DarkTrace’s Nicole Carignan: Turning curiosity into cyber defense innovation

Nicole Carignan’s path into cybersecurity started far from firewalls and network logs — in a dance studio.

“I actually started my career in modern dance,” she recalls. “But a mentor saw potential in me for computer science, and I fell in love with the problem-solving aspect of it," she said. "It gave me a way to create and innovate using new languages while tackling complex challenges.”

That curiosity led her from choreography to code — and eventually, to NASA. There, she found herself at the center of technological innovation and surrounded by people who valued ideas over titles.

“[NASA] gave me more responsibility than I probably should have had at that age,” she says. “But that trust helped shape my career and how I lead today. It showed me the power of empowering others early.”

After NASA, Carignan joined the U.S. intelligence community, long before “cybersecurity” was a defined field. Her work revolved around protecting sensitive systems and understanding how advanced actors exploited them. That up-close exposure to how threat actors innovate and experiment made her wonder how "we could bring that same spirit of innovation to defense — constantly experimenting and evolving to stay ahead,” she said.

A personal experience — being hacked while traveling overseas — became a defining moment. “It pushed me to focus entirely on security,” she says. That turning point set her on a path that would merge her fascination with data, AI, and defense.

She went on to work with massive datasets and threat intelligence feeds at a big data company before joining Darktrace, where she was drawn to the firm’s pioneering use of unsupervised machine learning to model every organization’s "pattern of life" and detected subtle anomalies.

For Carignan, curiosity remains her guiding principle. “I’ve always been driven to learn new things,” she says. “Sometimes I’ve changed direction out of boredom, sometimes out of passion ... but it’s always been about growth.”

Her leadership philosophy reflects that mindset. She sees her greatest impact not in classified projects — though some of her most significant work remains under wraps — but in people. “My most meaningful contributions have come from building relationships, sharing knowledge, and creating spaces where others can grow,” she says.

That passion for mentorship inspired her to launch Darktrace’s AI Enablement Program, a cross-functional initiative designed to close the knowledge gap between AI and cybersecurity. The program provides training, resources, and live learning sessions that help employees connect AI theory to practical defense applications.

“AI is transforming every part of our industry, but it raises critical questions about ethics, safety, and trust,” she says.

The program’s goal is to democratize AI understanding so everyone, regardless of technical background, can engage confidently in that conversation.

Her approach to leadership and mentorship is deeply shaped by her own experience navigating underrepresentation.

“As a woman and a neurodiverse professional in cybersecurity, credibility wasn’t automatic,” she says. “Early on, I felt pressure to prove my technical expertise before my strategic contributions were recognized.”

That experience sharpened her resilience — and her commitment to inclusion. At Darktrace, she supports the company’s Women’s, Neurodiversity & Ability, and Parents employee resource groups. “Innovation comes from teams that think differently,” she says. “If everyone thinks the same way, you risk groupthink — and in cybersecurity, that can be costly.”

Looking ahead, Carignan sees artificial intelligence as both the industry’s biggest opportunity and its most complex challenge. “AI should augment human work, not replace it,” she says.

Humans are essential for data integrity, security, and testing, Carignan explained. When applied responsibly, AI can free people to focus on strategic defense — the kind of work machines can’t replicate.

Carignan remains optimistic about the balance between offense and defense.

“The offense will get better, but so will the defense,” she says. “The key is ensuring that AI continues to augment humans — guided by transparency, responsibility, and collaboration between people and machines.”