Nicholas RaceView profile
Professor
Nicholas Race is a Professor of Networked Systems at Lancaster University's School of Computing and Communications, where he also serves as Associate Dean for Research for the Faculty of Science & Technology since 2020. His academic career at Lancaster spans over two decades, progressing from Research Assistant (2000-2001) to his current professorship (2017-present), with previous roles including Reader in Networking (2015-2017) and Senior Lecturer (2008-2015). His educational background includes a Doctor of Philosophy from Lancaster University (2000) and a 1st Class B.Sc. Hons in Computer Science from the same institution (1996). Race leads significant research initiatives including NG-CDI (an EPSRC/BT funded Prosperity Partnership), AI4ME (an EPSRC/BBC funded project), and MANY, building on previous leadership roles in projects such as 5GRIT, INITIATE, MPAT, and several EU-funded initiatives. Race's research focuses on Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) for developing next-generation networking services. His work spans network security (including the TENNISON framework for distributed SDN security), media distribution with Quality of Experience optimization, and autonomic network management. His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on intent-based networking, security automation, quality of experience in adaptive streaming, and the integration of 5G with other networking technologies. His scholarly output shows consistent contributions across multiple venues, with recent work addressing challenges in low-latency streaming, network security evaluation frameworks, and the practical implementation of software-defined networking concepts. The publications demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach bridging theoretical networking concepts with practical implementations. Race serves on the editorial board of Computer Communications and has held leadership roles in major conferences including as Programme Co-Chair of DE2013: Open Digital and as PC Member for ACM Multimedia, Multimedia Systems, and EWSDN. As a research supervisor, he mentors multiple PhD students working on topics related to SDN, network security, and media delivery. His projects attract significant funding from EPSRC, BT, BBC, and EU sources, demonstrating the applied relevance of his work to both industry and academic communities. Race is affiliated with several research groups including the Cyber Security Research Centre (Networking), Data Science Institute Foundations, Security Lancaster (Networks), and other specialized centers focusing on network security and systems.





