News Story

PhD Awarded for Groundbreaking Research on Game-Based Cyber Security Training

Wednesday 7 Jan 2026

George Wolf-Jackson has successfully completed his PhD, marking a significant contribution to research on cyber security awareness and behaviour change in the workplace. His doctoral research, supervised by Prof Chitra Balakrishna (School of Computing and Communications) and Dr Alexander Mikroyannidis (Knowledge Media Institute), addresses one of the most persistent challenges in cyber security: the human factors behind security breaches.

Titled “The Impact of Game-Based Learning Methods on Cyber Security Behaviour of Adults in a Work-based Setting”, the PhD examines why traditional cyber security awareness programmes have largely failed to reduce breaches caused by human error. Despite the fact that such errors account for a substantial proportion of cyber incidents, often costing organisations millions per breach, many existing training initiatives remain superficial, focusing on completion rates rather than meaningful changes in behaviour.

George’s research critically analyses these shortcomings and explores how game-based learning approaches can offer a more engaging and effective alternative. Focusing on adults in professional contexts, the study investigates whether game-based cyber security training can lead to sustained behaviour change and measurable improvements in organisational cyber security outcomes, including reductions in the number and severity of incidents.

This work culminates in a large-scale mixed-methods study comparing two game-based training methods against a control condition, providing evidence of their impact on long-term cyber security behaviour. The findings are synthesised into a practical framework for designing and implementing effective game-based cyber security training in the workplace, further refined through targeted interviews with cyber security training providers.

Supervisors Prof Chitra Balakrishna and Dr Alexander Mikroyannidis praised the work for its methodological rigour and real-world relevance, highlighting its potential to influence both research and practice in cyber security education. With its strong focus on behaviour change, assessment, and organisational impact, this work offers timely insights for employers, training providers, and policymakers seeking to address the human dimensions of cyber security more effectively.

The full text of this PhD thesis is now available in Open Research Online.