Mentorship Program
Training and Mentorship Program
“The cybersecurity threat landscape has grown in complexity. Organizations see an ever-increasing talent and skills gap as they try to fill the roles among their defense lines. Individuals, on the other hand, find it challenging to enter a field that has become so enormously complex and so rapidly changing that it represents a very steep learning curve.”
Flavio Villanustre, Vice President of Technology and CISO for LexisNexis Risk Solutions
To address the widening skills gap in the cybersecurity field, the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity (EBCS) Research Group at Georgia State University has been awarded $300,000 from the National Science Foundation to develop an innovative research and internship program. The Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Training and Mentorship Program for Students will teach students advanced cybersecurity research skills and match them with cybersecurity practitioners with whom they will test tools to improve organizations’ security.
Thirty students from across the Southeast will be recruited for the program. Student selection will be based on their GPAs, professor recommendations, experience and previous coursework in Computer Sciences, and strong interest and curiosity about cybersecurity research. Students will participate in 2 months long summer workshops at Georgia State University, while interning with cybersecurity teams in Atlanta-based companies and law enforcement agencies. Students will be paired with mentors who will guide the students’ research projects. The training will be free to the students, who will receive a cost-of-living stipend from the EBCS.
The EBCS is currently recruiting mentors to host EBCS interns for Summer 2022. Mentors will be expected to work closely with their students and take an active role in their students’ research projects. In return, mentors will receive top students who will be trained in research techniques and the latest cybersecurity tools.
For more information about the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Training and Mentorship Program for Students please visit our website at: ebcs.gsu.edu and email:[email protected]
“The idea is to work closely with these CISOs, our law enforcement partners and others to produce a better, evidence-based science and employees who move the cybersecurity industry several steps forward. We will provide a supply of highly effective cybersecurity and law enforcement researchers.”
Dr. David Maimon, Director of the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research Group
Student Application
We will accept applications for a new class of students during the fall semester. The selection and placement process will occur during spring semester, with mentorship beginning the following summer.
Volunteer as a Mentor Organization
We are always seeking out new partnerships with organizations and individuals throughout the Metro-Atlanta area who may be able to provide a quality learning experience for our students through mentorship in the cybersecurity field.
Listen to Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Dean Sally Wallace, Advisory Board member Flavio Villanustre and Director of the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity (EBCS) Research Group David Maimon talking about this unique program in ITSPmagazine’s podcast.