Elena Sitnikova

Elena Sitnikova is Associate Professor of Cybersecurity and Networking, College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at Flinders University, where she contributes through world-class research, leadership and teaching in Critical Infrastructure (CI) protection, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems resilience and Industrial IoT.

A Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CLSSP, issued by ISC2), A/Prof Sitnikova brings her expertise to leadership in the areas of technological and human interactions and implications for cybersecurity in critical infrastructure, with a focus on intrusion detection on human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs).  She practices applied industry-relevant research skills to develop resilient and safety-focus interfaces for embedded, critical industrial and autonomous systems, enabling effective user experiences designed for success.

Through multidisciplinary research, A/Prof Sitnikova’s deep understanding of diverse contexts where a controller/operator connects to a machine through software within embedded systems—occurring across critical infrastructure crucial to society’s wellbeing—has attracted >AU$2.7M in competitive funding across her career. Recent projects at Flinders as first-named lead Chief Investigator include a Defence Innovative Partnership Collaborative Research Fund, Round 8;  2025 National Industry PhD Program grant, and Bolashak International Sponsorship.

Since 2022, A/Prof Sitnikova has led her Critical Infrastructure and Digital Forensics (CI&DF) Lab, with its Urban Village Testbed, a unique capability across SA universities attracting funding and research collaborators from across the world. A/Prof Sitnikova’s multiple research outputs include many publications in top-tier computing and security journals, which have gained her significant attention and recognition. She is an active as a reviewer, keynote speaker and editorial/executive committee member for discipline associations/conferences, including as an editorial board member for Australian Journal in Multidisciplinary Engineering.

A/Prof Sitnikova has also had award-winning impact in education, currently teaching large numbers of students in Flinders’ foundational and specialised courses (B/M Information Cybersecurity) and as Course Leader of BIT (Digital Forensics). She is known for educational innovation, scholarship of teaching and learning, and mentoring industry professionals and junior researchers to become effective educators, ensuring both research- and industry-based teaching strengths in CSE.  She has supervised many HDR students—with 9 completed (including two Dean's Awards for Outstanding PhD Thesis), and 6 current PhD students—alongside Masters/Honours students.