Nov. 18, 2025 - 4:00pm
The Department of Computer Science is wearing a new badge of honor. The National Security Agency designated the College of Arts and Sciences' Cybersecurity program as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Research (CAE-R). The CAE-R designation specifically recognizes institutions that contribute significant, peer-reviewed cybersecurity research and is the result of a rigorous review process.
The designation, which places the University of Oregon’s College of Arts and Sciences alongside institutions like MIT and Carnegie Mellon, affirms the excellent research in the Cybersecurity program and brings other advantages. Member schools enjoy perks like being prioritized for federal cybersecurity grants, and their students are eligible for scholarships like the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program and Scholarship for Service.
“This designation is a testament to the incredible work of our faculty and researchers, and to the University’s growing impact in cybersecurity research,” said Beth Plale, executive director for the School of Computer and Data Sciences. “It signals to our peers and partners across the country that the UO is a nationally engaged partner in shaping the future of cybersecurity.”
The Cybersecurity program was evaluated in several areas. The NSA looked at faculty’s track record for external funding, quality of research publications and other research output, and on the meaningful impact their research is having on the world.
Successful attainment of the designation was aided by the research strength of eight faculty members: Reza Rejaie, Ram Durairajan, Jun Li, Joe Li, Daniel Lowd, Thanh Nguyen, Thien Nguyen and Zena Ariola. Their work centers around different areas including network security, systems security as well as security of machine learning, AI and programming languages.
“In addition to showing prospective students that the UO is a major destination for cybersecurity, this designation is a great opportunity to recognize the important work being done in a variety of different fields within our department,” said Rejaie, professor and head of the Department of Computer Science.
Successful attainment of the designation was further aided by strong student success in terms of graduation rates and significant scholarly output.
This effort was spearheaded by Rejaie and Dan Carrere, alongside that of the entire UO Cybersecurity program. The UO earned its designation as a CAE-R institution for the next five years.
—By Evan Ney, College of Arts and Sciences