Professor Máire O’Neill’s work is highly technical and specialised, but has real-world applications, including how to secure your set top box or spot counterfeit electronic devices…
Born in Glenties, Donegal, in 1978, Professor Máire O’Neill (née McLoone) is one of the world’s leading experts in cybersecurity and cryptography. Aged just 32, she became both the youngest person to be made a Professor of Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and the youngest inducted into the Irish Academy of Engineering.
She has received numerous major awards and recognitions in her career to date, including a Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal (2024), a Blavatnik Physical Sciences & Engineering Medal (2019), a Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal (2014), and in 2007 was named British Female Inventor of the Year. In 2020 she was awarded a prestigious Regius Professorship. Professor O’Neill is Director of both the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) at QUB and of the UK-wide Research Institute for Secure Hardware and Embedded Systems (RISE).
Tá saothar an Ollaimh Máire O’Neill thar a bheith teicniúil agus speisialaithe, ach tá feidhmeanna aige sa ghnáthshaol, ina measc sin tá an dóigh le do bhosca bairr a cheangal nó gléasanna góchumtha leictreonacha a aithint…
Rugadh an tOllamh Máire O’Néill (née McLoone) sna Gleannta i gCo. Dhún na nGall sa bhliain 1978 í, tá sí ar na saineolaithe is mó ar domhan i réimsí na cibearshlándála agus na cripteagrafaíochta. Nuair nach raibh sí ach 32 d’aois, rinneadh Ollamh le hInnealtóireacht dí in Ollscoil na Banríona, Béal Feirste (OnaB) agus ionduchtaíodh in Acadamh Innealtóireachta na hÉireann í fosta. Bhí sé ar an duine ab óige a bhain an dá rud amach.
Fuair sí a lán gradam agus aitheantais ina gairm go nuige seo, san áireamh leo sin, bhain sí Bonn Ór Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann (2024), Bonn Blavatnick do na hEolaíochtaí Fisiceacha & Innealtóireacht (2019), Bonn Airgead Acadamh Ríoga na hInnealtóireachta (2014), agus sa bhliain 2007, ainmníodh í mar Bhanaireagóir Briotanach na Bliana. Sa bhliain 2020, bronnadh Ollúnacht Regius uirthi, gradam atá mór le rá. Is í an tOllamh O’Neill an Stiúrthóir ar an Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) ag OnaB agus ar an Research Institute for Secure Hardware and Embedded Systems (RISE), institiúid a fheidhmíonn ar fud na RA.
How to tell if an electronic device is counterfeit
Using Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) technology that produces a unique digital fingerprint from an electronic device, Professor O’Neill devised a solution to detect counterfeit electronic components. It is also used to tamper-proof smart meters and Electric Vehicle charging systems.
In addition, she developed a high-speed hardware architecture of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm that has been used to secure over 100 million digital TV decoders worldwide.
Some of Professor O’Neill’s other work is focused on security solutions for embedded systems, AI and quantum applications – a mission to try and make the increasingly vulnerable digital world safer for all users.
An dóigh le fáil amach an bhfuil gléas leitreonach góchumtha
Ag úsáid Feidhm Fhisiceach Dhoclónáilte (PUF) a ghineann saintréithe uathúla digiteacha ó ghléas leictreonach, chum an tOllamh O’Neill réiteach le comhpháirteanna góchumtha leictreonacha a aithint. Baintear úsáid as fosta le méadair chliste agus córais luchtaithe na bhfeithiclí leictreacha a dhéanamh dosháraithe.
Chomh maith leis sin, d’fhorbair sí ailtireacht ardluais crua-earraí den algartam Chaighdeán Ardchriptiúcháin (AES), agus baineadh úsáid as sin le breis agus 100 milliún díchódóir teilifíse digití a cheangal ar fud an domhain.
Tá cuid den obair eile ón Ollamh O’Neill dírithe ar réitigh shlándála do chórais leabaithe, IS agus feidhmchláir chandaim - tá sí mar mhisean aici an domhan digiteach atá ag éirí níos leochailí i rith an ama a dhéanamh sábháilte dúinn uilig.