Building More Secure and Trustworthy Systems
Columbia is one of four universities in New York working with Google to expand cybersecurity research projects, training, and education.
Pictured from left to right: Phil Venables, chief information security officer, Google Cloud; Shih-Fu Chang, dean, Columbia Engineering; Greg Morrisett, dean and vice provost, Cornell Tech; Kurt Becker, vice dean of research, innovation and entrepreneurship, NYU; and Joshua Brumberg, dean for the sciences, The CUNY Graduate Center.
Google and Columbia Engineering have joined forces as part of a new multi-institution research collaboration focused on cybersecurity.
Announced June 12, the Google Cyber NYC Institutional Research Program is allocating $12 million to stimulate the cybersecurity ecosystem and establish New York City as the global leader in cybersecurity. The $12 million will support cutting-edge research conducted at Columbia Engineering, the City University of New York, Cornell University, and New York University. It will also be used to expand educational opportunities for students seeking advanced degrees in cybersecurity.
“Building more secure and trustworthy systems is crucial to realizing the promise of new technologies that will change our lives,” said Shih-Fu Chang, dean of Columbia Engineering. “New York City is the natural choice for these critical efforts as it continues to expand as both a hub for research innovation and a leader in developing new programs for workforce development. Columbia is proud to support these important initiatives with our world-class faculty and students, together with the many resources we’ve devoted to this area.”
Dean Chang, along with deans from the partner universities and other key leadership, participated in a fireside chat Monday at Google headquarters in New York City with Phil Venables, Google Cloud’s chief information security officer. They discussed New York’s unique position as a global financial capital and its need for deep cyber resources.
As part of this new commitment, the four institutions will each receive $1 million each year through 2025. The funding will support some 90 collaborative research projects by 2025 in areas where further research could encourage the development of more secure digital ecosystems and inspire innovation. It also will be used to help expand the universities’ cybersecurity degree programs and bolster the upcoming workforce. The funding aims to address diversity gaps in the cybersecurity industry by focusing on recruiting and developing workers from underrepresented groups.
“The Google Cyber NYC Institutional Research Program will further propel New York as a research leader in cybersecurity, alongside the work of preeminent city institutions like New York City Cyber Command,” said Venables. “At Google, we're committed to being bold and responsible stewards of emerging technology like AI, so we're working together with four of New York's leading institutions to make sure the city is prepared as the threat landscape continually shifts.”
This program is part of a $10 billion cybersecurity initiative that Google announced in 2021.