CYBER SECURITY ENGINEERING
Ben Van Der Weerd
Third Year Cyber Security Engineering Student at Victoria University of Wellington. Specialising in incident response, continuity planning, and navigating complex issues under pressure.
ABOUT
My Journey
I'm a third-year Cyber Security Engineering (Honours) student at Victoria University of Wellington with a focus on incident response, continuity planning, and secure system design. My experience spans SOAR/SIEM triage at KiwiRail, leading incident response for New Zealand's first CubeSat, and building hardened home lab environments.
Whether it's analysing major P1-P4 outage data, developing contingency plans for spaceflight systems, or prototyping post-quantum encryption protocols, I thrive in environments where technical rigour meets real-world pressure.
I'm passionate about breaking down complex security issues "pinboard and string style" -- tracing problems back to their roots to better understand, respond, and resolve.
Disclaimer : This website was partially created using generative tools, NO Art or information is AI generated. AI Art is unethical and unfair to artists. The codebase however uses assisted coding from V0. I personally believe AI is an assistive tool like autocorrect. AI should not replace human jobs, it should instead be used to make life easier. Futher explaination on my usage is avaliable apon request.
Incident Response
Hands-on SOAR/SIEM triage, incident data analysis, and security policy development through real-world internship and satellite project experience.
Secure Systems
Designing redundancy and fault tolerance protocols, post-quantum encryption research, and building hardened environments from home labs to spaceflight systems.
Technical Leadership
Leading incident response teams, coordinating with academics and industry professionals, and managing technical operations across multiple organisations.
EXPERIENCE
Where I've Worked
Professional experience across cybersecurity, technical leadership, engineering education, and operations management.
ICT Team Lead & Technical Admin
Project Korora
Leading the ICT and security teams for New Zealand's first CubeSat with a Hall-effect thruster.
Head Department Manager
McDonald's New Zealand
People and performance head of department, overseeing hiring, training, development, and people resources for a team of 40.
Cyber Security Intern
KiwiRail
Summer internship within the Cyber Operations and ICT teams, focused on security operations and incident analysis.
Engineering Tutor
Victoria University of Wellington
Tutor for ENGR 101 Engineering Technology and ENGR 110 Engineering Design.
Digital Communications Adviser
The MacDiarmid Institute
Tripled average engagement across social media platforms through content strategy and data-driven decisions.
VOLUNTEERING
Community & Service
Logistics and Technology Organiser
TEDx @ VUW
Developing and organising technology to ensure the smooth running of the 2026 TEDx conference at Victoria University of Wellington. Identified and consulted on 3 critical operation-blocking vulnerabilities.
Intelligence Analyst & Civil Defence Responder
Task Force Kiwi
Expert in cybersecurity and networking during response operations.
Vice President
Victoria Engineering Club
Executive Board member responsible for inter-club coordination and faculty liaison. MORE++ Engineering Open Day Team 2025, STEM Ball Organising Committee 2024 & 2025.
Business Consultant
Auckland UniServices
Advised early-stage tech ventures on cybersecurity and digital strategies.
PROJECTS
Things I've Built
From satellite systems to post-quantum encryption, here are some of the projects I've worked on.
Home Lab
2022 - PresentBuilt and maintain a 15+ device home lab for experimentation with cybersecurity tools, Linux administration, and network infrastructure. Deployed and secured Docker containers, SSH gateways, reverse proxies, custom monitoring scripts, and off-site backup systems.
Computer Vision & Finite State Machines
2024Developed real-time computer vision tools using Python and OpenCV to track and classify moving targets. Implemented finite state machines to manage dynamic system behaviour and simulate decision-making agents in constrained environments.
Autonomous Vehicle Challenge
2024Designed control software for a mini rover using sensor fusion to navigate obstacle courses autonomously. Applied embedded systems and coordination algorithms to ensure accurate path finding and obstacle avoidance.
EDUCATION
Education & Credentials
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
Cyber Security
Victoria University of Wellington
Washington Accord accredited degree with specialisation in Incident Response & Continuity and Encryption.
NCEA With Merit
Levels 1-3
Te Puke High School
Graduated NCEA Levels 1-3 in one year at age 16. Dux of Business and Top Performing Student Award (Year 13).
IGCSE
General Education
International School of Brunei
Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Computer Science, Math and Bahasa Melayu at IGCSE level.
Certifications
CCNA Candidate
Cisco · 2026
SOC Analyst Cert Candidate
Hack The Box · 2026
First Aid Level 1
Hato Hone St John · 2025
Restaurant Management Level 4
Toi Ohomai · 2025
Mental Health First Aid
MHFA · 2024
Advanced Open Water Diver
PADI
SKILLS
Skills & Expertise
7
Languages
5
Operating Systems
3
Security Focus Areas
6
Certifications
CONTACT
Get In Touch
Whether you have a question, want to discuss cybersecurity, or just want to say hello, feel free to reach out.