As the digital realm sees major advancements, new challenges also emerge as a result of it, including image manipulation, deepfake, and copyright infringement. In response to this, Prof. Dr. Ir. Nova Rijati, S.Si., IPU., ASEAN Eng., a professor in Image Security at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus), has a commitment to protecting privacy, data, and digital works in society.

Prof. Nova was inaugurated as a professor in 2024. This professor title allows her to be among the prominent experts in Image Security in Indonesia. This particular field involves technology, such as encryption, digital watermarks, and biometrics based on images. It aims to prevent invalid access, manipulations, and digital image abuse.

“As a quality activist, I believe that ensuring the quality of ourselves is an initial step toward ensuring the quality of other aspects. A faculty member ensures their quality by achieving the professor title,” Prof. Nova said.

As a professor in Image Security, Prof. Nova emphasized the importance of technological innovations to maintain trust in the digital world. She utilizes recent technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), to detect deepfake, blockchain as a way to detect the authenticity of pictures. Furthermore, she also uses digital forensics to identify manipulations.

“Image Security is not only about technology, as it also needs creative approaches to find new solutions in facing digital security threats,” Prof. Nova explained.

Prof. Nova’s contributions are not only limited to academics. She also educates the public about the importance of protecting our privacy and digital works. Through research and development in Image Security, she hoped to be able to prevent the spread of misinformation, protect biometric data, and keep the authenticity of digital works.

“This particular field impacts various other sectors, including cyber security and digital arts. In this digital era, maintaining trust is paramount,” she concluded.

With her excellent dedication, Prof. Nova Rijati has proven that science is an important aspect to protect the public from the threat in digital world. She is an inspiring figure for the young generation and the Indonesian academic community.

Support and Collaborations from Loved Ones

Prof. Nova started her academic career as a lecturer at Udinus on August 1, 1996, which was still STMIK Dian Nuswantoro back then. Two years later, she was promoted to assistant professor. In 2001, she finished her graduate studies in Computer Science at STTBI Ben Arif Jakarta.

As time went on, her career became more prominent. In 2005, she was promoted to lecturer, and she earned the associate professor title in 2011. However, it did not stop there, as she finished her doctoral studies in 2021 at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), with the cum laude predicate. Furthermore, Prof. Nova also pursued her Engineer Profession degree at Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, achieving the best graduate predicate in 2023. 

In the same year, Prof. Nova attained a competence certificate as a Primary Professional Engineer and also fulfilled the qualifications to be an ASEAN Engineer from the AFEO Governing Board. 

“At the end of 2024, I finally earned my professor title. This would not be possible without the support of my colleagues and seniors. In addition, my own hard work and assistance from others also played a part in the success of my career,” she revealed. (Humas Udinus/Alex. Foto: Humas Udinus)