School of Information Studies Professors Awarded $5.6M Grant to Propel Canada to the Forefront of Cybersecurity Data Analytics Research

Professor Benjamin Fung, Canada Research Chair in Data Mining for Cybersecurity, and Professor Steven Ding, both of the School of Information Studies in the Faculty of Arts, are part of a team that has recently been awarded a $5.6 million grant, funded under the NSERC Alliance Grants-CSE. The project, the only one to receive funding from NSERC Alliance Grants-CSE, will provide a multimodal, comprehensive solution for exploratory analysis of unstructured data, with a strong focus on cybersecurity applications. 

Unstructured data refers to information that does not conform to a traditional tabular format of rows and columns. Common examples include network logs, malware executables, chat messages, dark web forums, and system alerts. According to Fung, these sources often contain critical indicators of cyber threats, but due to their volume and complexity, important warning signs can easily be overlooked. 

Professor Fung and Professor Ding will co-lead the four-year project with 13 other co-applicants from McGill, Queen’s, McMaster, Laval, Polytechnique and several other universities, along with Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE), the national cryptologic agency.  

"The collaborative project, ZenithVector, will help McGill’s School of Information Studies become a hub for innovation in AI and cybersecurity,” said Fung.  

Detecting cybersecurity threats more quickly  

By training over 90 students and researchers, the project will also strengthen Canada’s talent pipeline in cybersecurity and AI. Moreover, releasing its tools as open-source software, ZenithVector encourages collaboration across universities, government and industry. 

“ZenithVector is a research project that transforms unstructured data into a more usable format called vectors [and helps] analysts detect threats faster, understand them better, and respond more effectively,” said Fung. “It is like giving cybersecurity professionals a powerful new lens to see through the noise and focus on what really matters.” 

Will help position Canada as a leader 

The project aligns with Canada’s national AI strategy by advancing technologies in AI and cybersecurity. 

In developing novel AI techniques that analyze complex, unstructured data, ZenithVector will help position Canada as a leader in cybersecurity efforts.  

“These tools will help detect cyber threats faster and more accurately,” said Fung, “supporting national security agencies such as the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) and CSE.” 

Inclusion in cybersecurity and AI 

Another notable aspect of the project will be to establish partnerships with organizations such as Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS), Blacks in Cybersecurity (BiC), and the National Indigenous Information Technology Alliance (NIITA).  

Collaborations such as these contribute to the recruitment, training, and advancement of underrepresented groups in IT, especially in the field of cybersecurity. 

“These partnerships help ensure that diverse voices are included in shaping Canada’s next generation of cybersecurity tools and talent,” Fung said.