SciFest Student Wins International Gold for Groundbreaking Cybersecurity Project

Transition Year student Addison Carey from Celbridge Community School in Kildare, has brought international recognition home to Kildare, winning a Gold Medal at the 45th Eskom Expo International Science Fair in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Addison, who represented Ireland and SciFest, earned top honours for her innovative project on strengthening cybersecurity in the age of quantum computing, one of today’s most important challenges for digital safety.

Her project, Advancing Post-Quantum Lattice-based Cryptography by Developing Efficient Shortest Vector Problem Approaches, explores how to make future encryption systems more secure against quantum computer attacks. While the research is deeply technical, its goal is clear: to help keep people’s data safe in a rapidly changing digital world.

“It was an incredible experience to represent Ireland and SciFest on such a global stage,” said Addison Carey following her win. “Quantum computing poses both exciting opportunities and serious security challenges. Through this project, I wanted to explore how we can stay ahead of those challenges and keep our data safe in the years to come. Winning a gold medal was beyond what I ever expected — it’s truly an honour. I’d like to thank my parents, my teacher, Ms Zita Murphy, and the entire SciFest team for all their encouragement and support along the way.”

Addison was selected for the international event after winning the SciFest Best Project Award at TU Dublin Tallaght earlier this year. She is the first Irish student to compete in person at the Eskom Expo, marking a historic milestone for Ireland’s growing presence in international STEM competitions.

SciFest Founder and CEO Sheila Porter congratulated Addison on her success: “A huge congratulations to Addison on being awarded a Gold Medal at the Eskom Expo International Science Fair. Her success is a tremendous honour for her school, her teacher, SciFest and Ireland, and a powerful testament to the excellence and creativity inspired by science in Irish schools.”

The Eskom Expo International Science Fair, now in its 45th year, is Africa’s largest science fair, attracting hundreds of young innovators from around the world.

Addison’s achievement highlights SciFest’s role at the forefront of STEM education, inspiring other students to explore how their curiosity can make a real difference.

Addison Carey is presented with the prestigious Gold Medal at Eskom Expo ISF by Nomaledi Mbambisa, Eskom Expo board member.