X
Home Division of Research & Innovation News & Impact UofM Cybersecurity Faculty Receive Major NSF Grant

UofM Cybersecurity Project Funded by NSF

Yang to lead efforts in growing cybersecurity workforce

Cybersecurity faculty, PI: Dr. Kan Yang, Co-PIs: Dr. Dipankar Dasgupta, Dr. Myounggyu Won and Dr. Amy Cook in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Memphis, received a $3.8 million NSF grant for their project “CyberCorps Scholarship for Service: Developing the Cybersecurity Workforce in West Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas”.

This project seeks to address the growing national demand for cybersecurity professionals (especially in the public sector) by recruiting, educating, and training a diverse group of scholars from the UofM and its surrounding community colleges. It leverages the strengths of strong cybersecurity education and research programs and highly diverse student populations at the UofM to prepare qualified students to enter the cybersecurity workforce in the public sector. This project also aims to increase students’ awareness of cybersecurity opportunities and career paths in government organizations, especially for West Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas students.

This project will recruit four cohorts of scholars from the Department of Computer Science, Department of Business Information Technology, Department of Engineering, Department of Criminal Justice, and other departments at the UofM. Priority will be given to underrepresented students, such as women, minorities, and veterans. The CyberCorps SFS scholarship includes:

  • Up to 3 years of support for undergraduate and graduate (MS or PhD) education
  • Academic-year stipends of $25,000 per year for undergraduate students and $34,000 per year for graduate students
  • Tuition and education related fees (does not include items such as meal plans, housing, or parking)
  • Professional allowance of $6,000 for SFS Job Fair and other travel, professional certification, etc.
  • Participation in virtual and in-person job fairs in Washington, D.C.
  • Post-graduation government service requirement for a period equivalent to the length of scholarship
     

The UofM is designated as a Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and Research. To establish a new CyberCorps SFS program at the UofM, this project will: a) advance cybersecurity knowledge of SFS scholars through well-established undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity programs at the UofM; b) enhance hands-on cybersecurity skills of SFS scholars through innovative cybersecurity projects and professional development workshops; c) develop problem-solving capabilities of SFS scholars through participation in faculty-guided cybersecurity research; d) improve competitive advantages of SFS scholars in the cybersecurity job market through monthly CyberCorps seminars and student activities; and e) increase the diversity of SFS scholars through collaboration with minority, women’s, and veterans’ organizations at the UofM, partnerships with local community colleges, and community outreach activities.

If you have questions or further interest in these opportunities, please contact Yang at kan.yang@memphis.edu.