Below are the ICCWS Biographies of the Conference and Programme Chairs, Key Note Speakers and Mini-Track Chairs.
Dr. Ulku Clark is a Professor of Cybersecurity and Information Systems at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) and the Director of the Center for Cyber Defense Education (CCDE). She is also the principal investigator of a maritime cybersecurity research group. With extensive experience in cybersecurity education, research, and industry collaboration, Dr. Clark plays a critical role in shaping the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. She has organized numerous cybersecurity conferences, workshops, and research initiatives, emphasizing the importance of cyber resilience, analytics, and defense strategies. As a co-chair of ICCWS 2026, Dr. Clark is dedicated to fostering global discussions on emerging cybersecurity threats and innovations.
Dr. Toni Pence is the Department Chair of Computer Science and an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and has been on faculty since 2015. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. from Clemson University and her B.S. from Winthrop University. Her research focuses on human computer interaction, user interface design, usability design and experimentation, virtual and augmented reality, and simulation training. With over a decade of experience in academia, she has built a strong reputation in the field of extended reality in education. Her work has received funding from the National Science Foundation. In 2016, she was a recipient of UNCW’s Discere Aude Award for outstanding mentorship of undergraduate students and has continued to make a positive impact in the lives of those around her.
Dr. Bilge Karabacak is an assistant professor at the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, with over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity across academia, industry, and government. He holds an M.S. in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Information Systems with a specialization in cybersecurity. Before transitioning to academia in 2020, Dr. Karabacak co-founded a cybersecurity startup in Silicon Valley, managed cloud-based security products, and worked as an information security analyst at a multinational bank. He later chaired the Master’s in Cybersecurity program at Franklin University before joining UNCW. His research focuses on information security risk analysis, cybersecurity maturity assessment, and maritime cybersecurity.