Dr. Funminiyi Olajide is an Associate Teaching Professor in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, Incident Response, and Cybercrime at Penn State University, College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), Department of Privacy and Cybersecurity Informatics (PCI). He also serves as an Accessibility Champion and Course Leader within the CYBER, SRA, and IST programs, contributing to academic leadership, curriculum development, and program management.
Dr. Olajide earned his PhD in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, Incident Response, and Cybercrime from the University of Portsmouth, UK. His doctoral research focused on digital forensic investigations, incident response, and the management of cybercrime. He also holds an MSc in Forensic Information Technology from the University of Portsmouth, UK, and an MBA from Edge Hill University, UK. With over 34 years of professional experience spanning academia, research, banking, and IT/IS, he combines technical expertise with management knowledge in cybersecurity, digital forensics, risk governance, and information security management.
Career Overview
Before joining Penn State University in 2025, Dr. Olajide held senior academic appointments at various universities in the United Kingdom and gained international teaching experience. He has extensive expertise in teaching at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels and has supervised numerous professional and research doctoral candidates. Dr. Olajide has contributed to curriculum development, program leadership, and research supervision across multiple programs, demonstrating strong insights into academic program management and applied research in cybersecurity, digital forensics, incident response, and cybercrime.
Beyond his academic roles, Dr. Olajide has worked at Airbus in Newport, Wales, United Kingdom, contributing to research on SCADA forensics and participating in projects with Airbus Defence & Space involving SCADA/ICS security, digital investigations, and cyber incident management. His PhD research on application analysis aligns with the research agenda of the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), the UK National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), and other partner organizations. These collaborations underscore his ability to bridge rigorous academic research with applied cybersecurity challenges across both industry and government contexts.
Research Interests
Dr. Olajide’s research integrates technical, cybercrime, forensic, and organizational perspectives of cybersecurity. His work focuses on:
- Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics (Event reconstruction, malware analysis, Windows/AWS security, cloud forensics)
- Incident Response (Forensic memory analysis, mobile forensics, large-scale e-discovery/e-disclosure)
- Cybercrime and Criminology (Criminological aspects of cybercrime, cyber-terrorism, and risks in business applications)
- Enterprise Security & Risk Management (Frameworks, ISM policies, SOC operations, vulnerability assessment, cloud security)
- Applied Research on Legacy Systems (SCADA forensics, IoT/IIoT integration, and enterprise systems)
Professional Memberships & Leadership
- Senior Fellow (SFHEA), Higher Education Academy (UK)
- Fellow (FBCS), British Computer Society (UK)
- Member, Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences (UK)
- Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of e-Healthcare Information Systems
- Professional Member, ACM, Membership No.: 5698822
Advisory & Committee Memberships
Dr. Olajide contributes to professional and academic communities through service as an Advisory and Committee Member with Infonomics Society initiatives and ACM-related programs. These roles reflect his commitment to advancing knowledge exchange, ethical practices, and global collaboration in cybersecurity, digital forensics, and information systems research.
Selected Research Projects
Dr. Olajide’s research portfolio includes:
- Cyber-attack detection and incident response in emerging cloud infrastructures
- Memory and mobile forensics for business applications
- Digital investigations and evidence presentation in large datasets
- Information Security Management (ISM) policy development for data privacy and security assurance
- Criminological frameworks for understanding cybercrime in business organizations
Supervision
Dr. Olajide supervises undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral research projects. He welcomes PhD candidates interested in the following areas:
- Cybersecurity
- Digital Forensics & Incident Response (including Malware Analysis)
- Enterprise Cloud Computing & Information Security
Research Groups/Centers
Dr. Olajide is affiliated with the Centre for Cyber-Security, Information Privacy, and Trust (LIONS Centre) at Pennsylvania State University, where he contributes to cross-disciplinary research on cybersecurity, privacy, and digital trust and cyber resilience.
Editorial Leadership
At Penn State, Dr. Olajide teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate levels within the College of Information Sciences and Technology (College of IST). His teaching portfolio spans cybersecurity, information security management, risk analysis, privacy, digital forensics, artificial intelligence, research methods, and global information technology. Courses taught include:
- CYBER 456 – Information Security Management (Final-Year Undergraduate – Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Informatics)
- SRA 111 – Security Risk Analysis (Penn State World Campus – Online Undergraduate)
- IST 442 – Information Technology in an International Context (Final-Year Undergraduate – University-wide Course): A cross-disciplinary course designed for registered students across The Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus (State College, Pennsylvania), including students from the Smeal College of Business and other academic colleges across the University.
- SRA 211-002 – Threat of Terrorism and Crime (University-wide Undergraduate)
- SRA 211-003 – Threat of Terrorism and Crime (University-wide Undergraduate)
- IST 830 – Cybersecurity Project Management (Graduate Course – Master’s and PhD Students)
- IST 594 – Research Topics (Graduate Course – Master’s and PhD Students): Focus areas include cybersecurity analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), digital forensics, privacy-preserving technologies, and applied global research.
- IST 815 – Foundations of Information Security and Assurance (Graduate Course – Master’s and PhD Students): An advanced graduate course delivered to enrolled students across the College of Information Sciences and Technology (College of IST), including students from the Department of Privacy and Cybersecurity Informatics (PCI), Department of Informatics and Intelligent Systems (IIS), and Department of Human-Centered Computing and Social Informatics (HCCSI).
Previously in the United Kingdom, Dr. Olajide taught modules on Digital Forensics, DFIR, Information Security Governance, Cyber Security Evidence and Procedures, Cyber Security Threats and Countermeasures, and Cyber Security and Forensics Projects.
