Dr. Atty Mashatan

Dr. Atefeh (Atty) Mashatan is the Founder and Director of the Cybersecurity Research Lab (CRL) at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and is recognized as a leading expert in cryptography, blockchain technology, information security, and privacy. She is also an advocate for women in the cybersecurity field and volunteers at events for women in STEM.

Dr. Mashatan holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Quality of Security (QoS) Framework for Internet-of-Things (IoT). In this role, she will address new threats that have arisen with the widespread adoption of IoT, create new security systems for these networks, and recommend best practices for users, technical audiences, and policymakers. Her Canada Research Chair program is about enhancing the quality of security and of smart yet small IoT devices in the specific context in which they are being deployed. This multidisciplinary research program aims to make a solution as secure as possible, given the contextual parameters and limitations of its use case.

Dr. Mashatan’s expertise at the front of the global cybersecurity field was recognized by SC Magazine in 2019 when she was named one of the top five Women of Influence in Security. SC Magazine is a California-based publication and has been a key source for cybersecurity professionals for more than 30 years. Additionally, she was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 19 2019 Tech Titans at the IBM CASCON Evoke conference for her efforts in developing emerging technological solutions to address timely societal needs. 

In 2020, Dr. Mashatan received the Enterprise Blockchain Award in the category of New Frontiers in Blockchain Academic Research by the Blockchain Research Institute for developing the Mosaïque Digital Wallet, which is a fully decentralized identity management system for business environments. That same year, she received the recognition of Top Women in Cybersecurity in Canada for her efforts in advancing cybersecurity research and training highly qualified personnel in the field. 

Most recently, she was recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Canada: Top 100 in the Executive Leaders category for not only her leadership but also her ability to inspire confidence and champion others. Previously, Dr. Mashatan was a scientific collaborator at the Security and Cryptography Laboratory of the École Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne and a senior information security consultant and solutions architect at CIBC.

Head to the Top 25 main page to meet the rest of our 2024 Top 25 Women of Influence® Recipients.