Brief Bio of Dr. Susanne Wetzel: Dr. Susanne Wetzel received her Diplom from the University in Karlsruhe (Germany) and her Ph.D degree in Computer Science from Saarland University (Germany) in 1998. Subsequently, she worked at DaimlerChrysler Research (Stuttgart, Germany), Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories (Murray Hill, USA) and RSA Laboratories (Stockholm, Sweden).She recently joined the faculty at the Computer Science Department as Assistant Professor. Dr. Wetzel's research interests include various aspects in cryptography (wireless security, secret sharing, visual cryptography, distributed computing) and algorithmic number theory.

Abstract: Biometrics play an increasingly important role in a broad range of security applications. In particular, biometrics have manifold applications in the context of access control techniques which to date are largely based on the use of passwords. Biometrics promise to overcome the problems of forgotten passwords or passwords that can be guessed easily. In recent years, considerable research efforts have been dedicated to the study of suitable techniques to extract cryptographic secrets from biometric information. In this talk we discuss a number of these approaches. In particular, we will focus on the concepts of "biometric key encapsulation" and "biometric feature extractors" and discuss systems implementing these concepts based on error-correcting codes, respectively secret locking techniques.

Brief Bio of Dr. Mark d'Inverno: I gained a BA in Mathematics in 1986 and an MSc in Computation in 1988 both from Oxford University . In 1998 I was awarded a PhD from University College London. I joined the University of Westminster in 1992 as a Lecturer, became a senior lecturer in 1998, a reader in 1999 and was appointed professor of computer science in 2001. My research focuses on the application of formal methods in building theoretical models of agent-based systems, languages and theories which can be used in the principled development of software. More recently I have become interested in the practical use of agent-based systems and specifically their use in the modelling and simulation of adult stem behaviour and in their deployment with algorithmic and generative music in a project I have called Intelligent Responsive Sound.
Abstract: In this talk I will look at agent technology, the theory and its application. We also consider emergence in agent systems, where the local interactions between agents leads to unexpected patterns at the system level. I will look in detail about the application of some of these theoretical ideas in the context of modelling biological systems. Specifically in the modelling and simulation of adult stem cells where there are serious limitations with experimental investigation. We then consider how agents. emergence, modelling and simulation might be harnessed in the design of communication networks in the future.

Brief Bio of Rohit Dhamankar: Rohit Dhamankar is the Chief Security Analyst at TippingPoint, a division of 3Com, where he manages the vulnerability research and TippingPoint's Digital Vaccine development for the company's Intrusion Prevention Systems. In addition, he authors the weekly SANS Institute's @RISK newsletter, which ranks the severity level of new vulnerabilities and is sent to over 200,000 subscribers. He is the Director for the SANS Top20 2005 and the Top 20 Quarterly updates. Prior to TippingPoint, he was employed at Cisco Systems, where he worked as a software developer for Cisco's Secure Intrusion Detection System and Cisco Secure Scanner. He holds an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from UT, Austin and an M.Sc in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India.
Abstract: Over the last 10 years, we have seen mainstream adoption of the Internet, opening opportunities for business as well as threats. In the arms race against threats, security products have evolved from traditional firewalls to deep packet inspection firewalls, anti-virus products and detection systems to proactive prevention systems that protect the vulnerability. Although the number of new threats is increasing and the vulnerability to exploit window is shrinking, prevention systems are continually evolving and are constantly updated with the latest protection. We have reached a point of dependence upon our networks, and IPS is the convergence between networking and security. This session will explore Intrusion Prevention Systems, how they work, and the requirements in selecting an IPS.

Brief Bio of David Wood: David Wood was a co-founder of Symbian, having joined Psion (Symbian's original parent company) in June 1988. He has been successively immersed in virtually every department in Psion and Symbian. In the early 1990s, he pioneered the use of Object-Oriented techniques within Psion, and managed teams that created highly successful software for SIBO, the 16-bit predecessor of Symbian OS. He went on to lead the build and integration team for version 1 of Symbian OS. From 1998 to 2002 he headed Symbian's Technical Consulting department, building and directing teams that worked with Symbian's customers to create the world's first smartphones. During 2002 and 2003 he held the position of EVP of Partnering, supervising the rapid growth of Symbian's partnering programs. Since 2004 he has been Symbian's EVP of Research. Before joining Psion, he spent eight years studying mathematics and the philosophy of science at Cambridge University, and was head of the maths department at a leading London tutorial college. David's first book, "Symbian for software leaders - principles of successful smartphone development projects", was published by Wiley in July.

Abstract: Smartphones are poised to dramatically change the worlds of mobile communications and mobile computing. Through their openness, they enable a much wider group of people and companies to contribute to the power and utility of the services and applications experienced by phone users. However, the smartphone virtuous cycle is still at an early stage, and faces considerable threats. David Wood, Executive VP of Research at Symbian and co-architect of Symbian OS, will describe these threats and the steps being taken to handle them.

Brief Bio of Yin-Leng Theng : Dr. Theng completed her PhD in 1997 on addressing the "lost in hyperspace" problem in hypertext. She then joined Middlesex University (London) as a Lecturer from 1998 to 2001. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at the School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University (NTU, Singapore). She teaches on Information Studies Masters Programme: Human-Computer Interaction and Digital Libraries & Information Portals. Dr. Theng is the co-editor of a book on "Design and Usability of Digital Libraries: Case Studies in the Asia Pacific", and she has published more than 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals/books and international conferences. She was awarded two research grants from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC, UK) during her four years of teaching at Middlesex University. In 2003, she was awarded a NTU grant to work on a suite of qualitative and quantitative techniques to help designers build usable and useful digital libraries on the Web and the mobile environments. She is also a co-investigator on two other research projects on geospatial digital libraries. Her other research interests include : User Interface Design; Ethics; Security; Privacy and Trust; Healthcare Informatics, Hypertext & Web; Information Technology & Education and Information Literacy

Abstract: The Internet has brought about changes in the nature of consumer buying. It has opened up new and innovative avenues delivering information, services, products and advertisements to consumers on the Internet via Web portals. In recent years, we witness increasing growth in healthcare Web portals providing complete information on healthcare, symptoms and diseases, thus Web users and patients are empowered to educate themselves anywhere and at anytime of the day. Attracted by the advantages of healthcare Web portals, many people are going online to search for healthcare information, products and services. However, the quality of healthcare Web portals has become a cause for concern because they vary greatly in terms of accuracy, completeness and consistency, and inaccurate or misleading information can potentially harm Web users. In this talk, I would describe a study carried out to investigate if usability of the Web portals has had an impact on users' perceived credibility and trust of the portals. A Web-based survey was conducted through the Internet for about two weeks. 127 respondents evaluated two healthcare Web portals based on task completion before answering the questions in a Web-based questionnaire. Congruent to similar studies carried in the West, this study on Asian respondents also suggested a significant relationship between usability, perceived credibility and trust of healthcare Web portals. The talk concludes with implications on the usability of healthcare Web portals, discussing specifically on issues relating to perceived credibility and trust, an equally important aspect to security and privacy from users' perspective.