Women in Forensic Computing 2026
Women in Forensic Computing Workshop and Bootcamp
held in cooperation with DFRWS EU 2026 in Linköping, Sweden, on March 23, 2026
Scope
Digital forensic science is the application of scientific methods of computing in order to recover and investigate evidence found in digital devices, often in relation to computer crime. Digital evidence is increasingly important in almost all types of juridical proceedings, mainly due to the increasing volume and quality of digital evidence.
The objective of this workshop is to increase the interest of students and academically young researchers in digital forensic science as a career field or a research field. Another aim of this workshop is to increase awareness and appreciation of the achievements of women in the area of forensic computing/digital forensics and therefore this workshop wishes to be a forum to help women build their technical confidence and thereby attract more female researchers to the field. This workshop is aimed at introducing new people to the area. Talks will be technical but are aimed at novices in the area. The workshop is part of a workshop series that started in 2019.
The workshop will include a sequence of presentations and panels by women that introduce some fundamental and current topics of the field and allow for first-hand hands-on experience. Attendees may also present their own work in short presentations.
Location
- Linköping, Sweden
Participation
Participation in the workshop is free of charge and open to all genders, but the number of participants we can accept is limited.
To participate, complete the registration form at:
by February 23, 2026, providing details about your current affiliation, research interests, why the workshop interests you, and whether you wish to participate in person or online. Applications after that date are also possible but will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Feel free to apply to participate in the workshop even after the deadline!
Please also consider submitting a presentation proposal. Female participants can apply for a travel scholarship as well, but please note the earlier deadline of January 6, 2026.
Participant Presentations
Participants of the workshop have the opportunity to apply for a slot to present their current research or insights into a profession in the field of digital forensics in a 5-10-minute talk at the workshop. If you are interested, please send the title and an abstract of the presentation proposal together with the registration (see above) by February 23, 2026. Presentations can be delivered on-site or online. There will be a lightweight selection process for presentations by the organizing committee.
Posters
Participants may present a poster at the workshop. The poster should be about their current research. Poster presenters will give a short pitch (<1 min) before lunch, and the poster session will take place during lunch. If you are interested, please send the title and a short description of the poster content together with the registration (see above). There will be a lightweight selection process for posters based on the submitted titles and descriptions. If you are presenting a poster at DFRWS EU, you may also submit the same poster proposal for WinFC.
Travel Scholarship
We also offer several scholarships (sponsored by FAU) for female applicants who wish to participate in the workshop: The scholarship will cover part of your travel costs and the attendance fee for the DFRWS EU 2026 conference. For applicants from Europe, we support travel costs up to 500 EUR. For applicants from outside Europe, please give an estimate for the expected travel costs in your registration.
If you wish to apply for a scholarship, please submit your application (see above) by January 6, 2026.
We will notify scholarship applicants of the organizing committee’s decision regarding whether they have been awarded the scholarship by January 10, 2026. If you need more than two months to organize your travel, please indicate this in your application by selecting the corresponding option in the registration form.
Confirmed Speakers
- Lena Klasén, Department of National Operations, Swedish Police Authority, Stockholm, Sweden and Information Coding, Department of Electrical Engineering, Linköping University, Sweden
- Prof. Lena Klasén has, since June 2018, been Research Director at the Department of National Operations and Adj. Professor of Digital Forensics at the Computer Vision Laboratory, Linköping University, Sweden. From January 2015 to May 2018, she was appointed Director of the Swedish National Forensic Centre and was part of the National Police Commissioner’s strategic and operational management teams. Dr. Klasén has a PhD in Image Coding from the University of Linköping, Sweden, and has led industrial and research organizations within Swedish authorities such as Saab AB, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, the Swedish National Laboratory of Forensic Science, and the Implementing Committee of the New Police Organization, Swedish Ministry of Justice. Her industrial experience also includes product portfolio management at Saab and involvement in starting up innovative companies. Lena has held several commissions of trust, e.g., board member and forensic expert.
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Preliminary Program
Please note: All times listed in this program are in Central European Time (CET), UTC+1.
Monday, March 23, 2026
09:30: Arrival and coffee
10:00: Welcome by the organizers, Round of individual introductions by the attendees
10:30: Invited talk 1
11:00: Coffee break
11:30: Invited talk 2
12:00: Participant Presentations/Lightning talks
12:55: Poster Pitches
13:00: Lunch break
14:00: Poster session during the lunch break
15:00: Invited talk 3
15:30: Coffee break
16:00: Hands-on session
18:00: Workshop ends
20:00: Social event
Organizing Committee
The workshop is jointly organized by the following people:
- Felix Freiling, FAU, Germany
- Katerina Kanta, University of Portsmouth, UK
- Yasin Köse, FAU, Germany
- Daryl Pfeif, Founding Member – Cyber Sleuth Science Lab, DFRWS, Digital Forensics Solutions
- Áine MacDermot, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
- Svenja Mischur, Germany
- Theresa Müller, Germany
- Monika Radhakisan Chavan
- Lisa Rzepka, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Germany
- Silvia Lucia Sanna, University of Cagliari, Italy
- Mariya Shafat, University of Kashmir, India
- Radina Stoykova, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
- Céline Vanini, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
- Lena Voigt, FAU, Germany
Artwork and T-Shirt
Feel free to use the generic workshop logo in any way that spreads the word about this workshop.
You may also visit the workshop webshop to order the official workshop t-shirt and other merchandise.