UNION, N.J. — Kean University is expanding its leadership in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity with a new $500,000 grant to support the development of academic pathways and prepare students for the emerging CyberAI workforce.

Daehan Kwak, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Technology, is leading the three-year project titled CyberAI Innovation: Building Academic Pathways for the CyberAI Workforce. The project is supported through the Innovation Track of the National Science Foundation’s CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service program, which seeks to increase the national capacity to educate and train professionals in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and the intersection of the two fields.

Kwak is joined by co-principal investigators Stanley Mierzwa, Ph.D., director of Kean’s Center for Cybersecurity, and Bin Hu, Ph.D., Navya Martin Kollapally, Ph.D., and Boyang Li, Ph.D., assistant professors in the Department of Computer Science and Technology.

“Kean is preparing students for the technologies shaping our future,” said George Chang, Ph.D., dean of The Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics and Technology. “The CyberAI project combines education, research and applied learning to prepare students to secure AI systems and strengthen cybersecurity. It will help expand the CyberAI workforce while creating new opportunities for our students.”

The project addresses two equally important aspects of CyberAI: using AI to improve cybersecurity and securing the AI systems themselves. Kean’s initiative will create formal CyberAI academic pathways and introduce coursework, hands-on learning and research experiences in line with emerging national AI security standards.

“The most impactful thing is that the project will help build a new workforce capable of both using AI for cybersecurity and, of course, protecting our AI systems from emerging threats,” Kwak said.

The work will also reach well beyond a single academic department. Faculty in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity and criminal justice will collaborate through development workshops and integrate CyberAI into existing courses. Students will also work alongside faculty on research tackling emerging challenges in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, areas of growing importance to national security and workforce development.

The interdisciplinary approach is one of the project’s strengths, allowing students to gain perspectives across computing, cybersecurity and criminal justice, according to Kwak.

“Cybersecurity can apply to almost everything, as can AI,” he said. “The challenge is focusing on where they intersect and preparing students with the right skills.”

The project builds on Kean’s existing investment in artificial intelligence. Kean was the first university in New Jersey to offer a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence, providing an academic foundation that the new CyberAI initiative can connect with cybersecurity education and research.

Mierzwa said the project will bring together expertise from across the University.

“This initiative reflects Kean University’s commitment to collaborative  CyberAI education that prepares students to address complex challenges and provides career pathways,” Mierzwa said.

The grant marks another step in Kean’s continued expansion of artificial intelligence education and research.

Kean University, New Jersey’s urban research university, is a national institution of higher education recognized for its diversity, innovation and the social mobility of its graduates. Designated an R2 research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Kean ranks among the top eight percent of U.S. universities for research and doctorate production. Founded in 1855 as a teachers college, Kean has evolved into a thriving research university that supports approximately 23,000 students worldwide as they persist to graduation, give back to their communities and launch successful careers. Kean’s six colleges offer more than 75 undergraduate programs, 10 doctoral programs and more than 90 graduate options leading to master’s degrees, professional diplomas or certifications, across a full range of academic subjects. With campuses in Union, Jersey City, Toms River and Manahawkin, New Jersey, and Wenzhou, China, as well as Kean Global, the University provides students of all backgrounds an affordable and accessible world-class education. Learn more at www.kean.edu.