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Management Group (MG) | Sub-Committees (SCs) | Members | Terms of Reference (ToR) | Naming the Learned Society | Relevant Organisations

Introduction

LSFWG (Learned Society Formation Working Group) is part of the EPSRC-funded NetworkPlus CRANE, as a special working group whose aim is to establish a new learned society for interdisciplinary cyber security research. More about LSFWG as a CRANE Working Group can be found on this page.

This web page is hosted on the Chair's personal website to help enhance operational efficiency. More stable content about LSFWG is on the CRANE website.

LSFWG now has a LinkedIn company page (scan or click the QR code on the right hand side). Please consider following it and recommending it to other people who may be interested in being part of or working with the learned society.

Management Group (MG)

The Chair, Vice Co-Chairs and (Co-)Chairs of LSFWG Sub-Committees (SCs, see the next section) will form the Manegement Group of LSFWG, who will oversee the overall activities of LSFWG.

• Chair: Shujun Li (University of Kent, part of London and South East University Group) (also SC1 Acting Chair and SC5 Co-Chair).
• Vice Co-Chairs: Marta F. Arroyabe (University of Essex) (also SC3 Co-Chair and SC4 Acting Chair), Carsten Maple (University of Warwick) (also SC3 Co-Chair), one more to be appointed.
• CRANE rep: Lynne Coventry (Abertay University) (also SC2 Acting Chair)
• SC5 Co-Chair: Steven Furnell (University of Nottingham)
• More SC (Co-)Chairs will be added once appointed.

The LSFWG Management Group can be contacted via crane-lsfwg-mg@googlegroups.com.

Sub-Committees (SCs)

The following five sub-committees (SCs) have been organised for different areas of activities of LSFWG. Each member is required to join at least one SC to ensure that they can have more concrete opportunities to contribute to LSFWG. Each SC will have one chair or two co-chairs, who shall be active members of the SC.

• SC1 Governance and Legal Matters: Abdullahi Arabo, Ali Kashif Bashir, Achim Brucker, Yulia Cherdantseva, Natalie Coull, Thomas Groß, Shujun Li (Acting Chair), Manuel Maarek, Charles Morisset, Peter Trim, Muhammad Usman
• SC2 Individual Members: Mahdi Aiash, Mohammad Athar Ali, Neeranjan Chitare, Lynne Coventry (Acting Chair), Phil Legg, Shujun Li, Jims Marchang, Jason R.C. Nurse, Iain Reid, Erika Sanchez, Huiru Zheng
• SC3 Organisational Members, Partners and Collaborators: Yussuf Ahmed, Panagiotis Andriotis, Marta F. Arroyabe (Co-Chair), Steven Furnell, Mike Just, Shujun Li, Naercio Magaia, Carsten Maple (Co-Chair), Yogachandran Rahulamathavan, Siamak Shahandashti, Peter Trim, Elochukwu Ukwandu, Ismini Vasileiou, Dmitry Zaitsev, Shahrzad Zargari, Hua Zhong
• SC4 Marketing and IT: Marta F. Arroyabe (Acting Chair), Koorosh Aslansefat, Aisha Junejo, Shujun Li, Stavros Shiaeles, Mu Yang
• SC5 Conferences and Publications: Farhan Ahmad, Zeeshan Ahmad, Ali Safaa Sadiq Al Shakarchi, Muhammad Rizwan Asghar, Ji-Jian Chin, Tooska Dargahi, Mahmood Fazlali, Virginia Franqueira, Steven Furnell (Co-Chair), Daniel Gardham, Deepak GC, Mohamed Chahine Ghanem, Ali Jaddoa, Harsha Kalutarage, Erisa Karafili, Yang-Im Lee, Shujun Li (Co-Chair), Paulo Emílio de Vilhena, Xiaojun Zhai

All LSFWG Members (alphabetic order)

1. Farhan Ahmad, University of Huddersfield
2. Zeeshan Ahmad, University of Wolverhampton
3. Yussuf Ahmed, Birmingham City University
4. Mahdi Aiash, Middlesex University
5. Ali Safaa Sadiq Al Shakarchi (also known as Ali Safaa Sadiq or Ali Al Shakarchi), De Montfort University
6. Mohammad Athar Ali, University of Buckingham
7. Panagiotis Andriotis, University of Birmingham
8. Abdullahi Arabo, University of the West of England
9. Marta F. Arroyabe, University of Essex
10. Muhammad Rizwan Asghar, University of Surrey
11. Koorosh Aslansefat, University of Hull
12. Ali Kashif Bashir, Manchester Metropolitan University
13. Achim Brucker, University of Exeter
14. Bill Buchanan OBE, Edinburgh Napier University
15. Yulia Cherdantseva, Cardiff University
16. Ji-Jian Chin, University of Plymouth
17. Neeranjan Chitare, Birmingham City University
18. Natalie Coull, Abertay University
19. Lynne Coventry, Abertay University
20. Tooska Dargahi, Manchester Metropolitan University
21. Mahmood Fazlali, University of Hertfordshire
22. Virginia Franqueira, University of Kent
23. Steven Furnell, University of Nottingham
24. Daniel Gardham, University of Surrey
25. Deepak GC, Kingston University
26. Mohamed Chahine Ghanem, Keele University
27. Thomas Groß, Newcastle University
28. Ali Jaddoa, University of Roehampton
29. Vitor Jesus, Aston University
30. Aisha Junejo, Keele University
31. Mike Just, Heriot-Watt University
32. Harsha Kalutarage, Robert Gordon University
33. Erisa Karafili, University of Southampton
34. Yang-Im Lee, University of Westminster
35. Phil Legg, University of the West of England
36. Shujun Li, University of Kent (Chair)
37. Manuel Maarek, Heriot-Watt University
38. Naercio Magaia, University of Sussex
39. Carsten Maple, University of Warwick
40. Jims Marchang, Sheffield Hallam University
41. Charles Morisset, Durham University
42. Jason R.C. Nurse, University of Kent
43. Yogachandran Rahulamathavan, Loughborough University
44. Iain Reid, University of Portsmouth
45. Erika Sanchez, Anglia Ruskin University
46. Siamak Shahandashti, University of York
47. Stavros Shiaeles, University of Portsmouth
48. Peter Trim, Birkbeck, University of London
49. Elochukwu Ukwandu, Cardiff Metropolitan University
50. Muhammad Usman, Edge Hill University
51. Ismini Vasileiou, De Montfort University
52. Paulo Emílio de Vilhena, University of Surrey
53. Mu Yang, Birkbeck, University of London
54. Dmitry Zaitsev, University of Derby
55. Shahrzad Zargari, Sheffield Hallam University
56. Xiaojun Zhai, University of Essex
57. Huiru Zheng, Ulster University
58. Hua Zhong, London South Bank University

The call for members of LSFWG has been closed. We will re-open the application form if there are vacancies. Some SCs still welcome new members so please get in touch if you are interested in some of the SCs.

Terms of Reference (ToR)

LSFWG's terms of references (ToR) will be defined by the Management Group, considering feedback from all members of LSFWG. Once passed, it will be published here.

Naming the Learned Society

Some General Principles

• Given our vision to be an international learned society eventually, we should not have “British” or “UK” in the name.
• Maybe we should not include “International” or “Global” to avoid diluting our UK focus in the first a few years.
• For the research area, we can use “Cyber Security”, “Cybersecurity”, “Cyber” or “Information Security”. In the UK, the first one is the standard, but the second is more common worldwide. The third one is too broad, and the last one can be argued too narrow and may be seen too old-fashioned.
• We may include “interdisciplinary” in the name, but it can make the name unnecessarily long. If cyber security is intrinsically interdisciplinary as we all agree, then this word is also redundant. We can however highlight the interdisciplinary element on the front page of the learned society’s website and any marketing materials, and in names of conferences / journals / events.
• To differentiate us from CIISec, CSE Connect and many other cyber security membership bodies (e.g., ISC2), we should have “Research” or “Researchers” in the name. The second can discourage non-researchers, so “Research” is likely better.
  • There is an ongoing discussion on if the learned society should also cover cyber security education globally. If so, we should not include such a word limiting the scope of the learned society.
  • If decide to not use "Research" in the name, we may use a word such as "Aadvancement" to make it easier to find an available acronym and domain name. Multiple learned societies use such a word, e.g., AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence) and AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science).
• We can be a “Society”, “Association”, “Institute” or “Academy”. The last one is the least common. The third one is too close to CIISec’s choice, so can cause confusion. The word “Society” seems more popular among UK-based learned societies, but it does not help make a more pronounceable acronym. The phase “Learned Society” is uncommon among learned societies and it makes the name unnecessarily longer, so we probably should avoid.
• We need to have an easier-to-remember/pronounce acronym, which ideally looks different from other learned societies’ acronyms.
• The acronym may better have 4-6 letters or have the word "Cyber" in it to make it easier to remember/recognise/pronounce.

Some proposed names and acronyms

Dark green acronyms have the corresponding .org domain name available. Lime green acronyms have the corresponding .org domain name open for sale in the market (potentially more expensive and slow to get). Red acronyms have the corresponding .org domain name available but the one-off purchase price is high. Deleted acronyms have the acronym and/or the corresponding .org domain name occupied that is currently not for sale. Underlined names and acronyms are those recommended by the Chair as candidates for an online poll of LSFWG/CRANE members and the wider cyber security research community.

• Association for the Advancement of Cyber Security: AACS, A4ACS, AACyS, AACyber
  • The acronym AACS and the domain name sacs.org have been used by American Association of Christian Schools.
• Association for the Advancement of Cybersecurity: AAC, A4AC, AACy, AACyber
  • The domain name aac.org has been used by AIDS Action.
  • The domain name a4ac.org has been occupied, but the website is one automatically generated by Plesk.
  • The acronym AACY and the domain name aacy.org have been used by American Association of Caregiving Youth.
• Global Cyber Security Association: GCSA, GCySA
  • The acronym GCSA and the domain name gcsa.org have been used by Global Cybersecurity Alliance.
  • The acronym GCYSA and the domain name gcysa.org have been used by Gulf Coast Youth Sailing Association.
• Global Cybersecurity Association: GCA, GCyA
  • The acronym GCA and the domain name gca.org have been used by Global Center on Adaptation.
  • The domain name gcya.org is available, but the price is a bit high (over £1k as shown on the website of IONOS).
• International Association for Cyber Security: IACS, IA4CS, IACyS
  • The acronym IACS and the domain name i4acs.org have been used by Institute for Advanced Circulatory Support.
  • The domain name iacs.org is available, but the price is very high (over £11k as shown on the website of IONOS).
• International Association of Cyber Security: IACS, IACyS
• International Cyber Security Association: ICSA, ICySA
  • The acronym ICSA and the domain name icsa.org have been used by International Chinese Statistical Association.
  • The domain name icysa.org is not for sale, but the website shows it may be available for purchase.
• International Cybersecurity Association: ICA, ICyA
  • The domain name ica.org is not for sale, but there is not an active website, either.
  • The domain name icya.org is not for sale, but there is not an active website, either.
• Association for Cyber Security Research: ACSR, A4CSR, ACySR, ACSecR, ACySeR
  • The acronym ACSR and the domain name acsr.org have been used by Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction.
• Association of Cyber Security Research: ACSR, ACySR, ACSecR, ACySeR
• Association for Cybersecurity Research: ACR, A4CR, ACyR
  • The acronym ACR and the domain name acr.org have been used by American College of Radiology and A4CR by Alliance for Citizens' Rights.
  • The domain name acyr.org is available, but the price is a bit high (over £3.7k as shown on the website of IONOS).
• Association of Cybersecurity Research: ACR, ACyR
• Cyber Security Research Association: CSRA, CySRA
  • The acronym CSRA and the domain name csra.org have been used by Connecticut Street Rod Association.
• Cybersecurity Research Association: CRA, CyRA
  • The acronym CRA and the domain name csra.org have been used by Computing Research Association.
  • The domain name cyra.org is not for sale, but its website does not exist, either.
• Society for the Advancement of Cyber Security: SACS, S4ACS, SACyS, SACyber
  • The acronym SACS and the domain name sacs.org have been used by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
  • The domain name sacys.org has been used by Sacramento Youth Symphony (SYS).
  • The domain name sacyber.org has been used by CyberTexas Foundation™.
• Society for the Advancement of Cybersecurity: SAC, S4AC, SACy, SACyber
  • The domain name sac.org is not sale but not used by anyone, either.
• Society for Cyber Security Research: SCSR, S4CSR, SCySR
  • The domain name scsr.org is available, but the price is a bit high (almost £3.7k as shown on the website of IONOS).
• Society of Cyber Security Research: SCSR, SCySR
• Society for Cybersecurity Research: SCR, S4CR, SCyR
  • The acronym SCR and the domain name acr.org have been used by South Coast Repertory.
  • The domain name scyr.org has been taken, but the website shows a 403 error.
• Society of Cybersecurity Research: SCR, SCyR
• Cyber Security Research Society: CSRS, CySRS
  • Note that the acronym CSRS and the domain name csrs.org have been used by Cervical Spine Research Society.
• Cybersecurity Research Society: CRS, CyRS, CyberRS
  • Note that the acronym CRS has been used by the national cyber security learned society in Nigeria .
  • The domain name cyrs.org is available, but the price is a bit high (over £1k as shown on the website of IONOS).
• Institute for the Advancement of Cyber Security: IACS, I4ACS, IACyS, IACyber
  • The acronym IACS and the domain name i4acs.org have been used by Institute for Advanced Circulatory Support.
  • The domain name iacs.org is available, but the price is very high (over £11k as shown on the website of IONOS).
• Institute for the Advancement of Cybersecurity: IAC, I4AC, IACy, IACyber
  • The acronym IAC and the domain name iac.org have been used by International Aerobatic Club.
  • The domain name i4ac.org is not for sale but a website does not exist, either.
  • The domain name iacy.org has been used by a website named Ibirapema.
• Institute for Cyber Security Research: ICSR, I4CSR, ICySR
• Institute of Cyber Security Research: ICSR, ICySR
• Cyber Security Research Institute: CSRI, CySRI
  • The acronym CSRI and the domain name csri.org have been used by College Sport Research Institute.
• Cybersecurity Research Institute: CRI, CyRI
  • The acronym CRI and the domain name cri.org have been used by Climate Rights International.
  • The domain name cyri.org is available but has a small one-off fee of £178 (as shown on the website of IONOS).
• Learned Society for the Advancement of Cyber Security: LSACS, LS4ACS, LSACyber
  • lsacs.org is not available (not for sale either), but a website does not seem to exist.
• Learned Society for the Advancement of Cybersecurity: LSAC, LS4AC, LSACyber
  • The acronym LSAC and the domain name lsac.org have been used by Law School Admission Council, Inc.
• Learned Society for Cyber Security: LSFCS
• Learned Society for Cybersecurity: LSFC

Relevant Organisations

Learned Societies in Cyber Security

International:

National and Regional:

:

: Communications and Information Security (CIS) Technical Committee

: Information Forensics and Security Technical Committee (IFS TC)

: Technical Committee on Information Assurance & Intelligent Multimedia-Mobile Communications Technical Committee on Blockchain Technical Committee on Biometrics and Applications Technical Committee on Homeland Security Technical Committee on Logistics Informatics and Industrial Security Systems Technical Committee on Social and Economic Security Technical Committee on Conflict Resolution

: Systems Security Technical Committee

:

SIGSAC (Special Interest Group on Security, Audit and Control) EIGTRUST (Trustworthy and Responsible Systems)

TC11 Security and Privacy Protection in Information Processing Systems: WG 11.1 Information Security Management WG 11.2 Pervasive Systems Security WG 11.4 Network & Distributed Systems Security WG 11.5 IT Assurance and Audit WG 11.6 Identity Management WG 9.6/11.7 Information Technology Mis-Use and the Law WG 11.8 Information Security Education WG 11.9 Digital Forensics WG 11.10 Critical Infrastructure Protection WG 11.11 Trust Management WG 11.12 Human Aspects of Information Security and Assurance WG 8.11/11.13 Information Systems Security Research WG 11.14 Secure Engineering

Other Learned Societies with Formal Cyber Security Coverage

Computer Science and Electronic Engineering: (ISSG - Information Security specialist group, Cybercrime Forensics specialist group, IRMA - Information Risk Management and Assurance specialist group) (, , , , , , , , , , , , ) (: ICSS-TG = Information and Communication System Security technical group; : , , , , , SITE = Technical Committee on Social Implications of Technology and Information Ethics)

Digital Forensics, Cybercrime and Online Safety: (, )

Psychology and Human Factors: (Cyberpsychology Section, Defence and Security Psychology Section) (CYTG - Cybersecurity Technical Group)

Business and Management: ()

Last Updated/Reviewed

16 October 2026