Teesside University academic honoured among Most Inspiring Women in Cyber 2026

A Teesside University academic has been handed a major accolade at a prestigious ceremony honouring the efforts of women operating at the forefront of the cybersecurity sector.

Dr Chidimma Opara, Lecturer in Computer Science in the School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, was named as one of 21 exceptional women at the Most Inspiring Women in Cyber 2026 awards.

The awards ceremony took place at the BT Tower in London and celebrates the impact of women in cybersecurity across the globe.

Organised by Eskenzi PR and supported by sponsors including Fidelity International, Plexal, Bridewell and BT, the event honours leading innovators, mentors and changemakers advancing cybersecurity worldwide.

This year’s winners were selected from a pool of more than 200 nominees, with the final honourees chosen by an esteemed judging panel representing organisations such as Sophos, THG, Stephenson Harwood LLP, Fidelity International, WiTCH, Plexal, BT, Tines and Eskenzi PR.

Dr Opara is a leading researcher in cybersecurity, machine learning and artificial intelligence, with groundbreaking work in phishing detection, generative AI misuse, and stylometric analysis.

Her PhD produced pioneering anti-phishing frameworks including a deep-learning model analysing raw URL and HTML to detect phishing web pages and a framework for identifying malicious blockchain activity.

More recently, her research investigates how generative AI can be exploited for advanced phishing and misinformation, and how stylometric and psycholinguistic techniques can distinguish AI generated text from human writing.

She has published and acted as a reviewer in several influential journals and also delivered invited talks, workshops, and mentoring initiatives supporting women in STEM and underrepresented student groups.

Dr Opara’s recognition underscores Teesside University’s commitment to cutting edge research and to nurturing talent that makes meaningful contributions to global digital safety. Her work continues to shape understanding of emerging cyber threats, particularly as AI reshapes the digital landscape.

Dr Opara said: 'I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition.

'As we enter into the age of AI, cybersecurity is a vitally important field and I am very proud of the contribution I am able to make to advancing knowledge in this area.

'My goal has always been to make digital spaces safer and more inclusive, and I am grateful to be part of a global community working towards that mission.

'This award is also a testament to the support I’ve received from colleagues and students at Teesside University, who inspire me every day.'

This year’s awards highlighted women whose leadership, innovation and advocacy are shaping the future of cybersecurity.

Yvonne Eskenzi, Co Founder of Eskenzi PR, said: 'It was such an honour to be in the company of so many incredible women at this year’s Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards at the BT Tower.

'I am continually blown away by the achievements of women in this industry and our ability to come together as a community to celebrate and empower one another time and time again.

'Every woman nominated was exceptional and every winner thoroughly deserving.'

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