Brian Callahan, Ph.D., specialist professor of computer science and software engineering in the School of Science, has been appointed chair of the new Academic Advisory Council launched by ISC2, the global nonprofit membership organization for cybersecurity professionals.
Announced Oct. 6, the council brings together cybersecurity educators, academic administrators, and industry professionals to help colleges and universities better prepare students for the profession. Its members include representatives of Auburn University, the University at Albany, and New Jersey’s Brookdale Community College and Mercer County Community College, along with security professionals from Amazon and Charles Schwab. As chair, Callahan will lead the council as it works to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry.
The council’s priorities include workforce readiness as artificial intelligence becomes more common in cybersecurity practice, operational excellence and effectiveness in academic cybersecurity programs, and the sharing of best practices among educators and practitioners. ISC2’s 2025 Cybersecurity Workforce Study shows why: AI was the skills need cited most often (41% of respondents), followed by cloud security (36%).
“Being the inaugural chair of the ISC2 Academic Advisory Council is a true honor,” Callahan said. “Advancing Monmouth University to the forefront of cybersecurity education and better aligning it with the needs of the profession means our students will be among the first to experience cutting-edge curriculum, activities, and global connections that augment classroom learning, preparing them to be leaders in technology.”
Callahan directs the Monmouth Cybersecurity Research Center, which supports student and faculty research in cybersecurity and quantum computing and is home to the Cyber Hawks, a competition team that placed second in the National Cyber League in its first year. The center also partners with ISC2 to bring industry-recognized certifications into the curriculum. Callahan holds the CISSP and ISSMP, among other ISC2 certifications, as well as the CISM from ISACA.
Learn more about the Academic Advisory Council at ISC2 and the Monmouth Cybersecurity Research Center.