Former U.S. Cyber Command and National Security Agency Chief Paul Nakasone announced on Wednesday that he is heading to Vanderbilt University to lead its new Institute for National Defense and Global Security.
The institute is expected to formally launch in the fall, and it will draw on Vanderbilt’s expertise in fields such as engineering, AI, cybersecurity, law, and policy, among others.
“I have accepted to be the founding director of Vanderbilt University’s Institute for National Defense and Global Security, where we’re going to bring together Vanderbilt strength in being able to do interdisciplinary education, innovation, and convening and then also advising, so looking forward to build the premier national security institute in the nation,” Nakasone said on Wednesday at the RSA Conference in San Francisco.
Nakasone retired from Federal service earlier this year as the longest-serving leader of CYBERCOM. He has previously appeared at Vanderbilt as the keynote speaker at the Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats in 2023.
“The security landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace and in unknown directions. To meet these challenges, it is imperative that we approach them in a highly interdisciplinary way,” Nakasone said in a press release from the university. “Vanderbilt’s collaborative culture is one of the university’s great strengths. And it is this concept of working across many different fields and forging key partnerships that will guide us as we build the institute.”
According to the press release, the institute will be housed in Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering, with involvement from faculty, staff, and students across all schools, including the College of Arts and Science, Peabody College of education and human development, the Owen Graduate School of Management, and the newly announced College of Connected Computing.
Douglas Adams, vice dean of the School of Engineering and the Daniel F. Flowers Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, helped to work with partners to design the institute’s framework. The university said Adams will continue in a leadership role once it officially launches.
At Vanderbilt, Nakasone will also hold an academic appointment in the School of Engineering as a distinguished research professor of engineering science and management and will serve as a special advisor to the chancellor.
The institute is supported by the Office of the Chancellor and Discovery Vanderbilt – an initiative that encourages faculty, students, and staff to find innovative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.
“The Institute for National Defense and Global Security aligns seamlessly with Discovery Vanderbilt’s vision to drive pathbreaking collaborative research and partnerships addressing society’s core challenges,” said C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “With General Nakasone’s leadership and Vanderbilt’s research expertise, this institute will have profound and lasting positive impact on global affairs.”
