The CYPHER Research Center recently welcomed faculty, students, and colleagues back for the Fall 2026 semester with a social gathering celebrating the center’s growing community and recognizing the recipients of the CYPHER Book Awards.
[Right]: CYPHER Book Award recipients pose for a photo with College of Engineering Dean Anthony Marchese.
Eight students received awards of $500 each:
- Anissa Elias, PhD student
- Mubariz Saeed, MS student
- Stephen Eacuello, PhD student
- Meem Tasfia Zaman, PhD student
- Jake Nicynski, MS student
- Kaan Icer, PhD student
- Youngkeun Kim, PhD student
- Sima Ghafoori, PhD student
Missing from the photo: Anissa Elias, Stephen Eacuello, and Youngkeun Kim
CYPHER faculty supervisors nominated the recipients in recognition of their contributions to projects aligned with the center’s mission of advancing cyber-physical security, resilience, and responsible innovation. The awards will help students access research resources, including advanced AI tools and/or other items that support their academic and research work.
To be eligible, students must contribute to a project aligned with CYPHER’s mission, and their faculty supervisor must have a current or previous grant managed through the center.
During the event, CYPHER Co-Director Dr. Yan (Lindsay) Sun welcomed new faculty and provided an overview of the center and opportunities for engagement. She highlighted how the center creates opportunities for research collaboration, increased visibility, access to shared resources, and engagement with external partners.
The gathering offered an opportunity to celebrate student achievement, welcome new members, and strengthen connections across the CYPHER community as the Fall semester begins.
Congratulations to this year’s CYPHER Book Award recipients!