Join us for the NSF Cybersecurity Summit!

 📢 Registration is still open for this year’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Cybersecurity Summit. ☀️ Please join us at the Beckman Center in Irvine, CA, from October 27–29, 2026. ☀️

The Summit brings together leaders in research cyberinfrastructure (CI), cybersecurity, and higher ed researchers to build a trusting, collaborative community that addresses the community’s core cybersecurity challenges.

Our three-day agenda is packed with networking opportunities, expert-led training, and collaborative workshops designed to give you actionable insights you can use immediately.

Learn more: https://www.trustedci.org/2026-nsf-cybersecurity-summit

Securing the Future of Research: Trusted CI Wraps Pilot Cohort, Launches Second Round

Trusted CI has successfully completed its Research Cybersecurity Cohort pilot, designed to help research organizations address emerging research cybersecurity-related research security requirements (such as NSPM-33).

Assessing and Advancing Cybersecurity

The engagement focused on assessing participating organizations' cybersecurity programs using the Trusted CI Framework and evaluating their implementation of basic cybersecurity controls derived from the list of NSF Critical Controls in the NSF Research Infrastructure Guide [Section 5.3].

Each organization received a tailored “Research Cybersecurity Engagement Report” containing Trusted CI’s strategic and controls-level recommendations to support advancing their cybersecurity programs. The report also included implementation ratings for both a subset of the Trusted CI Framework Musts and the CIS Safeguards that map to the NSF Critical Controls.

The successful pilot cohort included the following organizations:

• Globus at the University of Chicago

• SafeInsights at Rice University

• University of Connecticut (UCONN) & UCONN Health

• US Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS)

Iterative Improvements

Though sufficient processes and training were already in place to launch the pilot, Trusted CI concurrently developed new research security components to integrate into the engagement. This included developing and modifying training materials, mapping the NSF Critical Controls to the CIS Controls, restructuring the engagement to include security controls assessments, and making significant revisions to the final engagement report.

Looking Ahead: The Next Cohort

Building on this success, Trusted CI began a second Research Cybersecurity cohort pilot engagement in July 2026. Participating members include:

• University of Colorado - Boulder

• Grambling State University

• University of Notre Dame

• Southwest Minnesota State University

• University of Utah

Trusted CI is excited to work alongside these higher education institutions to advance their cybersecurity programs, implement best practices, and gather valuable insights on how they are tackling emerging research cybersecurity requirements.

Get in Touch

For more information about the cohort program or our framework, please contact us at info@trustedci.org. 

Trusted CI Report on EDUCAUSE CPPC ’26

Trusted CI released a report on our full-day workshop at EDUCAUSE CPPC on building collaborative, institution-wide approaches to research cybersecurity. You can access the report here. 

The team also presented a public webinar on the workshop and this report. You can view the recording here. 

The team will also be presenting at the 2026 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference. If you have requests for future research security training topics, contact the team at info@trustedci.org.  

Trusted CI Releases NSF Critical Controls Mapping to the CIS Controls

Trusted CI released a resource mapping the NSF Critical Controls to the CIS Controls (v8.1). This resource was designed to help organizations understand and apply the NSF Critical Controls by highlighting the equivalent CIS Safeguards, alongside Trusted CI commentary. This mapping represents Trusted CI’s interpretation and translation of the NSF language used for each control.  

View the mapping  ➡️

Looking Ahead

Trusted CI plans to add mappings for other established cybersecurity standards, such as NIST SP 800-171, as well as case studies of how institutions are implementing these controls. If you have any questions or think you might be a good candidate for a case study on implementing an NSF Critical Control, please reach out to info@trustedci.org.

2026 Trusted CI Fellows Program: Cybersecurity Beyond the Ivory Tower

The Trusted CI Fellows program is now accepting applications from professionals and post-doctoral researchers looking to build practical cybersecurity skills for science and engineering. Fellows benefit from online workshops, mentorship, networking, and attendance at the NSF Cybersecurity Summit with travel support included. The application deadline is June 30, 2026. Interested applicants can reach out to fellows@trustedci.org with any questions and apply here. 

Over the next month, we will be highlighting this year's cohort of fellows. 

Carlos Cabrera, Senior lecturer and Coordinator for the Masters Program in the School of Computing at Clemson University, is on the forefront of biosecurity research and related cybersecurity advancements. However, he was seeking greater engagement with cybersecurity experts and professionals in private industry, which is why he sought out the Fellowship Program with Trusted CI.
“The Fellowship has opened many doors for me and my research. There’s a difference between academia and what happens in real life,” says Cabrera. “I have had the opportunity to speak with and learn from people implementing cybersecurity in private industry. It has been incredible to see what they are doing and how they are doing it.”

The Trusted CI Fellowship program empowers members of the scientific community with basic knowledge of cybersecurity and an understanding of Trusted CI’s services through virtual and hands-on training sessions, attending the NSF Cybersecurity Summit, and other resources.

“The connections through the Fellowship are great,” said Cabrera. “I have been able to speak with security professionals about my research, with a great grant writer for the NSF to see how I can improve my own grant applications, and with other faculty from across the country. It is an incredible group of people.”

His research has focused on biometrics and cybersecurity, with an emphasis on two areas: facial vein recognition as a secure, accurate, and user-friendly identity verification method — given that facial veins are nearly impossible to  replicate or alter — and the use of brainwaves to detect deception. This is the research that he will present at the next Cybersecurity Summit.

Thanks in part to the Trusted CI network, Cabrera’s research team is now partnering with insurance companies to see which drivers are “good” and with large produce importers to see if people are smuggling drugs in the fruit boxes.

Being a Trusted CI Fellow has also improved his teaching and his students’ understanding of the field. He has recently developed a Masters and Ph.D. program in artificial intelligence, and he currently teaches a general education class on artificial intelligence and ethics, weaving cybersecurity concepts into the class.

“Students nowadays want to know how what they are learning can be used in private industry and how it can help them get a job,” says Cabrera. “As threat actors become more sophisticated, the demand for well‐trained professionals who understand both the technical subtleties and the ethical implications of security work grows. We have a strong sense of responsibility to prepare students for the evolving landscape of digital threats.”

Written by Heather Bourbeau. Originally posted on the Sustainable Horizons Institute's website on June 23 and republished with permission.

2026 Trusted CI Fellows Program: Expanding Knowledge and Networks

The Trusted CI Fellows program is now accepting applications from professionals and post-doctoral researchers looking to build practical cybersecurity skills for science and engineering. Fellows benefit from online workshops, mentorship, networking, and attendance at the NSF Cybersecurity Summit with travel support included. The application deadline is June 30, 2026. Interested applicants can reach out to fellows@trustedci.org with any questions and apply here. 

Over the next month, we will be highlighting this year's cohort of fellows. 

As a Senior Computational and Data Science Research Specialist in the High-Performance Computing (HPC) User Services Group at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego, Martin Kandes helps provide user support services for supercomputers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), contributes as co-Principal Investigator to research and development projects, and is an instructor for two CyberTraining programs. However, while cybersecurity is critical to everything he does, he is not a cybersecurity professional. This is why he sought out the expertise and community of the Fellowship program through Trusted CI, the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.

“I am no expert in cybersecurity. However, I do often play one to the students, faculty, staff, and other researchers who utilize the Continuous Integration (CI) and HPC resources we provide,” jokes Kandes. “Through the Trusted CI Fellowship program, I am hearing different perspectives and learning how different cybersecurity professionals think about the types of problems that I see day-to-day. It has been eye-opening.” 

The Trusted CI Fellowship program empowers members of the scientific community with basic knowledge of cybersecurity and an understanding of Trusted CI’s services through virtual and hands-on training sessions, attending the NSF Cybersecurity Summit, and other resources. As part of the Fellowship program, Kandes is particularly interested in expanding his ongoing long-term research project for possible presentation at this year’s Cybersecurity Summit. 

For over five years, Kandes and Scott Sakai, who participated in the Trusted CI Cybersecurity Framework Cohort Program, have been running a Jupyter Notebook service for the users on the SDSC’s HPC systems. Sakai, who recently moved to a new position at Berkeley Lab, had been in charge of the security side of the project, managing and maintaining a reverse proxy service. Kandes hopes to use his Fellowship to strengthen his technical knowledge of cybersecurity technologies — such as reverse proxies — areas where he feels less confident, with the goal of continuing to advance the Jupyter notebook service.

But it is the Trusted CI community itself that is invaluable for Kandes. “I also would love to have some people in the Trusted CI community look at this project and give feedback on the security architecture as I still feel like a novice,” says Kandes, who also recently submitted a new CyberTraining proposal to the NSF. The 13-part webinar course teaches users new to HPC systems how to run their research workloads on these systems, highlighting security tips.

“Having the perspective of the cybersecurity professionals through Trusted CI will also help me bring that into the project and help this project move forward,” says Kandes.

Written by Heather Bourbeau. Originally posted on the Sustainable Horizons Institute's website on June 16 and republished with permission.

2026 Trusted CI Fellows Program: Better Teaching Through Expert Engagement

The Trusted CI Fellows program is now accepting applications from professionals and post-doctoral researchers looking to build practical cybersecurity skills for science and engineering. Fellows benefit from online workshops, mentorship, networking, and attendance at the NSF Cybersecurity Summit with travel support included. The application deadline is June 30, 2026. Interested applicants can reach out to fellows@trustedci.org with any questions and apply here. 

Over the next month, we will be highlighting this year's cohort of fellows. 

As a professor at a regional state university, Nitin Sukhija, Professor and Director of Center for Cybersecurity and Advanced Computing at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, did not think he would be accepted into a program like the Fellowship Program with Trusted CI, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. However, at the 2025 Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC) conference, he met Sustainable Horizons Institute (SHI) staff, who encouraged him to apply. The rest, they say, is history.

The Trusted CI Fellowship Program empowers members of the scientific community with basic knowledge of cybersecurity and an understanding of Trusted CI’s services. “I thought I could never apply, that the program was only open to researchers affiliated with the NSF or R1 or R2 institutions,” says Sukhija. “This program does justice to its goal of expanding the reach of cybersecurity awareness to all regions.”

Sukhija notes that at a regional university, there is a need for faculty who can explore mechanisms and current industry standards of securing large-scale data and computing cyberinfrastructure and then teach those to their students and other researchers. 

“Given the dynamic nature of my core domain, to be able to teach well, I need to understand the latest topics and challenges,” says Sukhija, whose own research is focused on cyber-resilience and scientific computing. “Through the Trusted CI Fellowship Program, we meet experts face-to-face and discuss current topics and issues. These experts give us perspectives I might not be exposed to through my academic setting. I can see what is missing in my teaching or in my research.” 

The Trusted CI Fellows Program has opened invaluable professional and intellectual doors for Sukhija, forging connections that have enriched his career. His participation has also served as a powerful example for his students, demonstrating what they themselves can achieve. Following his example, two of his students applied for the NSF Trusted CI Scholars Program for 2026–2027, and one was selected.

Sukhija continues to share his knowledge and expand his network beyond his own university. Since he became a Trusted CI Fellow, Sukhijia has given several talks, including a tutorial at a regional cybersecurity summit on quantum machine learning (QML) applied to cybersecurity education. His tutorial explored how making experiential modules can help students learn real-world scenarios and QML for cybersecurity.

“Through this program,” Sukhija says, “I had more exposure to research topics in seven months than going to conferences for five years.”

Written by Heather Bourbeau. Originally posted on the Sustainable Horizons Institute's website on June 9 and republished with permission.