The Texas A&M Global Cyber Research Institute – Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station

Who We Are

The Texas A&M Global Cyber Research Institute (GCRI) endowed by Ray Rothrock ’77 and Anthony Wood ’87 was created in 2021 to elevate Texas A&M’s efforts in the broad information security area. The institute incorporates under it the Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center which has been in existence in its current form since 2015.

The institute is jointly administered by Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and it will assist in engagement and coordination of information security and cyber defense programs within TEES and Texas A&M University colleges, institutes and centers.

Mission

The broad mission of GCRI is to provide a platform for research, thought-leadership, engagement, and education and workforce development in cyber defense and information security. Specifically, it will seek to:

Engage in research to mitigate information security risks for critical cyber physical infrastructure.

Engage the social and behavioral sciences, law, and policy as they relate to information security.

Engage in outreach nationally and globally.

In accordance with Texas A&M’s land-grant mission, engage in education and workforce development to increase availability of talent to satisfy both industry and national security needs.

Educating Our Future Cybersecurity Workforce

There is a strong need nationally for talent creation in cybersecurity. Skilled workers are needed for private industry and government agencies.

The Texas A&M Global Cyber Research Institute aims to provide education and hands-on training experiences. Education will focus on multiple digital security disciplines.

Planned educational activities include:

Workshops for student and professional training.

icon depicting castle symbolizing a competition

Student participation in local and national competitions, like hackathons and capture-the-flag competitions.

Student engagement with industry and governmental national cyber entities through internships.

Scholarships and fellowships for students involved with the Texas A&M GCRI.

Collaboration

The Texas A&M Global Cyber Research Institute will coordinate collaborations and leverage expertise from several Texas A&M colleges and The Texas A&M University System agencies. Many faculty and researchers systemwide will work with the institute.

These partnerships will help us make an impact across science, technology, policy, law, social sciences and national security. They will also assist us in providing a skilled workforce to industry and government.

Background

We live in an increasingly digital world. We bank, shop, store and retrieve information, communicate, interact on social media, learn and entertain ourselves online. Our homes contain more and more internet-connected appliances.

Many systems we depend on involve cyberspace. These systems are for health, transportation, energy, food, water and physical security.

Why We’re Needed

In our globally connected digital world, attacks on critical systems can come from anywhere and at any time. Cybersecurity failures can be economically catastrophic and endanger national security and society.

Disruptions to critical infrastructure, including ransomware attacks, can cause many cascading failures. Such disturbances could impact millions of people and cause significant economic and productivity losses. We must secure our individual and national infrastructure.

Elevating Efforts

Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station have long been cybersecurity leaders, with the Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center leading the effort.

With the increasing scope of what cybersecurity entails, we must elevate our efforts to secure our digital world. The Texas A&M Global Cyber Research Institute will encompass the Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center but have a broader scope and mission.

We aim to become national digital security leaders in research, innovation, training, law and policy.

Contact

Gregory Scott Kunkle Jr.

Assistant Director of Operations, GCRI
Email: GCRI@tamu.edu

Phone: 979-450-1821

We are elevating efforts to secure our digital world.