Jacques Ophoff

Dr, PhD (Information Technology)

Accepting PhD Students

Calculated based on number of publications stored in Pure and citations from Scopus
20122025

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Personal profile

Accepting PhD Students.

I'm a Reader in Cybersecurity and Resilience in the Department of Cybersecurity and Computing where I teach various security-related topics at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including security in software engineering, information security management, and human aspects of security.

My research focuses on all levels of cybersecurity from individual to national level. I'm particularly interested in management and human aspects of security. To date I have supervised 70+ postgraduate research projects to completion.

Teaching

Module leader: Software Engineering Practice (CMP307); Engineering Resilient Systems (CMP417, CMP510); Understanding the Cybersecurity Threat (CYB393)

Research interests

My research focuses primarily on information and cybersecurity. This includes a broad range of topics ranging from technical implementations, to management, and behavioural factors. Individuals are often considered to be the weakest link in security and I have a particular interest in human factors in (also called behavioural) security. Current problems I’m investigating are how to motivate secure behaviours in individuals and organisations, and understanding resistance to security recommendations. I also have an interest in the related area of information privacy.

Esteem

I'm the SICSA Cyber Security research theme co-lead. I'm Vice-Chair of IFIP Working Group 11.8, which focuses on information security education. I hold an Honorary Research Associate position at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. I'm an Associate Editor for the Journal of Intellectual Capital (Securing the Organization's Knowledge and Information). 

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 4 - Quality Education
  • SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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  • Digital evidence: a legal practitioner's perspective

    Egbu, I., Ophoff, J. & McKay, A., 23 Apr 2025, Proceedings of the International Conference on Cybersecurity, Situational Awareness and Social Media - Cyber Science 2024: Cyber Science 2024; 27–28 June; Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland. Jaatun, M. G., Onwubiko, C., Rosati, P., Rege, A., Hindy, H., Erola, A. & Bellekens, X. (eds.). Singapore: Springer, p. 303-317 15 p. (Springer Proceedings in Complexity).

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

  • Factors contributing to cybersecurity fatigue

    Norton, C., Ruhwanya, Z. & Ophoff, J., 30 Oct 2025, Human Aspects of Information Security and Assurance: 19th IFIP WG 11.12 International Symposium, HAISA 2025, Mytilene, Greece, July 7–9, 2025, proceedings. Furnell, S. & Clarke, N. (eds.). Cham: Springer, p. 198-211 14 p. (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology (IFIP AICT); vol. 761).

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

  • Loss aversion and fixed reward in gamified cybersecurity training

    Carle, N., Ophoff, J. & Shepherd, L., 26 Jul 2025, Information Security Education. Empowering People through Information Security Education: 17th IFIP WG 11.8 World Conference, WISE 2025, Maribor, Slovenia, May 21–23, 2025, Proceedings. Drevin, L., Leung, W. S. & von Solms, S. (eds.). Cham: Springer, p. 109-123 15 p. ( IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology; vol. 742).

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

  • Mind the gap: exploring perceptions of cyber security in the SME context

    Button, D. J., Ophoff, J., Irons, A. & McDonald, S., 26 Jun 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Information and Computer Security. 15 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Open Access
    File
    95 Downloads (Pure)
  • A cyber peers framework for primary schools

    Ophoff, J. & Prior, S., 28 Dec 2024, Advances in teaching and learning for cyber security education. Legg, P., Coull, N. & Clarke, C. (eds.). Cham: Springer, p. 137-152 16 p. (Lecture notes in networks and systems (LNNS); vol. 1213).

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution