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By Kelsey Kendall

����԰��Ƶ’s nationally recognized School of Cybersecurity has begun work with U.S. Cyber Command to address pressing national defense challenges. Through this collaboration, University experts will conduct research to advance the country’s use of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity for critical infrastructure. 

Daniel Takabi, Ph.D., director of the School of Cybersecurity and Batten Endowed Chair in Cybersecurity, said this highlights the school’s reputation as a leader in cybersecurity education and research. 

“Overall, it comes down to the strength of our research program,” Dr. Takabi said. 

The University research team includes Dr. Takabi, Mohammad GhasemiGol, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and the School of Cybersecurity, and three doctoral students. 

Nahom Birhan, a Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering, said he is looking forward to working on research that has real-world implications — defending systems across the country from cyber threats — alongside University researchers and the U.S. Cyber Command. 

“They will make us complete researchers — not only researchers, but practical implementers,” Nahom said. “You have the research and you can implement that so it could be used by any company or institution.”

����԰��Ƶ is the first university in the nation to receive both National Security Agency’s (NSA) validations for the University’s CyberAI programs and is among the few universities in the country to obtain all three Centers of Excellence designations from the NSA. 

“Working on cutting-edge technology with these researchers, at a university that has national recognition in cybersecurity, is a proud moment for me,” Sidhant Narula, a Ph.D. student in computer science, said. “Being part of this team gives me immense pleasure.”

The University already fosters a collaborative research environment, Mehrdad Rostamzadeh, a Ph.D. student in computer science, said. Because of this, he believes the team, in connection with the U.S. Cyber Command, is capable of innovating in the field of cybersecurity and national infrastructure. 

“The collaborative culture, strong technical expertise and supportive research environment within the cybersecurity department position ����԰��Ƶ to successfully address this specific and timely research challenge,” Mehrdad said. 

This collaboration is part of an Educational Partnership Agreement between the U.S. Cyber Command and ����԰��Ƶ, which was signed by Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Brian Payne, Ph.D., in Fall 2025.

Through this collaboration, Dr. Takabi said there will be opportunities for the U.S. Cyber Command and other federal agencies to connect with University students, faculty and staff through guest lectures and joint research projects. It could also open the door to research funding and internships for the students involved. 

In April, the ����԰��Ƶ team will join other participating institutions at the 2026 CyberRECon Symposium, an event hosted by the U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade in Maryland, to present their research.