Daniel Takabi of Georgia State University has been named director of the School of Cybersecurity at Old Dominion University, as well as the Batten Endowed Chair of Cybersecurity and professor of electrical and computer engineering.
In these roles he will continue to increase the research capacity of the School of Cybersecurity and build on the growth of the undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity programs.
“Dr. Takabi has the exact background and skills the School of Cybersecurity needs as we move into the future,” said Brian Payne, vice provost for academic affairs at ODU. “He is a teacher and scholar who brings together a passion for teaching and an arsenal of research skills. We are fortunate to have him leading our School of Cybersecurity.”
Takabi, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, previously served as the founding director of the Information Security and Privacy: Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE) Center at Georgia State.
He led efforts resulting in GSU’s designation by the National Security Agency as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research and a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense.
He also served as program director for the cybersecurity programs, managed the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) program and developed the Graduate Certificate in Trustworthy AI Systems program at GSU.
Takabi’s current research focuses on cybersecurity and privacy, including the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science with cybersecurity and privacy; privacy-enhancing technologies; computation over encrypted data; and usable security and privacy. He has published more than 100 technical articles in highly competitive journals and conference proceedings such as IEEE TDSC, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, Elsevier Computers & Security, PoPETs, ACM CCS Workshops, CODASPY, SACMAT and DBSec.
He served as principal investigator for more than 25 projects with more than $10 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, the Department of Defense and private industry. In recognition of his research contributions, he has received a Microsoft Investigator Fellowship.
At ODU, Takabi will collaborate on cybersecurity research and initiatives with units across campus, including the Center for Secure and Intelligent Critical Systems, led by Sachin Shetty, and the supply chain cybersecurity research led by Rafael Diaz. He will also work with other universities on cybersecurity research and will be an active participant in the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative.
Cybersecurity is the fastest-growing academic program at ODU. In 2015 the University established the Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research and an interdisciplinary major in cybersecurity. Eleven students enrolled at that time. As of the fall 2023 semester, about 1,300 students are enrolled in cybersecurity degree programs. ODU offers a Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity, a B.S. in cybersecurity operations and a Master of Science in cybersecurity.
ODU's School of Cybersecurity is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations and a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense.