Ganna Pogrebna

Professor Ganna Pogrebna is the David Trimble Chair in Leadership and Organisational Transformation at Queen’s University Belfast and a Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. She is an award-winning academic leader working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, behavioural science, cybersecurity, leadership, and operations research. Her expertise spans cyber risk governance, human-centred security, AI-enabled threat modelling, behavioural and quantum digital twins, algorithmic accountability, organisational resilience, bias modelling in high-stakes environments, and socio-technical risk in national security and critical infrastructure. Professor Pogrebna’s research examines how human behaviour shapes the performance, risk, and societal impact of AI-enabled systems, with particular focus on defence, intelligence, cybersecurity, and emerging technology governance. Her current work develops behavioural, AI-enabled, and quantum twin approaches to strategic simulation, alongside decision models for defence and intelligence contexts. She has worked extensively with partners across academia, government, defence, and industry to advance responsible AI, behavioural cybersecurity, algorithmic assurance, and decision-making under uncertainty. Previously, she was Professor of Behavioural Business Analytics and Data Science at the University of Sydney and Executive Director of the Australian AI and Cyber Futures Institute. Her awards include the TechWomen100 Award in 2019, the Women in AI Asia-Pacific Award in Risk Modelling and Cybersecurity in 2024, the AI in Cybersecurity Champion Award at the Australian Women in Security Awards in 2025, and Innovator of the Year at the Everywoman in Technology Awards in 2026.