Official portrait of Prof. Dr. Michael Andersen, Dean of the School of Cyber Security at ICS AI University
Office of the Dean, School of Cyber Security

Prof. Dr. Michael Andersen

Dean, School of Cyber Security (Dean, School of Cyber Security)

Office of the Dean, School of Cyber Security

ICS AI University

Cyber security is not merely a technical discipline; it is the foundation of trust in the digital society.

About

About Prof. Dr. Michael Andersen

Prof. Dr. Michael Andersen is Dean of the School of Cyber Security at ICS AI University, where he leads the School's academic strategy, research portfolio, international partnerships, industry engagement, and quality assurance. He is an internationally respected cyber security scholar with more than twenty-five years of experience spanning academia, government advisory service, and industry practice across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America.

Prof. Andersen began his academic journey at Aarhus University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering with distinction. His early fascination with secure systems, cryptography, and network defence led him to the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, where he completed a Master of Science in Information Security, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in Cyber Security at the Technical University of Denmark. His doctoral research on adaptive intrusion detection and behavioural threat modelling established foundational contributions that continue to inform modern security operations practice.

Following his doctorate, Prof. Andersen was awarded a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford, where he collaborated with the Oxford Cyber Security Centre on secure-by-design architectures for critical infrastructure. He later completed an Executive Leadership Programme in Cyber Risk & Digital Transformation at INSEAD, deepening his expertise in enterprise governance, board-level risk oversight, and international regulatory frameworks.

Over his career, Prof. Andersen has held academic appointments at leading European and international universities, including visiting professorships at ETH Zürich, the National University of Singapore, and Carnegie Mellon University. He has served as advisor to national cyber security agencies across the European Union, contributing to the design of national cyber resilience strategies, sector-specific security frameworks, and cross-border incident response protocols. His long-standing collaboration with ENISA working groups has shaped European guidance on threat intelligence sharing, cloud security assurance, and zero trust adoption.

Prof. Andersen's research programme sits at the frontier of cyber threat intelligence, digital forensics, cloud security, zero trust architecture, and AI-powered threat detection. He has authored more than 175 peer-reviewed publications, ten authored books, and forty book chapters, and has delivered over 95 invited keynotes at premier academic and industry venues, including RSA Conference, Black Hat, IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, and the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security. His scholarship has attracted more than 26,000 citations and an h-index of 75.

As a principal investigator, Prof. Andersen has led over forty-five research projects and secured more than twenty-two international grants from the European Commission, national research councils, and industry consortia. He established and directs the Centre for Cyber Threat Intelligence, an interdisciplinary research hub advancing next-generation detection, threat hunting, and adversary-informed defence. His work on quantum-safe cryptography and AI-augmented security operations is widely referenced in both academic literature and enterprise security architectures.

Prof. Andersen has supervised more than fifty-five doctoral candidates, many of whom now hold senior academic, government, and industry roles across four continents. He is deeply committed to student mentorship, doctoral supervision, and building inclusive research communities. His teaching portfolio ranges from foundational courses in cyber security and network defence to advanced graduate seminars in digital forensics, incident response, cloud security, and security governance.

His leadership philosophy is rooted in academic excellence, ethical stewardship, and international collaboration. He believes that cyber security education must combine rigorous technical depth with governance literacy, legal awareness, and human-centred design. Under his leadership, the School of Cyber Security is expanding its programme portfolio, deepening its research centres, strengthening industry partnerships, and building strategic alliances with national and international cyber security agencies.

Prof. Andersen serves on international advisory boards, accreditation panels, and standards committees on cyber security, higher education, and digital resilience. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and ACM, and an active member of ISACA, ISC², FIRST, and ENISA working groups. He has advised ministries, financial regulators, and critical infrastructure operators on strategic cyber resilience, and he is a frequent contributor to global policy dialogues on digital trust, cyber diplomacy, and secure digital transformation.

His vision for the School of Cyber Security is to establish it as a globally recognised centre for cyber defence education, applied security research, and cross-sector collaboration. He is committed to cultivating a new generation of security professionals who combine deep technical mastery with ethical responsibility, strategic judgement, and a commitment to defending the digital society for the common good.

Areas of Expertise

Fields of leadership and scholarship

Cyber SecurityCyber DefenceDigital ForensicsThreat IntelligenceCloud SecurityZero Trust ArchitectureCritical Infrastructure ProtectionCyber Risk ManagementIdentity & Access ManagementAI for Cyber SecurityQuantum-Safe CryptographySecurity Governance

Leadership Philosophy

Guiding principle

Cyber security is not merely a technical discipline; it is the foundation of trust in the digital society.
Prof. Dr. Michael Andersen, Dean, School of Cyber Security

Academic Vision

A future-ready university

To lead the School of Cyber Security as a globally recognised centre for cyber defence education, applied security research, and international collaboration — advancing digital resilience and shaping security leaders who defend the digital society.

Research Interests

Active lines of inquiry

Cyber Threat Intelligence

Digital Forensics

Network Security

Malware Analysis

Critical Infrastructure Security

Cloud Security

Secure Software Engineering

Zero Trust Security

Cyber Resilience

Security Operations

AI-powered Threat Detection

Current Responsibilities

Executive portfolio

Strategic Leadership

Provides strategic academic leadership for the School of Cyber Security.

Academic Strategy

Develops and executes the School's long-term academic and research strategy.

Research Excellence

Strengthens research excellence across cyber defence, forensics, and secure engineering.

International Collaboration

Establishes and stewards international academic and industry partnerships.

Cyber Laboratories

Expands the School's cyber ranges, forensics labs, and security operations facilities.

Accreditation

Leads national and international accreditation initiatives for cyber security programmes.

Faculty Development

Oversees faculty recruitment, mentorship, and academic career development.

Industry Partnerships

Strengthens partnerships with technology vendors, security firms, and critical infrastructure operators.

Government Collaboration

Advises and collaborates with national cyber security agencies and regulators.

Student Success

Drives student success, employability, and doctoral research excellence.

Global Reputation

Enhances the School's international standing, rankings, and academic reputation.

Coming Soon

Future-ready extensions

Reserved placeholders so this profile scales without redesign.

Dean's Welcome

Soon

Official welcome from the Dean of the School of Cyber Security — coming soon.

Annual Dean's Address

Soon

Annual academic address from the Dean — coming soon.

Office Hours

Soon

Dean's office hours — Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:00.

Book Appointment

Soon

Book an appointment with the Dean's Office — coming soon.

Research Portfolio

Soon

Selected publications, books, and keynotes — coming soon.

Doctoral Supervision

Soon

Current and past doctoral supervisions — coming soon.