← Employees
Prof. Iain Sutherland, B.Sc. (Hons.) M.Sc. Ph.D. MBCS.

Prof. Iain Sutherland, B.Sc. (Hons.) M.Sc. Ph.D. MBCS.

Professor, Digital Forensics

Professor Iain Sutherland is a recognised expert in computer forensics and data recovery. He currently serves as Professor of Digital Forensics and Head of Research at Noroff University College in Kristiansand, Norway. He was seconded from the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales) in 2012 to establish Noroff’s computing programmes and has remained in Norway since, playing a key role in the development of Noroff’s academic and research environment.

Prof. Sutherland has acted as a consultant and expert witness on forensic and security matters for UK police forces, government agencies, and commercial organisations. His research spans a range of topics including forensic practice and procedure, forensic tool development, network security, and the investigation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

He has authored numerous research articles and continues to supervise and examine postgraduate students at both master's and doctoral levels. In addition to his research and consultancy work, Prof. Sutherland is actively involved in teaching digital forensics and has contributed to undergraduate and postgraduate education, as well as specialist training for law enforcement agencies in the UK.

Research Profiles

Research Interests

Prof. Sutherland’s research focuses on digital forensic practice and procedure, device security, and forensic investigation techniques. He has supervised and examined PhD students on topics ranging from identity theft investigations to forensic examination of the Windows Registry.

He collaborates with researchers at Noroff and internationally, including long-standing collaborations in digital forensics with Prof. Huw Read (Norwich University, Vermont, USA) and Dr. Konstantinos Xynos (Automotive Security Researcher, Germany).

Consultancy, Commercial Work and Industrial Connections

Professor Sutherland has undertaken consultancy work for:

  • UK Government agencies
  • UK Law Enforcement agencies
  • Commercial organisations requiring forensic and security expertise

Selected Publications

  • van Niekerk, J., Delport, P. M. J., & Sutherland, I. (2025). Addressing the use of generative AI in academic writing. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 8, 100342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100342
  • Read, H. O. L., Xynos, K., Sutherland, I., & Bovee, M. (2025). Back in the game: Privacy concerns of second-hand games consoles. IEEE Security & Privacy. https://doi.org/10.1109/MSEC.2025.3553038
  • Read, H. O. L., Xynos, K., Sutherland, I., Bovee, M., & Tamburro, C. (2024). Nintendo 3DS forensics: A secondhand case study. Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation, 50(Suppl.), 301815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsidi.2024.301815
  • Sutherland, I., Bovee, M., Xynos, K., & Read, H. O. L. (2023). Pre-incident cyber forensic analysis: Legal and ethical issues. In Proceedings of the 22nd European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ECCWS 2023). https://doi.org/10.34190/eccws.22.1.358
  • Xynos, K., Read, H., Sutherland, I., Bovee, M., & Do, T. (2023). Nintendo 3DS forensic examination tools. In G. Peterson & S. Shenoi (Eds.), Advances in Digital Forensics XIX (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, Vol. 687). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42991-0_4

Membership

  • Member of the British Computer Society (BCS)