Skip to main content
Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Julie Thorpe

Julie Thorpe
PhD (On Research Leave)

Professor

IT Security

Faculty of Business and Information Technology

Contact information

Business and Information Technology Building - Room 4034
North Oshawa
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5

905.721.8668 ext. 6585

julie.thorpe@ontariotechu.ca
faculty.uoit.ca/thorpe


Background

Prior to joining Ontario Tech University in 2010, Dr. Thorpe had more than eight years of experience working in the field of information technology (IT) security. She also taught part-time at Carleton University and served on the program committee for various international computer security conferences, including the Association for Computing Machinery Conference on Computer and Communications Security (ACM CCS) and the USENIX Security Symposium.

Her research interests include:

  • Authentication
  • Biometrics
  • Graphical passwords
  • Human factors in computer security
  • Operating system security
  • Passwords
  • Security policy
  • Software security

Her current research focuses on the interaction between human factors and computer security.

Dr. Thorpe's research has been featured in various media outlets including the CBS News Sunday Morning Show, Wired magazine, Popular Science, Slashdot, BBC World News, The New York Times, CBC Radio's 'The Current', CBC's Ottawa Morning Show, and Toronto Star. 

Education

  • Bachelor of Computer Science (first-class Honours) Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • PhD in Computer Science (awarded Senate medal in 2008) Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario