About CyberDIVA

Ben Leary is Director at Forensic Pathways and a doctoral researcher at Aston University, with over 20 years’ experience in innovation, digital forensics, online safety, and the ethical governance of artificial intelligence. His career spans the design, funding, and delivery of complex research and innovation programmes addressing cybercrime, technology-enabled abuse, and digital risk. Ben has secured and delivered over £1.2 million in UK innovation funding and has led and contributed to multi-partner national and international collaborations involving academia, law enforcement, and industry. Ben’s doctoral research focuses on how AI systems—such as automated content moderation, natural language processing, and large language models—can both mitigate and unintentionally reinforce Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls. Using a socio-technical systems framework, his work examines how technological tools interact with platform governance, user behaviour, and structural inequality, and how AI can be improved to reduce harm without creating new forms of exclusion. CyberDIVA was developed to translate this research and professional practice into real-world impact, ensuring that evidence, ethics, and lived experience inform both technological design and public education.

Anitha Chinnaswamy is a Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security Management at Aston Business School and Deputy Director of the Cyber Security Innovation Centre. Dr Chinnaswamy has extensive experience leading and supporting applied cyber-security research that bridges academic insight with organisational and societal needs. Her work focuses on cyber risk, resilience, governance, and capability-building, working closely with industry, public-sector bodies, and law enforcement to translate research into practice. She is also a strong advocate for diversity, inclusion, and widening participation in cyber-security education. Within CyberDIVA, Dr Chinnaswamy provides academic leadership, methodological rigour, and cyber-security expertise, ensuring the programme’s research foundations, ethical positioning, and educational outputs are robust, inclusive, and impactful.

Deb Leary is Founder and CEO of Forensic Pathways and an internationally recognised technology entrepreneur with more than two decades of leadership experience in forensic technology, innovation, and global collaboration. Deborah has played a pivotal role in shaping the development and adoption of advanced forensic and AI-enabled technologies across law enforcement and government sectors. She was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to entrepreneurship and innovation and holds advisory and honorary roles supporting business growth, international trade, and technology ecosystems. Within CyberDIVA, Deborah provides strategic oversight, governance insight, and innovation leadership, ensuring that the programme aligns with best practice in ethical technology development, sustainability, and real-world impact. She is also a strong advocate for women in technology and leadership, reinforcing CyberDIVA’s commitment to gender equity.

John Thornton has been Technical Director at Forensic Pathways since 2006, where he leads the technical team with overall responsibility for software development, design, and delivery. As a Microsoft Certified Professional, John has been instrumental in managing the development of the company's key forensic technologies and was a crucial part of the successful progress and delivery of the CyberDIVA project.

With over 13 years of experience in information technology, Vidhya Sivakumar brought extensive project coordination and management expertise to the CyberDIVA programme. As an Aston MBA graduate, she has a strong background in tackling real-world business challenges and delivering actionable solutions. Her involvement with Aston University's Cyber Security Innovation Research Centre allowed her to contribute to outreach events and network with industry leaders. This blend of technical knowledge and practical management experience was invaluable in supporting the coordination and delivery of the CyberDIVA project, ensuring that academic and technical workstreams remained aligned and on track.