About the SECReT Society

The UCL Security Science Research and Training (SECReT) Society was founded in September 2019 as a representative body that is run by and for research students. It was started as an independent initiative by a group of PhD students at the UCL Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science and is funded by the UCL Department for Security and Crime Science and Dawes Centre for Future Crime. The driving motivation is to integrate new incoming researchers with the team and to set up a platform for all PhD students to socialise, exchange ideas and maintain a fun and rewarding PhD experience. The added benefit is to be a direct point of contact for potential stakeholders in our research, such as the UK Home Office and police. This website gives you a complete overview of our people, our research and our events.

If you are interested in collaborating with any of our researchers, please contact them directly using the contact option on their profile (under "Researchers"). For general inquiries about the society or studying at our department, please send an e-mail to secretsociety@ucl.ac.uk.

About our logo

Jill Dando was murdered outside her home in west London at 13:03 on 26th April 1999. Hence: 1303 260499. As her tragic passing was the driving force behind the creation of the field of crime science, we felt that it is important to commemorate her in our logo. The numbers in the logo give a sense of secrecy and mystery as the name of the society implies, which also resembles the field of crime science and the story behind the murder of Jill Dando. While others might see it as a set of random numbers, we see it as a secret message. The Secret that brought us all together. The representation of the digital and traditional fingerprint resembles the research we do on crimes in both the cyber and physical worlds.

Research areas

The UCL SECReT Society researches a wide range of crime topics, ranging from traditional organised crimes to cyberthreats. Our researchers, each an expert in their own field, publish regular insights to inform, raise awareness and encourage relevant stakeholders to take action against the latest crime trends.

Click here to view our research team, or explore our main topic areas from below.