Leonie Simpson

Leonie Simpson is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Faculty of Science. Her research and teaching are centered on cryptography and information security, with a strong focus on symmetric encryption, key management, and secure communications.

Her research interests include:

• Symmetric encryption algorithms for real-time communications
• Authenticated encryption and security-efficiency trade-offs
• Boolean functions in cipher design for cyber attack resistance
• Information security management and threat information sharing
• IoT and vehicular communication security

Leonie has published over 80 articles and three book chapters on symmetric ciphers. Her recent publications emphasize lightweight cryptography for connected vehicles, anomaly detection in key management via metadata, and secure frameworks for post-quantum migration. These works reflect a consistent trend toward practical, efficient, and resilient cryptographic solutions for emerging technologies.

She has supervised 12 PhD and 1 Master’s student to completion and currently mentors 5 research students. Her grants include leadership in the Cyber Security CRC and an ARC project on secure stream ciphers. She also serves on the editorial board of the journal Cryptography and has chaired major conferences like ACISP 2013 and 2023.

Notable professional roles include:

• Theme Leader, Resilient Systems, Cyber Security CRC
• Editorial Board Member, Cryptography journal
• Program Co-chair, ACISP 2013 and 2023
• Referee for top journals and conferences in cryptography

She has led industry security analyses and served as an expert witness in a Federal Court case on cryptographic telecommunications. Her teaching includes unit coordination for Cyber Security and previous development of multiple information security and cryptography units at QUT.