ISG’s Professor Konstantinos Markantonakis has received Royal Holloway’s Festival of Research Engagement 2025 Award for Outstanding Mentoring.
Professor Konstantinos Markantonakis
Professor of Information Security Kostas joined the Information Security Group in 2002. He teaches on ISG’s NCSC certified Masters in Information Security, he is the current director of the Smart Card and IoT Security Centre (SCC) a world-wide centre of excellence for training and research into security issues associated with smart cards, tokens, mobile devices and IoT, and he has also worked as an independent consultant on information security projects and policy.
In his award citation Kostas was commended for setting an excellent example of outstanding mentoring for his colleagues to follow:
“Under his guidance, students have co-authored papers published in international conferences, and many of his mentees have secured competitive internships, high-profile industry roles, or places in top-tier PhD programmes.
Through initiatives such as the Smart Card Centre (SCC) Internship Programme, Kostas provides ‘open-to-all’ training in research, innovation and real-world development. His structured approach fosters a supportive culture, especially for those without prior research experience. Kostas has cultivated a dynamic, high-performing research culture based on collaboration, innovation, and open dialogue. His example creates a ripple effect, training future mentors and empowering academic communities beyond Royal Holloway.
The example Kostas sets is both in line with the vision set out in the university’s RH2030s strategy, and also aligned with the culture and values which are central to the positive and inclusive learning environment here at Royal Holloway.”
Congratulations on the outstanding mentoring award Kostas.
Kostas has many research interests that include smart card security and applications, secure cryptographic protocol design, key management, embedded system security and trusted execution environments, drone and automotive security, cyber physical systems, mobile phone operating systems/platform security, NFC/RFID/HCE security, grouping proofs, electronic voting protocols and Internet-of-Things (IoT). Further details here
