$4.6 million NSF grant awarded to UAB Department of Computer Science; largest grant in its history – News

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has been awarded a Scholarship for Service grant renewal worth $4.6 million from the National Science Foundation to further cybersecurity workforce development programs. 

“This renewal grant is the largest grant our department has received, which shows NSF’s trust in our vision to educate and train a world-class, diverse group of students who are ready to address real-world computer security and artificial intelligence challenges,” said Yuliang Zhang, Ph.D., professor and department chair of the UAB Department of Computer Science. “This grant is a renewal of the previous grant we received in 2017; but it is double in amount this time, which truly speaks to our commitment to preparing the best professionals who meet the ever-changing needs of the industry.”

This expansion of funds by NSF is aimed at addressing the growing need for a well-trained national cybersecurity workforce that is equipped to deal with artificial intelligence and machine learning and their spread –– an important aspect of the White House’s Cybersecurity strategy implementation plan.  

Yuliang Zheng, Ph.D.“Cybersecurity is critical to our nation’s economic and national security,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “Through this program, NSF has helped more than 4,500 students get the degrees they need to be part of the cybersecurity workforce and helped them give back through public service. With this announcement, NSF reaffirms its commitment to invest in institutions that have demonstrated exceptional success and innovative advancements to their existing projects with the aim of fostering a robust workforce and growing interest in cybersecurity careers.”

At UAB, the grant will support the following programs:

• Cyber Corps: Scholarship for Service, which addresses the growing threat to the nation’s information technology infrastructure by…