When he first began to explore computer science field years ago, Saransh Mahajan quickly recognized that coding alone wasn’t the right fit. “It bored me to just script,” he recalls. “I began to look into other areas in tech that could offer me more interaction.”  

His interest in human‑centred technology and psychology led him to cybersecurity, a diverse and expanding field, which can offer far more than people may expect from traditional tech roles. After completing an associate’s degree in Computer Science and a diploma in Cybersecurity and Threat Management he decided to apply as a transfer student to York University’s Computer Science program for better exposure, a Bachelor’s degree and the opportunity to accelerate his career with co-op.  

His academic pivot paid off when he landed a co-op role with MDA Space, Canada's largest space technology developer and manufacturer. In his role as Cybersecurity Analyst, Saransh was responsible for incident triage, vulnerability assessments and producing technical documentation.  

He soon built upon these core duties and demonstrated his initiative by identifying process gaps and designing solutions to address them, bridging the connection between technical signals and human behavior.  

“Saransh shared that he was passionate about the human aspects of cybersecurity, and this was an area that he felt he could offer significant value,” shared his supervisor, Uriah McCann, Director, Cybersecurity, MDA Space.  

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"My co-op experience at MDA Space significantly enhanced my personal, academic, and professional development. Working with enterprise-scale tools and real incidents deepened my understanding of how cybersecurity concepts translate into operational decision-making under real-world constraints."

As an example, one of his most impactful contributions involved enhancing the organization’s Business‑Critical Risk Management program and making it more effective. By refining alert logic, analyzing user behavior patterns, and aligning technical findings with business context, he helped reduce false positives by approximately 20% and improved investigation response times by up to 80%. These improvements increased operational efficiency, reduced analyst workload, and enabled faster, risk‑informed decision-making across the organization. 

Saransh was also entrusted with supporting the early integration of AI‑driven risk detection features. He rapidly adapted to emerging tools and worked across multiple departments—including Legal, Corporate Security, and business leadership—to identify use cases and ensure alignment between technical capabilities and broader organizational needs. 

As a final standout achievement of his term, Saransh independently designed, tested, and launched an operational Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) workflow. Leveraging existing tools, external intelligence feeds, and API integrations, he created a system that identifies and contextualizes actionable threat insights and sends them directly to organizational stakeholders. This innovation eliminated the need for manual monitoring and continues to provide business value.  

“Saransh’s exceptional technical achievements, initiative, and professionalism have made a lasting impact on our cybersecurity operations,” says McCann. “His ability to deliver innovative solutions, collaborate across teams, and communicate effectively with stakeholders sets a high standard for co-op excellence.” 

Saransh’s extraordinary co-op achievements have reconfirmed his passion for working in cybersecurity at the intersection of threat intelligence, risk assessment and the human factors that influence security outcomes. Congratulations Saransh!