March 4, 2026
US partnership coincides with Montana State University professor becoming a member of UOW as Scholar in Residence
A University of Wollongong cybersecurity chief will take his experience to the United States beneath a prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award in 2026, as UOW concurrently prepares to host a number one American coverage scholar on campus. Distinguished Professor Willy Susilo, Director of UOW’s Institute of Cybersecurity and Cryptology, will collaborate with Florida Polytechnic University on international cybersecurity research, whereas Professor Elizabeth Shanahan from Montana State University joins UOW as a Fulbright Scholar in Residence.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Alan Rowan stated UOW’s involvement on either side of the 2026 Fulbright alternate was a mirrored image of the energy and ambition of its research group.
“This is strictly the form of globally related, high-impact research UOW is constructing. Professor Susilo’s work within the United States and Professor Shanahan’s collaboration right here in Wollongong present how robust international partnerships speed up research excellence and assist deal with advanced world challenges,” Professor Rowan stated.
Professor Susilo’s Fulbright venture will strengthen research into the safety of cloud computing infrastructure, enhance how interoperable techniques join and share knowledge and higher align cryptographic innovation with international requirements and regulatory frameworks.
“Cybersecurity challenges do not stop at national borders and international collaboration is essential in addressing these complex issues. I am proud to be part of a program that prioritises exchange, partnership and shared knowledge,” Professor Susilo stated.
An Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Professor Susilo leads research in cloud computing safety, superior cryptography and privacy-preserving applied sciences. In current months, he has additionally secured a significant NATO-funded research venture to guard drones towards cyber-attacks and acquired assist by way of the Australian Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite Program to develop AI applied sciences that embed safety instantly into code technology.
Professor Shanahan is a Professor of Political Science at Montana State University. Her research is on the intersection of using narratives within the coverage course of, threat communication, and One Health, with current purposes to COVID-19 pandemic and the present H5N1 outbreak in US dairy cattle. At UOW, she is collaborating with Associate Professor Chris Degeling on a venture to know individuals’s attitudes and underlying beliefs towards zoonotic illness prevention insurance policies for avian influenza and Hendra virus, in addition to to know the challenges and successes of implementing One Health insurance policies in Australia.
Professor Elizabeth Shanahan with ECA Chief of Staff Victoria Roberts
“The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored our global vulnerability to emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), and Australia is leading the way in rethinking its approach to these threats by incorporating the globally recognized One Health framework in the creation of its inaugural Center for Disease Control. This Fulbright collaboration will allow for an innovative convergence of social science methods to understand this novel and emergent situation of the governmental establishment and public acceptance of a One Health approach to EIDs in Australia,” Professor Shanahan stated.
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program is among the world’s most revered international scholarship alternate applications, and helps academic research collaboration between Australia and the United States. The 2026 Fulbright cohort had been formally recognised at a ceremony at Parliament House, Canberra.