UTSA researcher named editor of top computer security journal

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc (IEEE) Computer Society has named University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) professor Ravinderpal “Ravi” Sandhu editor-in-chief of its scholarly journal, IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing.  Sandhu’s two-year term begins Jan. 1, 2010.  An internationally renowned expert in information assurance, security and trust, Sandhu is the Lutcher Brown Distinguished Chair in Cyber Security in UTSA’s College of Sciences.  He is also the executive director of the university’s Institute for Cyber Security.
                “Professor Sandhu has a keen pulse on current trends in information assurance and security, and his ability to focus that knowledge on research with practical applications is one of the things that makes him such a leader in the field,” said Robert Gracy, UTSA’s vice president for research.  “This new IEEE editorial appointment is a testament to Professor Sandhu’s successful career.  He is certainly well-qualified to oversee the IEEE’s highly-respected journal.”
“Although individuals in cyber space want to keep their information secure, they also value the performance of their computers,” said George Perry, dean of UTSA’s College of Sciences.  “The editors at Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing understand this challenge.  The journal’s presentation of innovative systems, networks and evaluation protocols offers the industry the best possible solutions to the delicate balance of safety and performance.”
Sandhu’s notable career in security spans more than 35 years.  Prior to joining the faculty at UTSA, Sandhu held positions at Ohio State University and George Mason University, becoming one of the most frequently cited security researchers in the security industry.  He is an author on the top two most-cited scholarly papers in Access Control.  One of those papers, “Role-Based Access Control Models,” originally published in IEEE Computer in Feb. 1996, has been cited more than 3,500 times.  In addition, he holds thirteen U.S. patents for security technology and has received more than 30 sponsored research grants.
                In 2000, Sandhu founded TriCipher, a corporation that markets software to protect businesses and their customers from online fraud.  Prior to that, he consulted with numerous organizations, including McAfee, Trusted Information Systems, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Verizon, SETA Corporation, Argonne National Laboratory, Singapore Management University, Northrop Grumman and Integris Health.  He has also presented short courses, tutorials and invited lectures in Asia, Australia, Europe and both Americas.  Today, Sandhu continues to conduct world-leading research at UTSA.
                “The best source of scientific truth still lies in the rigor and authority of the peer review process, even as research journals must accelerate their traditional leisurely pace of submission to publication,” said Sandhu.
Sandhu was the founding editor-in-chief of the ACM Transactions on Information and System Security and served from 1997 to 2004.  He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institutes of Technology in Bombay and New Delhi, respectively, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in computer science from Rutgers University.