Alumnus Takes Leading Role in Developing Cybersecurity Program
Christopher Mansour '14 MSCpE, ’18 PhD
Who: Lebanon native Christopher Mansour '14 MSCpE, ’18 PhD (plus a certificate in Cybersecurity)
Academic Aspirations: After earning his master’s in Computer Engineering, Dr. Mansour continued his studies through the College’s doctoral program with a goal of becoming a professor after graduation. He says, “I always wanted to work in academia, which will allow me to combine my passions for teaching and research.” He enrolled in Villanova’s Teaching Engineering in Higher Education graduate certificate program, adding, “I actively pursued opportunities to grow as an educator, from working as a teaching assistant for several labs to mentoring undergraduate students.”
Research: Networked embedded systems security, which includes:
- Cybersecurity
- Cyber-physical systems security
- Internet of things
- Cloud and virtual environments
- Computer network security
“With the development of technology today, everything is evolving and the network architecture is continuously changing. Software and hardware are sometimes rushed to market without proper security measures in place, endangering our information.” He tackled this security challenge by implementing a multi-layer security mechanism. “I did not focus on hardware or software alone; I looked at the networking architecture as a whole. The work enabled me to merge the disciplines of computer engineering with computer science, networking and IT.”
Full-time Teaching: In fall 2018, Dr. Mansour joined Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, as an assistant professor in the Department of Computing & Information Science. The department is housed in the University’s Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences.