- Research
Nicole Beebe first joined UTSA as an instructor and research assistant in 2003 after six years of active duty in the US Air Force and two years in the IT industry. At the time, she never would have guessed that she’d end up making UTSA her homebase for over two decades, wearing countless hats, supporting thousands of students and researchers, and helping to shape the university’s cybersecurity program into the juggernaut that it is today.
When she arrived, and later joined the ranks of faculty in 2007, the cybersecurity program at UTSA — much like the field itself — was in flux.
“The cyber world was different back then,” Beebe said. “We focused on the basics more so than advanced persistent threats and the security of the grid, for example. We weren't thinking about the security of smartphones and IoT because those things didn’t exist then. The amount of change in the cybersecurity landscape between the late 90’s and now is staggering.”
To meet the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals amidst such rapid growth, Beebe created 10 cybersecurity courses at UTSA over the years, as well as three others in research, data analytics, and business. She focused primarily on digital forensics, but created other courses in cyber analytics policy, ethics and law. She drew on her military and industry background, as well as her extensive network, to anticipate what skills would be needed by government agencies.
"San Antonio provides a unique nexus of government and military, so we can hear and respond to their needs. We were able to grow the curriculum in breadth and depth in ways that directly addressed those needs.”
Beebe earned the title of Melvin Lachman Distinguished Professor in 2014, and later endowed chair in 2018. Looking to make an even greater impact, she moved into leadership in 2015 when she became the director of the Cyber Center for Security and Analytics. In 2019, she began serving concurrently as chair of the Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security, where she navigated a 55% enrollment surge and subsequent expansion of faculty across diverse disciplines.
“I think I hired around a third of the faculty currently in our department,” Beebe said. "That is one of the things I’m most proud of during my tenure at UTSA, because they are all incredibly passionate experts with industry and/or government experience. That means students are learning the practical components, not just theoretical, which has been key to our success. It’s an amazing team.”
After years of teaching and leading in cybersecurity, Beebe took on a leadership role in the Office of Research, serving as the assistant vice president of faculty research development, later adding the role of interim associate vice president for research partnerships and strategy in 2023. She spearheaded faculty research development, seed grant programs, strategic partnerships and signature events.
"Dr. Beebe was able to oversee two departments in her service to the UTSA Office of Research — Faculty Research Development and Research Partnerships and Strategy — with such an incredible level of commitment and aplomb,” said JoAnn Browning, Lutcher Brown chair and professor of civil engineering.
“She approaches everything she does with initiative, enthusiasm and humility, while continuing to lead by example with the impact of her research and expertise throughout global cyber communities. The energy she brings to her work has inspired and galvanized our whole team, and we are incredibly grateful for all she has done to help move UTSA Research to where it is today," Browning added.
Beebe's own research focuses on cybersecurity, cyber analytics and digital forensics, and is backed by approximately $14 million in funding from entities like the NSF, DHS, DoD, and industry partners. She has shared her findings in some of the field’s most respected journals, including USENIX Security and IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security. “I really enjoyed the insider threat projects that I did for DHS and industry,” Beebe said. “We melded the behavioral and psychological with the technical to detect cybercrime early enough to prevent the really disastrous impacts malicious insiders pose to organizations and our national security.”
Among her many roles, Beebe is most passionate about providing exceptional learning experiences to her students.
“I used to coach the competition teams and I would take them to regional and national competitions. There is something so magical about watching students participate in a cyber competition. It's like a live fire exercise in the military. You can train all day long, but when you're actually in a live fire exercise, concepts ‘gel’ in your brain at a much deeper level, and knowledge is synthesized in a way that you can never do in a classroom. That's what I really cherish, probably most about my time at UTSA,” she said.
Beebe will bring this same dedication to students at Illinois Institute of Technology College of Computing, where she will serve as dean beginning July 1. “I’m eager to meet faculty and students to learn about their needs and priorities, and to see how I can advance student success,” Beebe said.
While excited for this new chapter, Beebe noted that she remains deeply loyal to the UTSA community.
“I may be leaving, but ... I bleed orange and blue. I love UTSA.”
— Audrey Gray