Cyber Security Leader Joining San Antonio Faculty
Dr. Ravi Sandhu, a recognized leader in cyber security, will become the founding executive director and chief scientist of the UTSA Institute for Cyber Security Research on June 1, thanks to Texas Gov. Rick Perry's March 26 award of $3.5 million in Texas Emerging Technology Fund grants to the University of Texas at San Antonio to recruit him. "While UTSA has already achieved significant accomplishments in the field of cyber security research, the addition of Dr. Sandhu will further Texas' ambitions to be a major competitor in the global technology marketplace," Perry said.
UTSA was the first university in Texas designated as a National Security Agency Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security by the U.S. government. Under Sandhu's leadership, it will expand research to international programs and create new opportunities for partnerships in public and private sectors, Perry's office said. "With the tremendous support of Gov. Perry and the Emerging Technology Fund, UTSA will be able to expand critical research in cyber security and build a multidimensional institute to meet the challenges that face our country's technology infrastructure," UTSA President Ricardo Romo said. "Opportunities such as this help move UTSA to the forefront of research and innovation."
Sandhu, a professor of Information Security and Assurance at George Mason University for 18 year, is responsible for the creation of nine U.S. Patents, 30 sponsored research grants, more than 160 published articles and the commercialization of several technology products; he also received the 2004 Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers' technical achievement award for outstanding and pioneering contributions to information security.