Kennesaw State's Vijay Anand honored as National Academy of Inventors Senior Member

(Press-News.org) The National Academy of Inventors has selected Kennesaw State University Associate Professor of Information Technology Vijay Anand as a 2026 NAI Senior Member, in recognition of his innovative work in the cybersecurity field.

NAI Senior Members are distinguished faculty, scientists, and administrators who have demonstrated success in patents, licensing, and commercialization. They develop technologies that have made, or have the potential to make, meaningful impacts on society.

“Kennesaw State is proud of Dr. Anand’s selection to the NAI class of 2026 Senior Members,” Executive Vice President for Research Karin Scarpinato said. “This recognition illustrates the University’s commitment to creating technologies that make real impacts on society. At KSU, we are dedicated to bringing discoveries out of the lab and into the community so everyone can benefit.”

A faculty member in the College of Computing and Software Engineering, Anand has led the design of nationally recognized cybersecurity programs and pioneered research in secure computation and intelligent infrastructure. He has served as the principal or co-principal investigator on more than $2 million in federally funded research, advancing innovations in data exchange, blockchain systems, and cyber defense. Also, Anand took second place in the 2024 National Security Innovation Network Cyber Innovators Challenge, a highly competitive Department of Defense program recognizing high-impact cybersecurity innovation.

An invention patented by Anand introduced an early framework for securely distributing digital content across multiple devices, solving early challenges in authentication and controlled access. His system laid the groundwork for security features that now are common in modern mobile platforms.

“I feel honored by the recognition from NAI, of course, but accolades are not my motivation,” Anand said. “I am very passionate about cyber, and I’m just doing work that I enjoy and that I hope makes a meaningful contribution.”

Anand’s peers certainly recognize the significance of his work. Among them is Chris Cornelison, Kennesaw State’s Assistant Vice President of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, who nominated Anand for NAI Senior Member consideration.

“Dr. Anand’s efforts have directly influenced cybersecurity education, workforce development, and applied research aligned with national security priorities,” Cornelison said. “Collectively, his contributions demonstrate a consistent ability to translate foundational research into practical, scalable technologies with lasting impact.”

Anand serves as a mentor, leading students in research efforts that have resulted in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. He also values conducting interdisciplinary research, often collaborating with subject experts in academic disciplines outside of computer science such as health sciences, education, and supply chain management.

“Some of the most meaningful research happens when you bring together faculty with a mix of expertise who want to address real societal challenges,” Anand said. “When you build diverse teams, you’re able to see problems – and solutions – from different perspectives. That mix of expertise not only strengthens our research and funding opportunities, it makes the work rewarding and genuinely fun.”

Prior to Kennesaw State, Anand taught at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Southeast Missouri State University, where he established the first cybersecurity degree program in the state. Before academia, Anand served in senior engineering roles at Motorola, Palm, and the University of Chicago’s Computation Institute. He holds two degrees from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a master’s in computer engineering and his doctorate in electrical engineering.

Anand will be formally inducted as a Senior Member at the NAI’s 15th annual conference in June in Los Angeles. With the addition of its 2026 class, the National Academy of Inventors has 945 Senior Members holding more than 11,000 U.S. patents.

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