Professor Alan Woodward
Visiting Professor
Qualifications: FInstP, CPhys, CEng, CITP, FBCS, Eur Ing
Email: ALAN.WOODWARD@surrey.ac.uk
Further information
Biography
Alan began as a physicist. However, he developed an interest in computing early on through signal processing for gamma ray burst detectors, and so switched to engineering after his BSc. His post graduate research at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), University of Southampton, was in adaptive filtering, and novel methods of recovering corrupted signals. Alan also worked on novel methods of noise cancellation, both passive and active.
After leaving the ISVR Alan worked for the UK government for many years, for whom he still provides advice through his industrial activities. He has particular expertise in, and continues to conduct research into, cyber security, covert communications, forensic computing and image/signal processing. Alan has been involved in some of the most significant advances in computer technology which have seen him elected as a Fellow and chartered member of the British Computer Society, Institute of Physics and the Royal Statistical Society.
In addition to his academic and government work, Alan has run businesses focussed on various aspects of Information Technology (IT). In 2000 Alan was pivotal in the flotation of Charteris plc on the London Stock Exchange. He remained a director until 2008 at which point he began to focus back on his academic interests. Alan continues to be a director on businesses involved in IT.
Although Alan has been at the leading edge of technology development for many years, he is primarily a particularly good communicator. He is known for his ability to communicate complex ideas in a simple, yet passionate manner. He not only publishes in the academic and trade journals but has articles in the national press and comments on TV and radio. Despite the length of his experience, his hands-on ability with emerging technologies contributes significantly to the respect he is repeatedly shown when he leads teams where technology is involved.
Alan is very active on social media and he can be reached at the following:
- Twitter: @profwoodward
- facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1149953619
- Blog: http://www.profwoodward.org
- LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/woodwardalan
Research Interests
Cryptography, steganography, watermarkinig and computer security in general.
Publications
- Philip Bateman, Anthony T. S. Ho and Alan Woodward, Accurate Detection Of Out-Of-Control Variations From Digital Camera Devices, Proceedings of 2010 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2010), pp. 3056-3059, IEEE, 2010
- Philip Bateman, Anthony T. S. Ho and Alan Woodward, Image Forensics Of Digital Cameras By Analysing Image Variations Using Statistical Process Control, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Information, Communications and Signal Processing (ICICS 2009), IEEE, 2009
- Alan Woodward, Atomic Computing: Quantum Effects On Modern Platforms, ITNOW Magazine, Volume 50, Issue 1, pp. 30-31, BCS, 2008
- Alan Woodward, Quantum Cryptography: How Is It Developing And Can It Be Trusted, Infosecurity, Volume 4, Issue 7, pp. 40-42, Elsevier, October 2007
- Alan Woodward, Winning success from Babbage's failure, Computing & Control Engineering Journal, Volume 16, Issue 5, pp. 18-21, IET, December 2005
- Alan Woodward, Software Factories: The Industrial Difference, Information Professional, Volume 2, Issue 4, pp. 43-47, IET, August/September 2005
- Alan Woodward, Quantum Cryptography: Exploring The Latest Developments, High Beam Research Bulletin, August 9, 2007
- Alan Woodward, Winning Success From Babbage's Failure: Adopting Engineering Approaches To Software Development, BCS Magazine & Online, August 2009
- Alan Woodward, Watching Them Watching You: How Google Is Stealing Your Secrets, BCS Magazine & Online, August 2008
- Alan Woodward, A Quantum Leap of Faith: Can Quantum Cryptography Be Trusted, computing.co.uk, 7 August 2007
- Alan Woodward, To Boldly Go Where No Hacker Can Follow: Effective Deployment of Quantum Cryptography, BCS Magazine & Online, June 2007
- Alan Woodward, Your Secrets Lost Before Your Eyes: Steganography Used For Industrial Theft, BCS Magazine & Online, March 2007
- Alan Woodward, Secrets Hidden In Plain Sight: An Exploration Of Steganography And How It Can Be Used, Lloyds List, 14 September 2007
- Alan Woodward, Data Theft: Modern Methods Of Stealing Industrial Value, FX-MM Magazine, July 2007
- Alan Woodward, Picture That Could Destroy Your Image: How Simply Allowing Staff To Send a Picture In An Email Could Leak Your Most Valued Secrets, International Trade Today, April 2007
- Alan Woodward, Software Development: is home cooking better than a takeaway?: Is It Better To Outsource Development Overseas Or Use In-house Resources, BCS Magazine & Online, November 2006
- Alan Woodward, How To Escape Jurassic Park Syndrome: Removing Dependence On Individuals, D&B Magazine
- Alan Woodward, Picture This - Secrets Lost : How Simply Allowing Staff To Send a Picture In An Email Could Leak Your Most Valued Secrets, Financial Times, September 2007
- Alan Woodward, Beware The Bit Twiddlers: How Steganography Can Be Anyone Today And Its Impact On Forensic Computing, i-law.com
- Alan Woodward, Why There's More To Computing Than Moore's Law: How Small Can Computing Go And What Is The Impact, Manufacturing and Logistics IT Magazine, 14 December 2007
Affiliations
Member of Institute of Physics, Chartered Physicist, Chartered IT Practitioner, Chartered Engineer, Fellow of British Computer Society, Fellow of Royal Statistical Society

