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USCYBERCOM Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman delivers a keynote address to UW students, faculty and researchers
January 24, 2025

U.S. Cyber Command visit highlights engineering expertise in cyber-related fields

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In November 2024, a delegation from the U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM)—a unit responsible for U.S. Department of Defense cyberspace capabilities—visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

Through a series of tours and conversations, USCYBERCOM Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman and colleagues from other federal intelligence agencies learned about the university’s leading role as a partner in research, education and workforce development for national cybersecurity.

The visit also included a USCYBERCOM Tech Talk—the first-ever hosted by an academic institution—featuring UW-Madison faculty members who conduct research in advanced communication technologies and other cyber-related areas.

Coordinated by the UW-Madison School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences, the visit included several engineering faculty and began to lay groundwork for closer partnership with USCYBERCOM, says David Rothamer, College of Engineering Associate Dean for Research. “We aim to develop a relationship for future research opportunities, recruitment of students for employment, and exploring scholarships and fellowships available to support our students,” he says.

UW-Madison has a host of cyber programs and designations. It is a founding member of USCYBERCOM’s Academic Engagement Network, a group of higher education institutions with degree programs and research portfolios that align with the military command’s mission. Earlier in 2024, the National Security Agency also designated UW-Madison a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research.

Members of the federal delegation started their visit by meeting with researchers in their laboratories in the Department of Physics and the College of Engineering to learn about their work on quantum computing, cybersecurity and other areas of interest to USCYBERCOM.

Engineering highlights from the visit include:

Jennifer Choy (right), a professor of electrical and computer engineering, and doctoral student Xuting Yang (center) give lab tour
At the College of Engineering, Jennifer Choy (right), a professor of electrical and computer engineering, and doctoral student Xuting Yang (center) demonstrated how a metallized grating chip on silicon can be used in place of free-space optics to cool and trap atoms to facilitate quantum applications. Photo by: Althea Dotzour.
Kassem Fawaz, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, demonstrates his lab’s work related to digital privacy and smartphone apps.
Kassem Fawaz, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, demonstrated his lab’s work related to digital privacy and smartphone apps. Fawaz and his colleagues have reverse engineered the TikTok and Instagram smartphone apps to uncover what kinds of information they store about users based on uploaded images. They have also developed a non-digital method for spoofing voice recognition software using 3D-printed nylon pipes. Photo by: Bryce Richter.
In a fireside chat event, Hartman and Vice Chancellor for Research Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska (who’s also a professor in electrical and computer engineering) discussed the critical role that academic institutions like UW-Madison play in advancing cyber capabilities
In a fireside chat event, Hartman and Vice Chancellor for Research Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska (who’s also a professor in electrical and computer engineering) discussed the critical role that academic institutions like UW-Madison play in advancing cyber capabilities, developing new technologies, and preparing a capable workforce. The conversation touched on the university’s RISE-AI initiative, which is boosting the hiring of faculty who work on issues related to artificial intelligence (applied AI is a College of Engineering strength). AI will play an increasingly important role in cyber defense, Hartman said.

Featured image caption: USCYBERCOM Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman delivered a keynote address to UW students, faculty and researchers at the DeLuca Forum, in which he made a case for continuing to bolster relationships between USCYBERCOM and top research universities like UW–Madison. “We’re not only building partnerships — we’re building the next generation of cyber leaders,” Hartman said. Photo by: Bryce Richter.