Professor Rajiv Ranjan, Director of the National Edge AI Hub and Professor in Newcastle University’s School of Computing, delivered the keynote address at Securing Edge AI 2026, a workshop bringing together leading researchers and industry experts to address the growing security challenges associated with Edge AI technologies.
Hosted by Ulster University’s School of Computing at Clifton House, Belfast, on 21 October 2026, the event explored how academia and industry can work together to ensure the next generation of connected devices remains secure, resilient and trustworthy. As artificial intelligence is increasingly deployed directly on devices such as vehicles, industrial systems, smart homes and critical infrastructure, securing these systems has become a critical priority.
Professor Ranjan’s keynote, Extreme-Edge Computing for Trustworthy, Cyber-Resilient AI, examined the opportunities and challenges of deploying AI beyond traditional cloud environments and highlighted the importance of developing intelligent systems that are secure by design.
The workshop opened with a series of research presentations from Ulster University covering topics including IoT and digital twins, AI-driven threat detection, secure vehicle communications and AI hardware security. Together, these talks demonstrated the breadth of expertise within the School of Computing and its contribution to advancing secure Edge AI technologies.
In the afternoon, representatives from Loquerion Security, ANGOKA and Halō shared industry perspectives, offering practical insights into the security challenges currently facing organisations deploying connected and intelligent systems.
The event concluded with a panel discussion entitled From Lab to Field: Bridging Research and Practice in Edge AI Security. Speakers from academia and industry agreed that closer collaboration is essential to address rapidly evolving cyber threats and accelerate the adoption of secure Edge AI solutions.
The National Edge AI Hub was proud to sponsor the event alongside Ulster University, supporting opportunities for researchers, industry leaders and innovators to exchange ideas and develop partnerships that will shape the future of trustworthy Edge AI.
Reflecting on the event, Seán Ó Fithcheallaigh, PhD Researcher in Ulster University’s School of Computing, emphasised the importance of collaboration:
“Edge devices are everywhere, and securing them is too big a challenge for academia or industry to solve alone. Bringing researchers and practitioners into the same room shows how much we can achieve together.”
Dr Ian Cleland, Research Director in Ulster University’s School of Computing, added:
“Securing Edge AI is a growing challenge that demands collaboration between academia and industry. By working together, we can help shape a more secure, resilient and trustworthy digital future.”
Securing Edge AI 2026 demonstrated the value of bringing together world-leading researchers and industry practitioners, with Professor Rajiv Ranjan’s keynote setting the tone for a day focused on collaboration, innovation and the advancement of trustworthy Edge AI.
Many thanks to Majid Liaquat, a PhD Researcher in Ulster University’sSchool of Computing, for taking these photographs.
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