University of Tennessee designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity

(Press-News.org) The number and sophistication of cyberattacks has increased significantly in recent years. According to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, economic losses from cybercrime in the US exceeded $4 billion in 2020 and skyrocketed to $16 billion in 2024.

Beyond their monetary impacts, cyberattacks can cause significant harm.

“A significant number of cyberattacks are on critical infrastructure, like smart electrical grids or water meters,” said Himanshu Thapliyal, an associate professor in the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). “There have also been attacks stealing intellectual property from private networks and patient data from hospital databases.”

Unfortunately, the global supply of cybersecurity experts has struggled to keep up with demand. In April of 2025, there are more than 400,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions in the US.

To help close this gap, the US National Security Agency (NSA) identifies and supports academic institutions across the nation that are committed to advancing cybersecurity expertise in the workforce. Such institutions are designated National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE).

“The CAE designation is like a stamp signifying your program’s strength in cybersecurity,” Thapliyal explained. “It increases the credibility of your program because you’ve gone through this rigorous review process.”

When Thapliyal joined the Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) faculty in 2021, EECS already had a strong cybersecurity program, with faculty members publishing in top-tier cybersecurity journals, graduate courses covering software and hardware security, and seminar series on topics like trustworthy machine learning.

“We have a very rigorous and holistic cybersecurity program that has been expanding over the last few years,” Thapliyal said. “The only thing missing was the designation.”

With support from former EECS Department Head Gregory Peterson, current EECS Department Head Garrett Rose, and Wayne T. Davis Dean’s Chair and TCE Dean Matthew Mench, Thapliyal filed an application for designation with the NSA.

In December of 2024, the NSA designated the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research (CAE-R) for its doctoral programs focused on cybersecurity.

There are only 92 CAE-R institutions in the nation, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, and Vanderbilt University.

“This designation is reflective of the tremendous contribution to cybersecurity research and education from the department programs,” Mench said. There has never been a greater need for advancing cyber security to protect personal and national interests, and it is great to see our leadership in this critical area reflected through this prestigious designation.”

CAE Designation Boosts Students, Faculty, and Graduates UT’s CAE-R designation will give EECS students, faculty, and staff incredible opportunities to advance their education and research.

For example, many federal grants are only available to researchers at CAE-designated institutions, including NSA grants to build and strengthen cybersecurity programs and facilities. Such grants could further improve EECS’s cybersecurity test beds.

“There are a lot of people here working on power systems and other critical infrastructure,” Thapliyal explained. “Students can use our test beds to apply their research to real-world settings, which makes their work more impactful and helps them get published in high-quality journals.”

The designation also opens a funding avenue for EECS students through the US Department of Defense Cyber Service Academy (DOD CSA) that provides students with tuition, housing, stipends, and a guaranteed job at the DOD after graduation. The DOD CSA is exclusively open to students at CAE-designated institutions.

In addition to expanded funding opportunities, UT’s CAE designation will open EECS to a top-tier national network of cybersecurity students and researchers.

“People from all the CAE-designated institutes come together for conferences. It’s a great opportunity to help faculty collaborate, apply for bigger grants, or even develop new types of research,” Thapliyal said. “The CAE community also organizes paid workshops for students and competitions where students can compete and strengthen their cybersecurity expertise.”

The designation will also have positive effects on students who leave academic research after graduation.

“When employers see that students are coming from a CAE-designated institute, they view it very positively,” said Thapliyal. “That’s especially true of federal and defense agencies.”

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