Cybersecurity innovation takes center stage at UH Mānoa
Cybersecurity innovation takes center stage at UH Mānoa
https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/05/05/cybersecurity-innovation-uh/
Publish Date: 2026-05-05 18:43:00
Source Domain: www.hawaii.edu
Reading time: 2 minutesFrom left, Mehdi Tarrit Mirakhorli (UH), Ryan Field (Bank of Hawaii), Adam Palmer (First Hawaiian Bank), Melvin Quemado (UH) and Brook Conner (Formerly at Morgan Stanley) (Photo credit: Anthony Peruma)
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa brought together cybersecurity experts, researchers and industry leaders on April 29 for the Indo-Pacific Cybersecurity Innovation Forum, a daylong event focused on strengthening digital security, critical infrastructure resilience and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Held at Campus Center, the forum featured technical talks, policy discussions and workshops aimed at expanding regional cybersecurity capacity and building stronger public-private partnerships across the Indo-Pacific. Speakers included David Carroll of GDIT; Josiah Dykstra and Mengran Xue of RTX BBN; Robert Martin and Nick Tsamis of MITRE; as well as leaders from local fintech organizations and startups, highlighting the forum’s emphasis on cross-sector collaboration.
“UH Mānoa is positioning Hawaiʻi as a hub for Indo-Pacific cybersecurity by uniting academia, industry and government to address real-world threats and strengthen critical infrastructure resilience,” said UH Mānoa Department of Information and Computer Sciences Professor Mehdi Tarrit Mirakhorli.
Threats, resilience
(Photo credit: Anthony Peruma)
Speakers addressed emerging threats to critical infrastructure, supply chain security and the growing role of AI in both cyberattacks and defense systems. Sessions also examined how organizations can better anticipate and respond to evolving risks in complex digital environments.
UH Mānoa faculty and researchers joined national experts from government, industry and research institutions to discuss strategies for improving cybersecurity readiness. Topics included protecting transportation systems, securing software supply chains and improving detection of adversarial behavior in critical networks. The event…
