SMU Cyber Defender Fred Chang inducted into National Academy of Engineering in D.C. ceremony

SMU Cyber Defender Fred Chang inducted into National Academy of Engineering in D.C. ceremony

Fred Chang NAE Induction

Fred Chang NAE InductionBy Kim Cobb
SMU News

DALLAS (SMU) — Fred Chang, the director of SMU’s Darwin Deason Institute for Cyber Security and a recognized leader in academia, business and government, was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering Sunday, Oct. 9, at the organization’s National Meeting in Washington D.C.

He entered the NAE as part of a group of 80 new members and 22 foreign members who were elected in February. The citation honoring his admission lauded Chang, who is former director of research at the National Security Agency, “for leadership in cybersecurity research in the intelligence community and advancing the importance of cybersecurity science in academia.”

"I am proud to represent SMU, and honored to be a part of this prestigious assembly of people who have contributed so much to engineering and technology,” Chang said. “The mission of the National Academy of Engineering, to promote a vibrant engineering profession and provide independent advice to the federal government, has never been more important than it is today. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to support that mission.”

Chang joined SMU in September 2013 as Bobby B. Lyle Centennial Distinguished Chair in Cyber Security, computer science and engineering professor in the Lyle School of Engineering, and Senior Fellow in the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. The Darwin Deason Institute for Cyber Security, focused on the most pressing cyber challenges facing individuals, business and government today, was launched in the Lyle School in January 2014 with Chang as its director.

SMU trustee Bobby B. Lyle, for whom SMU’s engineering school is named, attended the induction ceremony with Chang.

“Dr. Chang’s election into membership of the National Academy of Engineering is a recognition that is well deserved, given the depth and breadth of his contributions to his profession and our nation,” Lyle said.  “SMU is extremely proud that Dr. Chang has chosen to advance his important work in cybersecurity at the Lyle School of Engineering.  His leadership in the field is an inspiration for our students and his faculty colleagues throughout the university.  It is an honor to join his family, his professional peers and his many friends in congratulating Dr. Chang for achieving this important milestone in his distinguished career.” 

Chang’s career includes service in the private sector and in government, including as the director of research at the National Security Agency (NSA) from 2005-2006. He has been awarded the National Security Agency Director’s Distinguished Service Medal and was the 2014 Information Security Magazine ‘Security 7’ award winner for Education. He has served as a member of the Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th Presidency and as a member of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Academies.

Fred ChangChang is the lead inventor on two U.S. patents (U.S. patent numbers 7272645 and 7633951) and appeared in the televised National Geographic documentary Inside the NSA: America’s Cyber Secrets. He received his B.A. degree from the University of California-San Diego and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Oregon. He has also completed the Program for Senior Executives at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Founded in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. The NAE has more than 2,000 peer-elected members and foreign members, senior professionals in business, academia, and government who are among the world’s most accomplished engineers. They provide the leadership and expertise for numerous projects focused on the relationships between engineering, technology, and the quality of life.

The NAE is part of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which operates under the same congressional authorization that established the National Academies of Sciences.

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