Skip to main content
Julie Thorpe

Julie Thorpe
PhD

Professor

IT Security
Faculty of Business and Information Technology

Dr. Thorpe's current research focuses on the interaction between human factors and computer security.

Contact expert

julie.thorpe@ontariotechu.ca
905.721.8668 ext. 6585

Update this profile

Areas of expertise


  • PhD - Philosophy (Computer Science) Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario 2008
  • BSc - Computer Science, First Class Honours (Co-op Option) Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia 2002

The Presentation Effect on Graphical Passwords

Toronto, Ontario April 26, 2014

The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Usability and Security Evaluation of GeoPass: a Geographic Location-Password Scheme

Northumbria University, Newcastle, United Kingdom July 24, 2013

The 9th Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security

Video Passwords: Advertising While Authenticating

Bertinoro, Italy September 19, 2012

The New Security Paradigms Workshop

Senate Medal Award

Carleton University June 1, 2008

Awarded for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Dr. Thorpe was also nominated for a University Medal that same year and has received numerous academic scholarships and honours.

Towards Cognitive Aids for Stronger Computer Security

NSERC Discovery Grant April 1, 2013

As principal investigator of this five-year research program, Dr. Thorpe aims to design and evaluate systems that work cohesively with human brain function to achieve better online security and privacy. ($75,000)

Laboratory for Human-Centered Computer Science Research

Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) January 1, 2013

As co-founder, Dr. Thorpe helped create a hands-on, experiential lab to study how people interact with different technologies including desktop, mobile, touch screen, and eye tracking. ($21,152)

UOIT IT Security Reading Group

ACM-W Women in Computing Chapter at UOIT and DC

  • Operating System Security (INFR 3610)
    This course discusses security solutions for two major Operating Systems: Windows and Unix/Linux. It will cover client/server operation, networking aspects from an OS perspective, as well as Internet services as provided through the OS. It covers comprehensive security operations and deployment information, along with security tools available on the web.
  • Malware and Software Security (INFR 4670U)
    This course provides a comprehensive study of malicious software (malware), its detection, and its prevention. It explores what vulnerabilities can be exploited by malware (and how), how to identify malware, reverse engineering and debugging, how anti-virus (and other security software) works to detect and remove malware, and how advanced malware tries to evade detection (e.g., obfuscation and encryption). Techniques for preventing and detecting vulnerabilities prior to software release are also covered (e.g., secure programming techniques).
  • IT Security Policies and Procedures (INFR 4680)
    The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of the need for the multi-disciplinary involvement, an understanding of where this involvement fits into the policy development life cycle and a methodology that provides a means of implementing this development life cycle into an organization. The course discusses how the policy development process should be something that requires the involvement of key business decision makers of which information security is only one.
  • Operating System Security (MITS 5300G)
    This course introduces the main components of operating system security and addresses the IT professional interest in the design and operation of secure operating systems. This course covers various practices, standards, and technology from Linux and Windows operating systems. Operating systems fundamentals are covered to provide a basis for the remainder of the course. The laboratory part of this course puts a particular focus on the Windows and Unix/ Linux operating systems. It provides an overview of the security risk and management of the specified operating systems and preventive efforts to use the security features built within the systems and third-party applications. This course includes a series of hands-on technical exercises in Linux, SELinux and Windows.
  • Security Policies and Risk Management (MITS 5600G)
    This course concerns the role and importance of risk management and security policies. It describes how attackers exploit the interactions between computer systems and their environment in order to learn how to prevent, detect and respond to such attacks. It will also discuss broader business-related security issues such as business continuity, incident recovery and legal issues related to security policies and risk management. Current technologies to aid in implementing security policies and risk management plans will be discussed throughout the course.