University of New Orleans computer science doctoral student Mahfuzul Nissan has been awarded a prestigious Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Research Grant and will present his research at a national cybersecurity conference. He is one of only 20 recipients from a pool of applicants from more than 325 universities across the country.

The Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Research Grant provides funding for research in support of career development opportunities. This competitive award recognizes Nissan's outstanding academic record and his research in cybersecurity. Nissan's research focuses on developing novel solutions to detect cyber threats using machine learning. His research interests include cybersecurity, machine learning and digital forensics.

“The digital landscape is ever-changing,” Nissan said. “New technologies bring convenience, but also new risks and vulnerabilities. Threats can arise from anywhere, even from within our own organization, adding further complexity to the already complex task of cybersecurity. Effective protection requires alertness, adaptability and the willingness to adopt new solutions. By leveraging AI and machine learning, we gain powerful allies in the fight for a more secure digital future. The challenge is great, but so is our potential.”

Nissan is currently working at the UNO Cyber Center, which is dedicated to research and instruction in the broad area of information assurance, and is supervised by James Wagner, assistant professor of computer science.

“A grant like this is important because it will allow Mahfuzul to present his cutting-edge research to the cybersecurity community, which is a critical for him to advance his work,” Wagner said.

Phi Kappa Phi is nation’s oldest and most selective multidisciplinary collegiate honor society.