Some top university-based cybersecurity researchers include Kathleen M. Carley at Carnegie Mellon, known for her work in social network analysis and AI for security, and David Bader at Georgia Tech, an expert in data science and computational social science applied to cybersecurity.

Other notable researchers include Bhavani Thuraisingham at the University of Texas at Dallas, a leader in the field of data and information security, and Dawn Song at UC Berkeley, recognized for her contributions to computer security and systems.

Alexandre Barreto is an Associate Professor, Department of Cyber Security Engineering at George Mason University.

He has applied his significant experience as an air traffic and air defense infrastructure manager to a career specializing in the field of cybersecurity and networking, which in conjunction with his research on cyber impact assessment, has led to applications in cyber and transportation security, and decision support systems in defense and critical infrastructure areas. These topics are at the core of his classroom activities at both graduate and undergraduate levels, as well as his research path.

Barreto is a researcher in impact assessment and secure air transportation protocols and developed innovative applications and extensions that aid in the fight against cyber-warfare. He received his MS and PhD from Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica in Brazil.