Angelo State Wins $299K Grant to Tackle AI-Driven Cybersecurity Threats

SAN ANGELO, TX - Angelo State University has received a $299,999 grant sub-award from the U.S. Department of Defense through Texas Tech University for a joint project to develop a cybersecurity research and workforce development program to tackle defense-relevant challenges in the region.

The two-year project, titled "Research and Workforce Development in the Area of Cybersecurity," is being funded by an overall $2.5 million DoD grant to Texas Tech that includes subawards to Angelo State and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Its goal is to develop a program that spurs a research and training environment at TTU, ASU and UTSA based on fundamental research and applications of cybersecurity to enhance research capabilities, student involvement in research, and DoD collaborations at the three universities.

Dr. Erdogan Dogdu, chair of the ASU Department of Computer Science, is the principal investigator (PI) for ASU's portion of the project, and Dr. Roya Choupani and Dr. Sundar Krishnan of the computer science faculty are the co-PIs.

"I am excited to collaborate with Dr. Choupani and Dr. Krishnan to advance cybersecurity research and workforce development at ASU," Dogdu said. "Our focus on cutting-edge areas, like AI-driven threat detection, cyber forensics and a knowledge-graph-based intelligence framework, is designed to address critical challenges faced by both our region and the nation. This grant will not only enhance our research capabilities, but also provide our students with invaluable hands-on experience, internships and career preparation to become the cybersecurity leaders of tomorrow. I am proud of Angelo State's ongoing contributions to cybersecurity defense, research and education, and I look forward to this project's future impact."

The three ASU professors will combine their expertise to develop specific areas of the overall program, including:

• A toolkit and forensics for cyber incident/crime investigation
• Leveraging AI in detecting and evaluating cybersecurity risks
• A cyber threat intelligence framework based on knowledge graphs
• An explainable-AI framework for critical infrastructure systems

This grant project is also just the latest ASU initiative designed to provide cybersecurity protection for the region and the nation while also producing qualified graduates ready for careers in the high-demand cybersecurity workforce.

• ASU's Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree has received Program of Study certification from the National Security Agency (NSA).
• ASU has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the NSA.
• ASU's award-winning Regional Security Operations Center (RSOC) is providing cybersecurity protection for 40-plus entities in West Texas, including cities, counties, critical infrastructure, medical facilities and school districts.
• ASU hosts an annual Summer Cyber Camps and a Youth Cyber Roundup & Expo for K-12 students.
• ASU assists local school districts with cybersecurity curriculum, competitive CyberPatriot teams and faculty professional development.
• ASU annually presents multiple community symposia that serve local and regional businesses and mature populations.
• ASU students intern in the RSOC and State of Texas Data Center on campus and at local and regional cybersecurity firms.

Additionally, ASU's bachelor's degree in cybersecurity and master's degree in computer science are two of the fastest-growing academic programs on campus.