Joshua R. Sylvester

I’m Joshua Sylvester, a researcher and PhD student (currently intermitting) at the University of Kent, where my work focuses on autonomous cyber defence. Specifically, I am focused on developing autonomous agents capable of identifying and responding to novel attack behaviours in simulated network environments. My research explores how artificial intelligence can detect change and novelty to build more resilient systems, using simulators such as Cage Challenge 2.

I’m currently a researcher working with the Alan Turing Institute, focusing on projects closely aligned with my PhD research.

I earned my BSc in Computer Science from the University of Kent in 2022, graduating with Outstanding Overall Performance in the School of Computing, awarded to the highest-performing student in my year. I also received the Best Final Year Computing Research Project award, recognising the top research project across the School of Computing.

Professionally, I worked as a Security Researcher at Orange Cyberdefense, applying natural language processing to enhance team capabilities. I contributed to threat intelligence research, tracking evolving ransomware tactics and patterns, and played a role in the development of the 2023 Security Navigator report.

In parallel with my academic research, I’ve contributed to Dstl’s ARCD project, investigating reward shaping and novelty detection in reinforcement learning for network defence.

When I’m not working, I enjoy malware analysis and reverse CTFs.