James Giordano - US grants

Cyber SMART is one of the first IUCRCs to strategically combine computer science (CS) and the related NSF social and economic sciences (SES) and behavioral and cognitive sciences (BCS) programs to cyber research. This multidisciplinary approach enables better understanding by industry, educators, students, and government of the impact of cyber. This comprehensive approach opens significant new and under-utilized avenues of enquiry, particularly at the intersection of CS, SES and BCS. The Center’s unique skill-set significantly increases the depth and breadth of research available to organizations, the research and education opportunities available to academics and students in a range of disciplines, and informs policy, standards, and regulation.

Cyber SMART’s CS expertise covers distributed ledger technology and standards, secure information systems, artificial intelligence (AI) including neuroscience and neurotech, cybersecurity and secure communications, quantum computing, finance/economics, business management, digital identity, cyber law/regulation, policy, psychology and ethics. Across the Center, each Site has specific, complementary expertise. All Sites have strong CS, SES, and BCS capability but each site has leading expertise in specific areas. For example, Georgetown University has leading expertise in cyber ethics, cyber law, regulation, standards, and policy that complements and supplements the CS, SES and BCS expertise of other Sites.

Cyber SMART is uniquely positioned to produce research that comprehensively addresses the consequences of increased digitization. In broader impact, the Center’s work will benefit industry, individuals who use products and services, educators and scholars, regulators, and society in general. Applying CS, with relevant SES and BCS expertise enables comprehensive understanding of all the issues, better framing of research, and development of targeted and feasible solutions. Most importantly, new cross-discipline collaboration will bring innovation in education and training and greater inclusion. The Center’s industry engagement and outreach is specifically designed to engage women, girls, and underrepresented minorities for career motivation, training and employment.

Cyber SMART will maintain a Center-wide project repository including research data, code, results, emulators, simulators, scientific papers etc. for at least three years after the end of the IUCRC. Georgetown University has an institutional repository that will outlast the life of the IUCRC.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.