Monica Whitty

Professor Monica Whitty is the Head of the Department of Software Systems and Cybersecurity at Monash University. She specializes in human factors in cybersecurity, with a focus on cyber fraud prevention, insider threat analysis, and mis/disinformation detection. Her career includes roles at Russell Group and 1994 Group UK universities, as well as leadership at the UNSW Institute for Cyber Security (IFCYBER). She has secured over $20 million AUD in research funding and leads interdisciplinary teams on projects addressing global cybersecurity challenges.

Education: PhD (Psychology) and BA (Hons) from Macquarie University. Research interests include the psychological profiles of cyber fraud victims, cybersecurity training efficacy, and the sociotechnical dimensions of insider threats. She has provided expert testimony in over 10 international cases involving cyber fraud-related legal disputes.

Key Research Trends: Recent work emphasizes AI-driven fraud detection, ethical frameworks for digital credentials, and culturally responsive cybersecurity strategies for Indigenous communities. Her publications bridge psychology, criminology, and technology to address emerging threats like deepfakes and click fraud.

Grants & Collaboration: Current projects include an ethical blockchain framework for digital credentials (DFAT-funded), disinformation detection tools, and enhancing organizational resilience against insider attacks. She collaborates with institutions globally, including the Oxford Internet Institute and the University of Leicester.

Labs/Teams: Leads Monash’s cybersecurity research initiatives, focusing on human-centric security solutions and cross-disciplinary innovation. Her work influences policy development in Australia and the UK, with media engagements exceeding 50 keynote talks annually.