Anastasija Collen got her first computer during what she calls the “wild, wild west days” of computing, when viruses were rampant, and people routinely adopted various identities for different forums and chats. This thrilling world fueled Collen’s interest—and her skepticism–and both drove her to investigate how the seemingly pervasive vulnerabilities of that time might be exploited.
From these powerful roots, Collen has built a cybersecurity career that spans industry and academia. Collen is currently a senior researcher and lecturer at the University of Geneva, where she co-directs the Information Security (I-Sec) Lab; she’s also one of Computing’s Top 30 Early Career Professionals for 2024.
In the following Q&A, Collen describes:
- How her first full-time industry job at Brand Technologies led to an unexpected career change
- How she and her co-director at University of Geneva’s Information Security Lab generate team spirit and success–an approach that can be applied to any team or group.
- Which sector-wide challenge Collen views as most threatening and in need of oversight
- The qualities she encourages in emerging professionals
- The importance of checking in with the inner “moral compass,” which can help you navigate tricky situations across industries
What initially sparked your interest in cybersecurity? How did your early experiences at Brandt Technology shape your career path?
To be honest, my interest in cybersecurity was present from the very early days when I got my first personal computer—the Internet was truly a wild, wild west back in the day! And constant exposure to viruses and worms was a fun time! It also amazed me how easily one could pretend to be anybody they wanted to be in the endless forums and chat applications, and how a little bit of social engineering skills would open countless doors and opportunities. I also remember being very skeptical and cautious, and having this urge to learn more and to understand in depth how vulnerabilities can be exploited.
After graduation, I got my first full-time job at Brand Technology and my duties naturally evolved quickly around security-focused topics, as I was responsible for defining and developing the company’s IT processes. I desperately wanted to expand my knowledge and gain extensive understanding in how to do security properly. This experience defined my desire to pursue my postgraduate studies, specializing in cryptology and security.
Your academic journey spans several prestigious institutions. How did your time at the University of Geneva and ETH Zurich influence your research focus and professional trajectory?
University of Geneva welcomed me back after extended industrial experience, and I bear a very sentimental attachment to it to this day. I believe it was a turning point in my career, offering a return to an environment that lets me contribute to the good of society and helps me to build a generation of curious minds who care about cybersecurity and privacy. University of Geneva strongly supported and reinforced my vision that we should seek to grow our careers in the domain we are passionate about. When we truly believe in something and are driven by genuine interest in the topic, the pathway toward the ultimate goal becomes enjoyable at every step. It also equips us with an internal strength to keep going in very difficult times and makes us appreciate the results even more.
My ETH Zurich experience was one of the best I had in my academic journey so far. As a mother of two, time for personal and professional reflection is often scarce. The ETH Zurich opportunity allowed me to step away from daily routines, reconnect with my intellectual passions, and recenter myself around the values that truly matter to me. Being disconnected from the regular duties, I could put complete focus on a question I believe should be urgently solved in the modern society—that is: Why did we, as a society, slowly abandon digital privacy? My experience at ETH Zurich allowed me to return to the root of my passion and curiosity, and it set a new direction in my research.
Securing more than €4 million in research funding is a remarkable achievement. What strategies or approaches were key to your success in obtaining such significant funding?
Teamwork and shared excitement for the topic! As individuals, we all have different strengths; when combined, they allow us to create incredible results. The team spirit that we managed to establish in the I-Sec lab—which I am happily co-directing with Dr. Niels Nijdam—serves as a unique inspiration source. When you have trust and joy intertwined with the shared urge to solve complex technological and societal challenges, you find endless motivation and focus to keep pursuing the funding proposals’ preparation and the coordination of the research efforts necessary to create strong collaboration teams.
You’ve been involved in numerous high-profile projects, including AutoTRUST and GHOST. Can you discuss a particularly challenging project and how you overcame the obstacles?
GHOST was one of the most challenging yet rewarding projects up to now. The challenge from my side was that, in the situation back in then, Switzerland could not be a coordinator of collaborative European projects; so, despite being a main contributor of the proposal, we had
to give a coordination role to another entity. What was particularly challenging was learning to let go and trust other partners to execute and guide the project according to their vision, which evolved over that time and deviated from the original concept. When starting a new project, we all have certain expectations about how it will unfold and evolve. There are many surprises during the project’s lifetime—and, accordingly, many hard decisions to make along that journey. We were incredibly lucky to have an excellent project coordinator, capable of fusing conflicting opinions and making the project thrive in a way we did not expect. At the end of the day, once again, it was teamwork and an incredible shared mindset between project partners that enabled the success of the project!
As a supervisor to PhD students and postdocs, what do you find most rewarding about mentoring the next generation of cybersecurity researchers?
The moments I love the most are when I see sparkles in the eyes of students when their ideas materialize and when big goals are achieved. And what’s more, I love the moments as I continue observing their path after the graduation and the joyful feeling of being proud of their subsequent choices and the opportunities presented to them. Remarkably, this sparkle becomes possible only when guided by the heart. But it is a difficult skill to learn, to be honest. So if through mentoring, empathy, support, and, hopefully, exemplary behavior, we can guide and equip mentees with such skills, I can only expect more such moments in the future.
You’re an active supporter of Women in Cyber. What initiatives or changes do you believe are crucial for fostering greater inclusivity in the cybersecurity field?
Role modeling is of the utmost importance! In my opinion, science knows no gender, and we should showcase how the pursuit of our most sacred wishes can lead to the achievement of our goals! Of course, there are many changes needed, especially in the western societies where a more-equivalent environment should be established in terms of family management and career growth. I am a strong believer that we should treat each individual according to their personal circumstances, rather than commonly established guidelines on what should be expected from a person at a particular stage of their career.
For example, in the academic world, it is very common to expect constant mobility while working on temporary contracts, moving from one institution to another with the purpose of extending your professional network and having extensive experiences of various environments. And I agree: in most academic environments, this requirement makes a lot of sense—especially when working on individual research grants. But this same demand directly puts at a disadvantage women in academia who have started families.
Regularly changing countries and making their partners agree to such changes indirectly creates demands that compound the sacrifices for everyone involved. So, while some individuals can freely and constantly work on international collaboration projects, moving around a lot within the scope of each project’s execution, do we need to penalize people with families for whom these mobility requirements create outsized demands? And of course, this does not concern only mothers; fathers with similar needs should not be penalized either. Instead, we should have an environment where such choices are honored and should not matter in the first place, regardless of gender!
With your extensive work in IoT security and automated vehicles, what emerging technologies do you think will have the most significant impact on cybersecurity in the next decade?
It is very much a cliché, but I still have to say it: AI. And I believe right now we are approaching a crucial moment when we still can take a good path. My main concern comes from the lack of privacy consideration while developing automated systems. It may sound too provocative, but I see such systems as surveillance machines, where no decent measures currently exist to control who collects what, to what extent, and for what purpose. Yes, of course, we have strong needs to improve AI-based decision making in such systems, but at the same time, we need to commit to treat any data not as de-facto the manufacturer’s property, but rather as a responsibility to preserve and respect the sacred wishes of individuals. The whole technology of automated driving is a dream technology that will have an incredible future. But right now, we keep building these systems with security obscurity when we can instead build them with transparency and trust.
What advice would you give to professionals who aspire to make significant contributions to cybersecurity?
Do not be shy about asking difficult questions and reaching out to the public to discuss them! Also, if you do believe in a cause and in the idea for a solution you have, pursue it with all the means you can find. Difficulties will always arise, and objections too. But through these obstacles, you can improve on your idea, expand it, and ultimately propose even better solutions.
Also, do not constrain yourself to only technical solutions, even if you are a person with a technical background. Finally, make sure your internal ethical compass is set correctly. If you know that a solution you are about to implement somehow is ethically wrong, do not be misled by the idea that: if not you, then someone else will do it. Only by embracing our shared responsibility and the courage to reject harmful ideas can we unite our voices and accomplish extraordinary things.
Bio: Anastasija Collen
Anastasija Collen is a senior researcher and lecturer at the University of Geneva, where she co-directs the Information Security (I-Sec) Lab and serves on the Board of Directors for the university’s InfoSec continuous education program. She earned her PhD in information systems from the University of Geneva in April 2022, focusing on dynamic automated risk assessment in IoT environments. Collen’s research combines technical and interdisciplinary approaches, with a particular emphasis on human factors in cybersecurity and privacy. She is especially interested in addressing emerging security challenges driven by rapid technological innovation, evolving threat landscapes, and the growing complexity of securing data-intensive ecosystems.
Collen has actively contributed to numerous EU-funded Horizon projects, including GHOST, nIoVe, ULTIMO, OPEVA, ENFLATE, and AutoTRUST. Her work centers on developing innovative solutions across domains, ranging from risk assessment frameworks for smart and automated systems to privacy and security measures for connected and automated vehicles and smart city infrastructures.
In her academic role, Collen teaches information security, communication networks, and IoT security, ensuring that course content remains aligned with current research and industry developments. She also co-supervises doctoral and master’s students, supporting the growth of the next generation of cybersecurity experts.
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