Texas Tech Aims to Become World Leader in Protecting Critical Infrastructure

Stephen Bayne is utilizing talented engineers and students to improve our nation’s defense of our most integral industries through extensive analysis.

Rapid technological advances in the last century have transformed the world to rely more on digital connections and software more than ever, while providing ample opportunities for bad actors to take advantage.

Texas Tech University is taking the lead in the efforts to protect the U.S.’s most important assets, whether related to our dams, transportation systems, or other critical infrastructure sectors the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) deems vital to this country.

Stephen Bayne, the former chair of the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering in the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering, was appointed Aug. 1 by the Texas Tech University System (TTU System) Board of Regents to take on two leadership roles for the new Critical Infrastructure Security Institute (CISI). Bayne will serve as the inaugural executive director and vice chancellor for innovation and collaboration, playing a pivotal role in building up an initiative that aims to utilize partnerships in the academic, private and government sectors to study and tangibly improve the security of our nation’s critical infrastructure systems.

Texas Tech Vice President for Research & Innovation Joseph Heppert said it was impossible to quantify the impact Bayne has made on the community since joining the faculty in 2009.

“Dr. Bayne exemplifies what it means to be a great teacher and researcher,” Heppert said. “He’s not only made significant contributions to energy and critical infrastructure security research but paved the way for the next generation of leaders with his commitment to creating opportunities for Texas Tech students and high school students interested in STEM.”

The CISI will establish a highly secure research facility and multidisciplinary consortium to delve into security strategies and testing that will eventually conclude with stronger policies and infrastructure.

“There’s a lot of challenges that we’re going to have to overcome to continue to grow, because it’s like a chess game,” said Bayne. “You do one thing; the bad guys do something else. It’s back and forth, back and forth.”

Fortunately for Texas Tech, Bayne has extensive experience in high-pressure environments, research, and shaping organizations.

He was the Electrical and Computer Engineering associate chairman for five years before becoming chairman in 2021, and prior to joining the Texas Tech faculty, he was a team leader at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL). Bayne has also started large research programs at Texas Tech, studying energy and semiconductor devices, which have attracted both students and significant funding.

His experiences apart from Texas Tech have helped obtain valuable connections related to the U.S. military and national laboratories, relationships critical to holding enough sway to progress the CISI forward.

Bayne foresees conducting comprehensive research while working with the federal government, industry partners, and local entities and preparing undergraduate and graduate students to enter the workforce of a critical field.

From experience, he already knows Texas Tech students have the ambition to succeed. The next steps include attracting top talent by showcasing Texas Tech as a high-research, high quality of life university, and setting a vision for a future that not only understands but also prevents attacks.

“It’s a cat-and-mouse game,” Bayne said. “We’ve got to constantly be vigilant and understand the technology, understand the challenges, the threats, and be one step ahead to keep our nation safe.

The role of the CISI’s leaders will be to set up a regional security operating center, as Bayne put it, and bring in engineers and students to study and test the vulnerabilities of systems and software networks, write reports to send to partners, and conduct workforce development.

Students will be trained under analysts while at the regional security operations center with the intention of leaving with the ability to work as analysts elsewhere. Bayne mentioned that not only engineering students can participate, but those from the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business as well.

The workforce development component is especially important as the cybersecurity industry doesn’t have enough people coming out of school to fill in important roles. Creating the future workforce will ensure the impact being made at Texas Tech will go On & On.

“If we get some really good people out there, and other places are doing it, then we could have a network of folks out there that could help protect our nation’s critical infrastructure,” Bayne said.

He added that support from President Lawrence Schovanec and the Texas Tech administration has been a huge piece of establishing the CISI’s foundation.

“(It’s crucial) to have that buy-in from leadership, have the support from staff, and have great students that you could work with, because we’re only as good as our students in the labs and in the classroom,” Bayne said.

The workforce development component is especially important as the cybersecurity industry doesn’t have enough people coming out of school to fill in important roles. Creating the future workforce will ensure the impact being made at Texas Tech will go On & On.

“If we get some really good people out there, and other places are doing it, then we could have a network of folks out there that could help protect our nation’s critical infrastructure,” Bayne said.

He added that support from President Lawrence Schovanec and the Texas Tech administration has been a huge piece of establishing the CISI’s foundation.

“(It’s crucial) to have that buy-in from leadership, have the support from staff, and have great students that you could work with, because we’re only as good as our students in the labs and in the classroom,” Bayne said.

This content was paid for and created by Texas Tech University. The editorial staff of The Chronicle had no role in its preparation. Find out more about paid content.