5 Questions with CEHC Cybersecurity Chair Ariel Pinto
ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 26, 2023) — Ariel Pinto joined the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC) this semester as professor and chair for the new Cybersecurity Department.
CEHC was established in 2015 to help meet a growing need for security and preparedness professionals. Now enrolling more than 2,000 students, the college announced last year that it would be expanding its academic portfolio into three new departments: Emergency Management/Homeland Security, Information Sciences & Technology and Cybersecurity.
Pinto was previously in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at Old Dominion University, a visiting scientist at FM Global and a research fellow at the Software Industry Center at Carnegie Mellon University and the Center for Risk Management of Engineering Systems at the University of Virginia.
He earned his doctorate degree in systems and information engineering from the University of Virginia and master's and bachelor's degrees in industrial engineering from the University of the Philippines.
His research interests include cybersecurity, risk management, cyber systems, project risk management and risk valuation.
How did you become interested in cybersecurity?
I started off as an industrial engineer with a background in manufacturing and quality control and then moved into more general systems engineering. As a doctoral student, my mentor introduced me to risk management around floods. Since then, I have been interested in how things fail, including mechanical, electrical and information systems, which eventually led me to learn about cybersecurity.
How did you become interested in higher education?
When I decided to start a new position as a college instructor, I realized that I wanted to go into teaching. I like interacting with students and I get satisfaction when I see students succeed. My mother loved teaching and she has always emphasized to me how great of a calling it is to be a teacher.
I spent 19 years at Old Dominion University in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, which played up my engineering background coupled with my interest in policy and governance. I worked on various types of research projects there, including everything from transportation to defense.
What drew you to join CEHC and what are you working on now?
It’s great being able to join a relatively young college that is on the cusp of transforming itself into not just the first, but the best of its kind. I wanted to be part of it and help train the next generation of leaders who can respond to some of the greatest challenges facing modern society.
Right now, I’m working on reimagining some of our courses in the bachelor's and master’s programs. The field of cybersecurity is so dynamic. We must always ask ourselves what we can provide our students today that will be transferable when they’re in the job market. It's always a challenge and we are trying to create a robust set of classes and laboratories that can pivot around as new technologies and new policies arise.
What is one thing the campus would be surprised to know about you?
My career has been a long journey. I started off in architecture, traveled into physics and then interior design before I finally ended up being an engineer. I explored both the right side and the left side of my brain. Even now I view cybersecurity as not just a technical solution, but a combination of creativity and technology.
What do you hope to bring to students as the new Cybersecurity chair?
I would like to bring a technical component of cybersecurity to all students at CEHC. This way, even if they decide to pursue a different career path, they will know the importance and value that cybersecurity has in the workplace and society.