The way we behave is changing. Technology has infiltrated every aspect of our lives - from our relationships, to the way we shop, from our political systems to the minds of our children.  Join Dr Mary Aiken – one of the world's leading experts in Cyberpsychology - as she explores how cyberspace is changing the way we think, feel, and behave. 

Covering everything from the impact of screens on the developing child to the explosion of teen sexting, and the acceleration of compulsive and addictive online behaviours, Dr Aiken will also examine the escalation in cyberchondria (self-diagnosis online), cyberstalking and organized crime in the Deep Web. 

Future cyber issues and trends will be explored and a number of challenges will be considered; how do we balance competing priorities and interests in cyberspace? Are we losing control of the digital sphere? How can society ensure that technology works in our favour? 

This event is kindly hosted by the British Psychological Society NI Branch and the School of Psychology at Queen's University, Belfast.

About the Speaker: Dr Mary Aiken is the world's leading expert in forensic cyberpsychology - a discipline that combines psychology, criminology and technology to investigate the intersection between technology and human behaviour. 

Cyberpsychologist Mary Aiken is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin and an academic advisor to Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3). Mary is a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center, the leading US institution for in-depth research and dialogue to inform actionable ideas on global issues. She is a lecturer in Criminology and Fellow at the School of Law, Middlesex University, a Fellow of the Society for Chartered IT Professionals and an International affiliate member of the American Psychological Association.

In 2017 Mary was inducted into the Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame, in recognition of contribution to the information and cybersecurity sector, she is a strategic advisor at European and International levels in policy debates on the impact of technology on human behavior, and has published and spoken worldwide on this topic. Her research interests include the impact of technology on the developing child, youth hacking, AI, Internet psychology, cyberchondria, human factors in cybersecurity, cyber criminology and behavioural manipulation online. Mary is a member of the Hague Justice Portal advisory board and the INTERPOL Specialists Group for Crimes against Children. 

Mary’s work as a cyberpsychologist inspired the CBS primetime television series 'CSI:Cyber' she was a producer on the show. Her recent book ‘The Cyber Effect’ was selected by the Sunday Times as a 2016 book of the year in the ‘Thought’ category, and 2016 ‘best science pick’ by Nature the International Journal of Science and Technology.