CEHC Welcomes New Professors to Growing Faculty Ranks

The College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC) at the University at Albany proudly welcomes two new assistant professors to the informatics and cybersecurity disciplines.

“Our College has a unique culture and thrives because of the people in it,” said Robert P. Griffin, founding dean, College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC). “Our new team members will also thrive at ETEC, an exceptional environment for our students and faculty to promote innovation, foster social and academic growth, and support networking and the sharing of ideas and resources."

M. Abdullah Canbaz joins the Information Sciences and Technology Department from the School of Sciences at Indiana University Kokomo, Kokomo, Indiana. Canbaz's research is at the intersection of security and privacy in networking, network science, and applied data science. He is the founder of Clever AI Technologies, a LegalTech startup that focuses on engineering human rights practices to tailor and expand tech solutions for human rights practice.

He holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey; and MS in Computer Science and Information Technologies from International Burch University, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; and MS in Computer and Information Science from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis; and a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from University of Nevada, Reno.

Omer Keskin will join the Cybersecurity Department after serving as a research graduate assistant to CEHC’s Assistant Professor, Unal Tatar, since 2019. His research encompasses cybersecurity, data analytics, and networking and assessing cyber risk for organizations, supply chains and critical infrastructures. Keskin was formerly a teaching assistant at Old Dominion University.

He holds a BS in Systems Engineering from Turkish Military Academy; and MS in Engineering Management and a PhD in Systems Engineering, both from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. He also recently received an MS in Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity from UAlbany in May 2022.

These assistant professors will add to CEHC’s emerging research ecosystem hosting a Keen AI Studio (Canbaz) and Cyber Resilient Interdependent Infrastructure Systems (Keskin).

New Frontiers to Health

Scientists can identify the origins of diseases by studying how RNA turns genes on and off, potentially leading to innovative disease treatments and possible cures.

Biological Science grad student Marissa Louis in RNA lab

Unique RNA Research Opportunities

The RNA Institute offers unique opportunities to researchers and trainees for collaboration and interdisciplinary research. We have more than 50 faculty working to understand the role of RNA in fundamental biological processes, developing RNA as a tool for science and harnessing this knowledge to improve human health.

The RNA Institute is more than just a modern research facility. We are a collection of diverse and talented researchers and laboratories united by a common goal in understanding the role of RNA across different fields, including biology, chemistry, biomedical sciences, physics, and nanobiosciences. RNA forms the basis of our research, it is the common element that we study, build, modify and analyze as well as the building blocks that we use to construct tools, reporters, and therapies.

RNA Training

Our RNA Training Programs provide a multi-disciplinary curriculum with a focus on RNA and its health-related benefits. We develop our future science leaders by providing trainees from high school to post-doc students and beyond with comprehensive access to faculty, techniques, and collaborations within Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, and Nanobiosciences. Our training includes the Doctoral RNA Training Program and the Undergraduate Summer Fellowship.

Ken Halvorsen and student researcher of the RNA Institute

Supporting Diversity and Inclusivity in STEM

One of The RNA Institute's strengths is the diversity of our faculty's research and range of disciplines. However, the diversity of our faculty and trainees lags behind the University at Albany's undergraduate population and surrounding communities. In line with UAlbany's mission to ensure that diversity, in its people and in its ideas, drives excellence in everything that it does, the Institute launched a multi-pronged approach to increase diversity and support inclusivity at the Institute and across STEM disciplines.

The RNA Institute hosted its inaugural RNA Day, inviting local students from the New York State’s Science Technology Entry Program (STEP) and Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region

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