Dr. Sarah Y. Zheng, PhD, is a neuropsychologist whose research focuses on understanding emerging crime and security risks resulting from technological advances. Her work helps organisations strengthen their resilience against cybersecurity threats like phishing and improve public awareness of evolving risks in cyberspace.
 

Dr. Zheng’s research at the Dawes Centre for Future Crime examines the intersection of technology, crime, and security. She uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to predict potential threats and collaborates with stakeholders in government, law enforcement, and industry. Her contributions have impacted policy-making, particularly in areas such as online fraud and policing related to technologies like the metaverse. More recently, her work has explored the crime and security implications of social robots and climate change mitigation technologies.

Dr. Zheng holds a PhD in neuropsychology, where her research focused on understanding why individuals fall victim to online scams. This led her to develop novel e-mail security methods and training programs designed to improve phishing scam detection. She has published five academic papers on this subject and conducted extensive research on behavioural analysis and the application of machine learning to cybersecurity.

Currently, Dr. Zheng serves as a Research Fellow at UCL, where she investigates the future crime risks enabled by emerging technologies. Additionally, she is the Director of Inzenity, a lifestyle and coaching business aimed at helping people realise their potential through coaching and lifestyle products.
 

Previously, Dr. Zheng gained experience as an AI Research Scientist Intern at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she used machine learning to detect suspicious email content. She also worked as a Data Scientist at Perseuss, improving fraud detection algorithms, and as an AI & Analytics application consultant at IBM, where she developed applications for sectors such as public, retail, and financial institutions.

Dr. Zheng’s mission is to safeguard the human element in technological development. By combining her understanding of human behaviour with advanced technology, she works to prevent harm and improve security systems. In addition to her academic and research work, Dr. Zheng is the author of The Psychology of Cybersecurity: Hacking and the Human Mind, which explores the cognitive factors influencing cybercrime.