A summary of three years of the activity of POB Cybersecurity and Data Science

So far, the Scientific Council of POB Cybersecurity and Data Science has announced three editions of competitions for POB research grants. 27 of all submitted projects received funding.

The projects included the one by Professor Jacek Mańdziuk from the Faculty of Mathematics and Information Science of the Warsaw University of Technology, whose aim was to develop well-scalable (time and memory) methods of approximate solving (multi-step) Stackelberg Security Games (SSG), considering three assumptions that extend the SSG model: the assumption of partial observability of the Attacker, the assumption of the limited rationality of the Attacker and the assumption of the possibility of using information about attacks carried out in the past. The most important achievements of the project include the adaptation of the EASG (Evolutionary Algorithm for Security Games) method to a real anti-poaching scenario in a National Park in Uganda. It is worth noting that the method developed at PW scales much better than the methods developed by researchers from Harvard University and ITT Madras.

Another interesting project that received funding from POB Cybersecurity and Data Science is the one concerning the development of a prototype simulation system enabling one to plan the terra-transformation of Mars. As part of the project, headed by Professor Robert Olszewski from the Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography of the Warsaw University of Technology, a simulation system was developed using Mars altitude data, global atmospheric models, and proprietary algorithms for Mars terra-transformation simulation using hexagonal cellular automata and the finite difference method. The system enabled hundreds of different Mars transformation scenarios to be carried out, which facilitated determining the volume of greenhouse gases and the time scale necessary to raise the temperature of the planet's atmosphere by the expected 60 degrees. As part of the research, cooperation in the field of Martian research was established and developed with scientific units from Poland, France, and the United States.

As part of its activities, the POB also announced a CyberSummer@WUT competition (two editions completed until 31 December 2022, the third edition underway), the aim of which is to accelerate engaging students in research and development activities carried out at the Warsaw University of Technology. The competition is addressed to second-cycle degree students, fields of study thematically related to the activities of CB POB Cybersecurity and Data Science. Projects submitted in the competition may concern the development of open-source software, simulation research, or development work.

Bearing in mind the development of research infrastructure, POB announced the CyberLab competition (the first edition started before 31 December 2022, second edition is underway), whose main goal is to financially support the creation of a new and the development of the current research infrastructure, facilitating research at the highest level, increasing the recognition of the Warsaw University of Technology on the Polish and international arena. The project outcome should facilitate the performance of groundbreaking research in the field of cybersecurity, data science, or related issues, which are part of the area of CB POB Cybersecurity and Data Science.

As part of the implementation of strategic activities, POB co-created the second-cycle degree programme of study in the field of Cybersecurity, which was launched in the summer semester of the academic year 2022/2023. The nature of the new programme is its flexibility, offering students the possibility to implement an individualised programme, combining to varying degrees two complementary visions of the educational path: academic and entrepreneurial. The academic track is strictly oriented towards the perspective of continuing education at the doctoral school, with a strong emphasis on the active involvement of students in scientific research. The entrepreneurial path is oriented towards practical applications of cybersecurity and coordinated with the implementation of research projects applicable in the social and economic environment.