Maurice E. Dawson

Maurice E. Dawson is an Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Cyber Security and Forensics Education (C²SAFE) at Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Computing. He holds multiple advanced degrees, including a Ph.D. in Cybersecurity from London Metropolitan University and a Postdoc in Information Science from Universidade Fernando Pessoa. His research focuses on software assurance, IoT security, and critical infrastructure protection, with over 150 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

• Affiliations: Illinois Tech, Fulbright Specialist Program, IEEE Senior Member
• Grants: Over $100K in grants from U.S. State Department, USAID, and others for cybersecurity initiatives in Africa and the Middle East.

Research Interests: Explores hyperconnectivity risks, dark web extremism, and cross-border cybersecurity collaboration. His work bridges academic research with practical applications in developing nations, focusing on IT training and infrastructure resilience.

Awards & Recognition: Recipient of Teaching Excellence Awards (2019, 2021), Fulbright Specialist grants (Botswana, Saudi Arabia), and volunteer service medals. Media engagements include ABC7 Chicago and Illinois Public Media for cybersecurity commentary.

Advising & Grants: Supervised multiple USAID-funded ICT projects in Senegal and Guinea, training local agricultural and tech professionals. Served on advisory boards for CTU and VIU, and editorships for journals like International Journal of Hyperconnectivity and IoT.

Labs & Teams: Leads C²SAFE lab at Illinois Tech, specializing in incident response, digital forensics, and AI-driven security solutions. Collaborates with international institutions on cybersecurity education frameworks.