The University of Tulsa together with venture group Team8, today announced a first-of-its-kind advanced degree program to create experts in cyber R&D, establishing the foundation for a new wave of highly skilled talent. The joint program will provide a new route for Team8 and TU to identify and develop breakthrough technology innovation.
The TU-Team8 Cyber Fellows program is designed for students seeking to advance cyber R&D across security, big data and artificial intelligence, creating new methods and commercially viable solutions that enable a secure and productive all-digital future. Enrolling 10 students per year, the highly competitive four-year doctoral program will bring together TU’s College of Engineering & Natural Sciences and Team8’s ecosystem and experience to identify and explore key industry challenges in real-world situations.
“Cyber attacks pose a dangerous threat to our banking, retail, health and energy sectors,” said TU President Gerard P. Clancy. “There is a critical need to expand cyber research, innovation and entrepreneurship to thwart such attacks and to ensure the quality of cyber services, vendors and products in supply chains, manufactured products and insurance ratings. TU and Team8 are helping to fill the void.”
TU’s partnership with Team8 draws on its unique company-building model that brings technologies across cyber, data science and artificial intelligence to market. The proven model involves identifying, training and recruiting world-class R&D talent, an in-depth understanding of the attacker perspective and an intimate network of world-leading corporate decision-makers. Backed by global powerhouses including Microsoft, Walmart, AT&T and Cisco, Team8 has launched category-leading companies and is dually headquartered in New York and Tel Aviv. Former NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers is a senior adviser to the group. Temasek’s $250 million acquisition of cyber consultancy Sygnia is amongst Team8’s noteworthy portfolio achievements. Team8 will place a full-time research director at TU to spur the commercialization of the projects.
Public Radio Tulsa is owned by the University of Tulsa