in 2019, when she was named one of the top five Women of Influence in Security. She was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 19 of 2019 Tech Titans at IBM CASCON Evoke conference for her efforts in developing emerging technological solutions to address timely societal needs. In 2020, she received the Enterprise Blockchain Award in the category of New Frontiers in Blockchain Academic Research by Blockchain Research Institute for developing the Mosaïque Digital Wallet, which is a fully decentralized identity management system for business environments. Most recently, she received the recognition of Top Women in Cybersecurity in Canada for her efforts in advancing cybersecurity research and training highly qualified personnel in the field.

Through strategic collaborations with government and industry, Mashatan and the CRL seek to spearhead crucial, ongoing dialogue with the Information and Computer Technology (ICT) industry in Canada, and to help solve industry problems through cutting edge information security and research into cyber risk mitigation strategies and solutions. Previously, Mashatan was a Scientific Collaborator at the Security and Cryptography Laboratory of School of Computer and Communication Sciences, EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne), where she conducted research into cryptographic protocols, followed by a position at CIBC, where she was a Senior Information Security Consultant and Solutions Architect focusing on cryptography and enterprise architecture.

Since 2016, Mashatan has been a professor of information technology management at Ryerson where she is training the next generation of cybersecurity experts. Mashatan serves on the board of directors at Compute Ontario, a consortia which serves to drive the province’s capacity in advanced research computing and big data; and on the board of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, which is dedicated to solving critical cybersecurity challenges, accelerating Canadian cyber technologies and creating new opportunities for Canadian workers and entrepreneurs. As of recently, she has joined the Core Group at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), who will focus on the Canadian challenges that will arise over the next 10 to 15 years through six areas of critical importance, including cybersecurity and privacy.

Her research has been supported by numerous industry partners as well as agencies such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Ontario Centres of Excellence. She is a Certified Service Oriented Architect (SOA) with Honours and holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification from the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2).   

Dr. Mashatan has an Erdős Number of 2!, external link This is the best a researcher can achieve since 1996 when Paul Erdős passed away.