Dr. Ambareen Siraj, Organizer

Dr. Ambareen Siraj is currently serving as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation (NSF). She is the Founder of the Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) conference and non-profit organization. She is an Emeritus Faculty at Tennessee Tech. Until June of 2022, as Professor of Computer Science, she has served as the Founding Director of the Cybersecurity Education, Research, and Outreach Center (CEROC) at Tennessee Tech. Dr. Siraj's research areas of interest include cyber-physical system security, sensor alert fusion with alert correlation and alert clustering, security metrics, security education and workforce development. She has led various National Science Foundation Projects, including “Tennessee Cybercorps: A Hybrid Program in Cybersecurity”, “Tennessee Tech Gen-Cyber Camps”, “Capacity Building in Cybersecurity: Broadening Participation of Women in Cybersecurity through Women in Cybersecurity Conference & Professional Development”, “CyberWorkshops: Resources and Strategies for Teaching Cybersecurity in Computer Science”, and “Security Knitting Kit: Integrating Security into Traditional CS Courses”. Dr. Siraj’s effort to educate students and enhance the cybersecurity field of study goes beyond classes, research and outreach projects, workshops and conferences. She has authored or co-authored more than fifty journal and conference articles while taking an active part in promoting cybersecurity training throughout the nation. She is also a frequent speaker in various cybersecurity conferences. She has received multiple awards including the Exceptional Leadership in Education Award from the National Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education in 2018, Cybersecurity Person of The Year 2020 by Cybersecurity Ventures and the ABET Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity and Inclusion in 2020.