Andrew James Roberts is a dedicated researcher within the The Centre for Maritime Cybersecurity, where his work focuses on secure system design for autonomous control software in surface vessels. He brings a dual perspective to the role: producing high-quality research that bridges academic excellence and industrial application, and supporting the long-term sustainability of the centre through strategic research collaborations across Estonia and Europe.
How do you see your role in the Horizon 2020 ERA Chair project?
Two areas come to mind, firstly, contributing research into secure system design of autonomous control software for surface vessels, and, secondly, assisting with activities for sustainability of the centre including partnering in research collaborations in Europe and Estonia.
How do you see your role in Horizon 2020 as part of the ERA Chair project?
My role will be to produce high quality research in the design of secure autonomous maritime systems and contribute that knowledge to the research community and industry.
Why is Estonia/TalTech the best place for an ERA Chair project in the field of maritime safety?
Estonia/TalTech is an ideal place for a research chair on maritime safety and security as the maritime industry is of fundamental importance to the Estonian economy and way of life. As such, there is a substantial maritime industrial base and exciting entrepreneurial initiatives in the area of autonomous systems and sensing/data analysis. This enables TalTech to be able to conduct research activities that is relevant to industry.
What are the main challenges of the project?
Cybersecurity of maritime systems is a relatively new area of focus. One of the predominant challenges is to raise awareness of the importance of this topic with the wider cybersecurity research community, maritime industry and the public at large.
How do you see the future of the Centre?
The Centre meets a critical need for industry and government, and it has unique capability and skills. Potential future initiatives of the Centre could include adopting a dedicated Masters program for Maritime Cybersecurity and becoming part of a broader hub for maritime innovation in the areas of connected and smart ports and small craft development.
What links you to the maritime sector?
I began to involve myself in research on autonomous systems whilst part of the TalTech Autonomous Vehicle iseAuto team, around 2019. Since then, I have been interested in research of cybersecurity of autonomous systems which include unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and drones.
