Iain Reid

Iain Reid is a Senior Lecturer in Cybercrime at the University of Portsmouth, affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He is also associated with the Centre of Excellence in Defence, Risk & Resilience and the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime. His academic journey includes a PhD in Psychology from the University of Lincoln, an MSc from the University of Kent, and a BSc from Loughborough University.

• PhD in Psychology, University of Lincoln (2015)
• MSc in Social & Applied Psychology, University of Kent (2009)
• BSc (Hons) in Social Psychology, Loughborough University (2008)

His research lies at the intersection of psychology, criminology, and cybersecurity, with a focus on deception detection, risk perception, human cyber security behavior, and digital footprints. He applies psychological frameworks to understand and mitigate cyber threats, particularly in defence and security contexts. His work integrates socio-technical perspectives to examine how individuals and organizations respond to cyber risks.

Reid’s recent publications highlight a consistent trajectory toward understanding strategic deception, defensive cyber deception, and the human factors in secure software development. His work often bridges theoretical psychology with practical applications in cybersecurity, emphasizing ethical considerations, environmental influences, and future-oriented risk models. Themes such as concordance over compliance, design thinking in security, and socio-psychological impacts of doxing recur across his research.

He has contributed to significant projects like Footprints to Emissions, exploring digital vulnerabilities, and actively participates in academic discourse through conferences such as STPIS and Decepticon. He also serves as an External Examiner at the University of York and was previously a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Malta.

His scientific contributions are reflected in numerous peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings, though no formal awards are explicitly listed. He supervises PhD students and is open to new research collaborations in his areas of expertise.