Academic and Professional Biography

Dr. Kimberly A. Cornell is an Assistant Professor at the University at Albany within the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity. She also serves as a committee member for several professional organizations, including the International Workshop on Unification (UNIF) and the International Symposium on Foundations & Practice of Security. Dr. Cornell has contributed to numerous publications and conferences, with notable works such as “The Hidden Dangers of Publicly Accessible LLMs: A Case Study on Gab AI” and “CS1 with a Side of AI: Teaching Software Verification for Secure Code in the Era of Generative AI.”

Academic Background and Journey

Dr. Cornell’s academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, with a minor in Mathematics, from SUNY Plattsburgh. She then pursued a Master of Science in Computer Science at the University at Albany, focusing her master's project on “Elementary Unification Modulo List Length.” Her passion for cybersecurity and cryptography led her to complete a Ph.D. in Computer Science, also at the University at Albany, with a dissertation titled “Deciding Static Inclusion for Δ-strong and ω▿-strong Intruder Theories: Applications to Cryptographic Protocol Analysis.”

Before joining the University at Albany, Dr. Cornell was an Associate Professor of Computer Science at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. During her tenure from 2015 to 2022, she played a pivotal role in developing the computer science curriculum and mentoring students. As an Assistant Professor from 2015 to 2021, and later as an Associate Professor from 2021 to 2022, she focused on integrating cybersecurity and cryptography into the coursework, fostering a robust learning environment that emphasized both theoretical and practical aspects of computer science. Her efforts in student mentorship and curriculum development significantly contributed to the department’s growth and the students’ success.

Throughout her academic career, Dr. Cornell has focused on areas such as cybersecurity, cryptography, information assurance, computational logic, programming languages, and automated reasoning. Her research interests span both theoretical and applied aspects, including unification theory, term-rewriting, narrowing, cryptographic protocol analysis, formal verification of software and cryptographic protocols, and the application of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.

Current Role and Pursuits

In her current role at the University at Albany, Dr. Cornell leads the Cybersecurity and Cryptography Lab, where she collaborates with top institutions like the Naval Research Laboratory, NASA, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). She is actively involved in developing AI-driven educational tools, such as the OfficeGuard anti-phishing game, and integrating AI into educational environments to enhance student engagement and security.

Degrees, Awards, and Affiliations

Degrees:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, University at Albany

• M.S. in Computer Science, University at Albany

• B.S. in Computer Science, SUNY Plattsburgh, magna cum laude

Professional Memberships:

• Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T)

• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

• IEEE Women in Engineering (IEEE WIE)

Awards:

• Runner-Up for the Best Poster Paper Award at the IEEE BigData 2024 conference for the poster paper titled “A Knowledge Graph Framework for Organizing Heterogeneous Datasets for Utilization in Classical and Quantum Computing: Current Challenges and Future Directions.”

Notable Publications:

• “The Hidden Dangers of Publicly Accessible LLMs: A Case Study on Gab AI”

• “CS1 with a Side of AI: Teaching Software Verification for Secure Code in the Era of Generative AI”

• “Cyber Protection Strategies: Balancing Insurance and Security”

• “Assessment of Quantum ML Applicability for Climate Actions: Comparison of the Variational Quantum Classifier and the Quantum Support Vector Classifier with Classical ML Models”

• “The Perfect Victim? Family Offices as Targets for Cybercriminals”

Dr. Cornell’s work has been featured in various academic conferences and symposiums, reflecting her dedication to advancing research and education in cybersecurity, cryptography, and AI.