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Institutes & Research

Cyber Intelligence Training

Multi-Tiered Cyber Intelligence Program

About this Program 

In the digital era, cyberspace is considered the most vulnerable space globally, including in the United States. Federal organizations face higher demands to counter threats to eliminate or minimize cyber vulnerabilities. Government and private network systems are facing increasing danger, as these systems are undermined by hackers and intruders that leverage sophisticated malicious tactics. 

There is an acute shortage of cyber professionals with around 3.4 million unfilled jobs in cybersecurity.1-2 To counter the growing number of cyberattacks, there is a need for skilled Cybersecurity professionals capable of securing systems and critical information. Cybercrime damage is likely to exceed $6 trillion per year.3 The U.S. currently faces a shortfall of more than 769,000 Cybersecurity professionals.4-5 Information security analyst positions are expected to grow by 35% through 2031.6 

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Data Mining (DM) techniques are now utilized to collect, analyze, and interpret cyber-attacks. Modern networking technologies require advanced tools in forensic investigation. 

Online Certifications and Micro-Credentials 

The cyber intelligence educational programs offered at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) include multi-tiered training and certification pathways for preparing a future cyber engineering workforce. The multi-tiered Cyber Intelligence (CI) educational programs at TAMUK include:  

  1. Intensive Accelerated Training in Cyber Intelligence (IAT-CI) is open to accept applications from high school, community college, and TAMUK junior and senior students to prepare them to pursue studies in computer science including minoring in Cyber Intelligence.  Please see the following link for more information about the IAT-CI training program. Click here for IAT-CI Program details and application.
  2. Online Certification Program in Cyber Intelligence (OCP-CI) is open to accept applications from industry professionals. This program provides the credentials to join the Cybersecurity workforce with Cyber Intelligence/security certification, training, and professional development skills. This program is open to any professional online and aims to prepare future Cyber Intelligence leaders. 

Assistantships, Scholarships, Internships 

This program offers 2 assistantship positions, 6 scholarships, and 3 funded internship opportunities. The requirements for each of these are mentioned below. 

Assistantships 

Students are encouraged to apply for 2 undergraduate research assistantship positions. After undergoing review, the top 2 selected undergrad research assistants (URAs) satisfying the eligibility requirements will be paid a salary of $800/month for 9 months per year. The URAs will help in teaching the IAT-CI curriculum and work on the cyber intelligence research projects at TAMUK. The eligibility requirements are: 

  1. Enrolled at TAMUK. 
  2. GPA of 3.5 and above (lower GPA will be considered on a case-by-case basis). 
  3. Completed IAT-CI / OCP-CI training or a background in cyber intelligence. 

Scholarships 

The top 6 student applicants satisfying eligibility requirements will be awarded scholarships of $9,200 to cover their one-year (Fall and Spring semesters) tuition and fees. The eligibility requirements for the scholarships are as follows: 

  1. Enrolled at TAMUK. 
  2. GPA of 3.5 and above (high school or college transcript GPA will also be considered if just joining TAMUK). Lower GPA will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 
  3. Completed IAT-CI / OCP-CI training or showing interest and commitment in cyber intelligence research and education. 

Internships 

The top 3 student applicants satisfying the eligibility requirements will be funded for paid internships or summer research positions at partnering institutions to obtain hands-on experience in cyber intelligence. The eligibility requirements for the internships are as follows: 

  1. Enrolled at TAMUK. 
  2. GPA of 3.5 and above (high school or college transcript GPA will also be considered if just joining TAMUK). Lower GPA will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 
  3. Completed IAT-CI / OCP-CI training or showing interest and commitment in cyber intelligence research and education.

How to Apply

 To apply for any of the opportunities described above, submit your CV and academic transcript to:  
  • via email to Dr. Mais Nijim at: mais.nijim@tamuk.edu, or  
  • via regular mail to:  Dr. Mais Nijim, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, MSC 192, 917 W. Ave. B, Kingsville, TX  78363, or 
  • in person to the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department Office located in room ENGC 206 on the Texas A&M University-Kingsville campus 

Cyber Intelligence Research 

The research projects in this program will leverage the fusion of deep learning and stacking techniques and investigate federated / transfer learning using digital twin models to analyze, detect, and annotate cyber-attacks and threats to protect industrial control systems and smart grids. The program will capitalize on AI approaches to develop research and multi-level training/certificate programs in Cyber Intelligence counter Cybersecurity threats.   

Graduate Research Assistant Positions (Ph.D. Positions)

 Validity of this advertisement: Positions will be open until filled. 

The team of faculty, including Dr. Mais Nijim, Dr. Avdesh Mishra, and Dr. Ayush Goyal, from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Texas A&M University-Kingsville are looking for three (3) talented, strongly motivated, creative, and hard-working Ph.D. students in Engineering to work in an area of Cybersecurity, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence to solve interesting Cyber Intelligence problems.  

Project Description: The team is interested in supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, deep federated learning and developing generative vs. discriminative models for cyber intelligence applications. The long-term goal is to apply machine learning, deep learning, and federated learning technologies to solve complex cybersecurity problems such as cyber-attack detection on industrial control systems and smart grids. 

Selection Criteria: Superior analytic ability, programming skills, a foundation in algorithms, and good writing skills will be needed. A graduate student who wants to consider this area as his/her Ph.D. dissertation is strongly encouraged to apply. Ph.D. student applicants with some background in Cybersecurity, Cyber Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning as well as past research experience and conference and/or journal publication(s) will be given higher preference. 

Payment: The project will pay the student a monthly stipend and cover tuition and fees.  

How to Apply: Interested students, please email the following information to Dr. Avdesh Mishra [avdesh.mishra@tamuk.edu]:  

  • Your full name, e-mail address, and TAMUK student ID number (if you are a current TAMUK student). 
  • A current CV [showing relevant credentials (GPA, programming experience, analytic ability (if any), publications (if any), etc.)] in pdf format. 
  • A writing sample, such as a paper you have written or published (scientific papers are preferred but not required). 
  • GRE verbal, quantitative, and writing scores. 
  • IELTS/TOEFL reading, writing, speaking, and listening scores (international students only). 

Contact Information:  

If you have any questions about any of the above-mentioned research or educational programs, please feel free to contact us at:  

 Footnotes: 

  1. Help wanted for 3.4M jobs: Cyber Workforce shortage is an acute, worldwide problem, Cybersecurity Dive, https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/cyber-workforce-shortage-worldwide/634787/ 
  2. (ISC)2, Cybersecurity Workforce Study Report, https://media.isc2.org/-/media/Project/ISC2/Main/Media/documents/research/ISC2-Cybersecurity-Workforce-Study-2022.pdf (accessed 2022) 
  3. T. D. o. H. Security. "Department of Homeland Security's Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-2024." https://www.dhs.gov/publication/department-homeland-securitys-strategic-plan-fiscal-years-2020-2024 (accessed 2022). 
  4. CyberSeek. "Cybersecurity Supply/Demand Heat Map." https://www.cyberseek.org/heatmap.html (accessed December 08, 2022). 
  5. Fortune Education, “Companies are desperate for cybersecurity workers – more than 700K positions need to be filled”, June 30, 2022 https://fortune.com/education/articles/companies-are-desperate-for-cybersecurity-workers-more-than-700k-positions-need-to-be-filled/ (accessed December 08, 2022) 
  6. B. o. L. Statistics. "Information Security Analysts." https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm (accessed December 08, 2022).