Florida Atlantic: Securing the Future

Cybersecurity professionals work in nearly every sector and industry, including public and private, and from banking and finance to health care and government. However, the United States is facing a major talent gap. In fact, there are more than 570,000 open cybersecurity positions in the U.S. with an increase of 35 percent in just the last year.

To maintain a leading role in cybersecurity, the U.S. needs a robust cybersecurity workforce to develop the next generation of infrastructure and technologies.

Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, in collaboration with its College of Business and Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, received a $2.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a scholarship program in the burgeoning and critical field of cybersecurity. The NSF’s CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service program seeks to increase the number of qualified cybersecurity professionals working for federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments. The program is managed by the NSF in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Florida Atlantic is one of only six universities to receive the NSF CyberCorps award this year.

Designed to increase the volume and strength of the nation’s cybersecurity workforce, the program provides full scholarships and stipends to students pursuing studies at the intersection of cybersecurity and AI.

“This dynamic program will help to address an immense shortage of highly trained experts in the field of cybersecurity,” said Hari Kalva, Ph.D., principal investigator, interim chair and professor in Florida Atlantic’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “We have a longstanding commitment to our students as well as robust course offerings related to cybersecurity to make this program a success. We are excited to contribute in developing a highly skilled cybersecurity workforce to address the needs of our nation and state.”

Students recruited for this program will receive a two-year scholarship and training that prepares them for competitive employment in the federal and/or state cybersecurity workforce. In addition to gaining a broad understanding of cybersecurity opportunities, students will be trained to secure jobs in the federal government. They will graduate with deep skills and will serve the nation’s security needs by completing a service obligation for the same duration as their scholarship support.

“This prestigious NSF-funded project, spearheaded by Professor Kalva in collaboration with an outstanding project team, is a testament to the quality of research, academics, collaboration and outreach at FAU,” said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “As cyber threats continue to become increasingly complex, our project will help to prepare a well-trained cybersecurity workforce in Florida that will serve the federal and state government.”