A student from Strathclyde University has been officially named as the 35th Young Software Engineer of the Year by ScotlandIS, the membership and cluster management organisation for Scotland’s digital technologies industry. The awards highlight the most innovative and creative computing science projects developed by 2024 graduates.
Ben Macdonald’s winning project addresses a critical real-world issue by aiming to enhance internet users’ data privacy and give individuals greater control over how companies use their data.
Originally from Ayrshire, Ben’s journey into computing began at Ayrshire College, where he completed an HNC in computer games development, followed by an HND.
The 35th annual Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards took place during a ceremony in Edinburgh on September 26 at ScotlandIS’ ScotSoft conference. All four winners received a trophy and a cash prize in recognition of their achievements.
The judging panel, chaired by Sean Gordon, a long-standing member, evaluated the projects based on innovation, technical difficulty, knowledge, previous research, commercial or social relevance, quality of engineering, planning, organisation, and presentation.
Ben’s winning project addressed a privacy concern related to identity providers — systems that create, manage, and store digital identities. These providers often acquire excessive user data, enabling the tracking of user activity over time. Ben proposed an alternative approach, developing private and personal data hubs managed by individual users. His work was published at the 2024 Solid Symposium in Leuven, Belgium, after receiving positive external reviews.
In a closely contested competition, Ben Laurie from the University of Aberdeen won second prize, sponsored by BCS. Benjamin Sonnett from the University of St Andrews took third prize, sponsored by Resillion. David Topping secured the Engineering Prize, sponsored by Leidos.
Karen Meechan, CEO of ScotlandIS, praised the high quality of entries:
“We’re always impressed by the quality of entries for the awards, and this year has certainly been no different. There’s often a perception that software development is very technical and leaves no room for creativity, but these projects show that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Competitions like this showcase the very best tech talent Scotland has to offer and highlight that it’s a sector where we can have a global influence. This year’s winners demonstrate how smart engineering can help solve some of the most complicated and challenging problems we face. I’d like to congratulate everyone who made the shortlist and thank our sponsors.”
After receiving his award, Ben Macdonald discussed why he pursued this research area:
“Data privacy is going to be one of the biggest challenges in the coming years, so it’s vital we get it right. That’s easier said than done though. Many large businesses have a vested interest in maintaining long-term access to the data we provide when using the internet.
“It’s a real honour to receive this award, and I hope my research can contribute to a practical solution for these emerging issues.”
Shortlisted Students:
- Ben Laurie, University of Aberdeen
- Jack Cavar, Abertay University
- David Topping, University of Dundee
- Litu Ou, University of Edinburgh
- Julia Swietochowska, Edinburgh Napier University
- Giacomo Fadda, Glasgow Caledonian University
- John McIver, Heriot-Watt University
- Shaun Lennon, Robert Gordon University
- Benjamin Sonnett, University of St Andrews
- Daniela Berzina, University of Stirling
- Ben Macdonald, University of Strathclyde
- Kathleen Edie, University of the West of Scotland