In 2018, Professor Sanchari Das was a Ph.D. student at Indiana University Bloomington, interested in usable privacy and security when her advisor, Professor L. Jean Camp, introduced her to the Trusted CI Scholars program (formerly known as Trusted CI Student program). The Scholars program, a partnership with the Sustainable Horizons Institute and Trusted CI, the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, provided Professor Das with supportive mentors, opportunities to engage with experts in the field, and connections that strengthened her dissertation and opened unexpected career opportunities.
“I knew I always wanted to join academia, but the Trusted CI Scholars program and the NSF Cybersecurity Summit gave me a greater perspective on the core requirements for inventions, such as quantum computers and artificial intelligence. I was learning from the top scholars, federal government scientists, policymakers, and industry professionals,” says Professor Das, now Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology at George Mason University. “I got a more holistic view of cybersecurity, especially in terms of the efforts by U.S. federal agencies and what is needed from a nation’s perspective.”
She presented a poster on phishing and authentication, and the feedback she received from Summit attendees helped her improve her research and dissertation, “A Risk-reduction-based Incentivization Model for Human-centered Multi-factor Authentication.”
“I was connected with two great mentors, Mark Krenz and Jeannette Dopheide, who attended my poster and presentation and gave helpful feedback,” says Professor Das. “I also got valuable insight from Susan Son’s workshop into different version controls.”
Through connections she made because of Trusted CI and the Summit, Professor Das interviewed for several positions, including in the private sector, but she ultimately chose to stay in academia. The 2018 Summit, held in Alexandria, Virginia, also helped solidify her decision to move to the state and take her current position at George Mason University. “The Summit was the first time I visited the Washington, DC region, the hub of cybersecurity. It was very exciting,” says Professor Das. “The work here is ultimately impacting everyone in the world.”
Today, Professor Das continues the cycle of mentorship and community that once shaped her own journey by encouraging her students to apply for the Scholars program. She explains, “It is a highlight of one’s life to be selected for such a competitive program and to be connected to the Trusted CI community.”