to cyber roles. After retirement, Dr. Heath Van Horn leveraged his cyber skills to build a successful online business before becoming an assistant professor of IT at SUNY Delhi in New York, where he worked for five years. His research is in OT security. Professor Rosa Szurgot joined the CIS department as an assistant professor in the fall of 2023 after completing a project at NASA Johnson Space Center for the Gateway Program, a Moon orbital outpost vehicle. As an avionics cybersecurity engineer, she contributed to creating cybersecurity requirements for various systems within the Gateway space vehicle. She has vast aerospace industry experience and is now pursuing a Ph.D. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing from San Jose State University and an M.S. in Security and Intelligence Studies from Embry-Riddle. Dr. Krishna Sampigethaya has been chair of the CIS department since 2018. He has initiated and led several key projects and helped bring over $5.6 million in funding to Embry-Riddle. Dr. Sampigethaya holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Washington and was the first to defend a thesis on connected vehicle privacy and aviation cybersecurity research. He served as the first Boeing Associate Technical Fellow for aviation cyber-physical security and later as the first associate director for cybersecurity at the United Technologies Corporation Research Center. With over 65 papers, 24 keynotes and 24 patents, Dr. Sampigethaya’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards.
Dr. Catalina Aranzazu-Suescun started with the CIS department as an assistant professor in the fall of 2021. Originally from Medellin, Colombia, she holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Florida Atlantic University. She earned her master’s in telecommunications engineering from the Pontificia Bolivariana University and her bachelor’s in electronic engineering from the University of Antioquia. Her research interests are in IoT security. Professor Jesse Chiu started as a full-time instructor in 2021 and was the inaugural graduate of the CIS department’s master’s program. With a robust background as an IT systems manager for international companies in Taiwan and a local IT firm in Texas, Chiu brings extensive hands-on experience to the classroom. He’s a vital member of the DEF CON Aerospace Village, a diverse community of hackers, engineers, pilots and policy leaders. Dr. Jon Haass, a founding CIS faculty member and former department chair, was pivotal in establishing the nation’s first College of Security and Intelligence at the Prescott campus. With over two years as the interim CSI Dean, Dr. Haass focused on enhancing the CIS department’s national and international reputation. His research includes AI security. He is an advisory board member for the Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance, contributing to regional information sharing and analysis in critical sectors, including aviation. Dr. Mathew Heath Van Horn, a retired Air Force cyber support officer, joined the CIS department as an assistant professor in fall 2022. Growing up in Minnesota, he spent 12 years in the Air Force as an electronics technician before earning a computer science degree and transitioning
FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS
The CIS department has a diverse pool of faculty and accomplished professionals who contribute to the university’s academic and research landscape.
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