The following story originally appeared on the Arts & Sciences website. – Ed.

In recognition of William & Mary’s cutting-edge contributions in the area of cybersecurity, the National Security Agency (NSA) has designated the university a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Research (NCAE-R), effective Oct. 29, 2024.

The designation “is a nod to W&M’s unique, holistic approach to cybersecurity,” according to Adwait Nadkarni, Class of 1953 Associate Professor of Computer Science and director of the W&M Cybersecurity Center.

While cybersecurity research at the university is grounded in the “core technical expertise” of the Department of Computer Science, it relies on crucial collaborations with the Data Science Program (which the Board of Visitors recently voted to approve as a full department), W&M Law School and the Raymond A. Mason School of Business.

Since its creation last December, the Cybersecurity Center has worked to facilitate interdisciplinary research partnerships among academic units in Arts & Sciences and with W&M’s other schools.

“This approach is particularly critical now, when cybersecurity threats are multi-faceted, and building solutions requires a deep understanding of the systems and computing infrastructure involved, the humans that operate them, and the laws and norms that motivate both system design and human behavior,” Nadkarni said.

W&M researchers’ innovative approach underlies the many achievements that earned the university its CAE-R accreditation. The NSA’s National Cryptologic School awarded the designation after a rigorous evaluation, assessing both quantitative metrics — numbers of faculty publications, research grants and doctoral students’ dissertations focused on cybersecurity — and such qualitative criteria as graduate employment outcomes, research areas covered and curricular breadth. According to Nadkarni, W&M easily satisfied these requirements, with faculty and graduate students in the Department of Computer Science exceeding most quantitative criteria twofold.

 “Arts & Sciences is proud to have nurtured this excellent department as it grows and prospers,” said Suzanne Raitt, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. “The NCAE-R designation is just one of many honors garnered by the computer science department over the past few years.”

Like those many other honors, the new accreditation is a testament to the talent of researchers in computer science and beyond. “This designation demonstrates the recognition that W&M faculty and their graduate students are leaders in ground-breaking cybersecurity research,” said Evgenia Smirni, chair and Sidney P. Chockley Professor of Computer Science.

CAE-R status will help W&M continue to break new ground in the years to come. As Nadkarni explained, the designation will promote the expansion of cybersecurity research at the university by attracting talented faculty and Ph.D. students and unlocking funding opportunities reserved for CAE institutions. The accreditation will also foster engagement with an array of federal partners, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense Office of the Chief Information Officer (DoD-CIO), and U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM).

“I am optimistic that this designation will open a lot of doors and prove incredibly powerful for our students and faculty,” Nadkarni said.

Douglas C. Schmidt, inaugural dean of W&M’s School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics (soon to house the computer science and data science departments), is especially excited by the opportunities for collaboration and funding from which the university will benefit as a CAE institution. These new connections and resources will serve W&M’s vision for the new school to become “a hub for interdisciplinary research and education,” Schmidt said.

Supporting interdisciplinary partnerships not only within the School of Computing, Data Science & Physics, but also across campus, the CAE-R accreditation will advance the mission of the university as a whole.

“This well-deserved designation marks a significant milestone for cybersecurity research at William & Mary,” said Provost Peggy Agouris. “It underscores the university’s unwavering commitment to addressing the critical challenges of our time through innovative research and scholarship. I’m thrilled for the collaborative opportunities ahead for our students and faculty as they continue to contribute to this dynamic field.”