Meharry Medical College School of Applied Computational Sciences is proud to announce that Dr. Uttam Ghosh, professor of cybersecurity, and his team of co-investigators, Meharry SACS professors Dr. Sajid Hussain, Dr. Puspita Chatterjee, Dr. Asmah Muallem, and Dr. Lei Qian, have been awarded a significant grant through the Minority Serving – Cyberinfrastructure Consortium (MS-CC) Research Catalyst Program.
Their project, titled “CyberXPert: Advancing Cyberinfrastructure Innovation in Education and Workforce Development at Meharry Medical College,” is one of only five selected for funding in a highly competitive national field. This award positions Meharry at the forefront of educational innovation, leveraging artificial intelligence to transform how we train the next generation of leaders in cybersecurity, data science, and artificial intelligence.
“CyberXPert represents a transformative investment in Meharry’s SACS-aligned cyberinfrastructure, advancing student learning outcomes, faculty development, and continuous institutional improvement,” says Dr. Uttam Ghosh, principal investigator.
“Through experiential learning and AI-driven educational tools, this initiative strengthens academic quality, expands research capacity, and ensures sustainable workforce preparation aligned with accreditation standards and national priorities.”
The CyberXPert initiative is a comprehensive project designed to strengthen Meharry’s institutional cyberinfrastructure (CI) capacity while directly addressing the critical national need for a skilled and diverse technical workforce. At the heart of the project is the deployment of the AI-powered EduCore framework, which integrates cutting-edge Large Language Models (LLMs) to create automated assistants—dubbed InstructorX and AdvisorX.
Key components of the CyberXPert initiative include:
- AI-Powered Educational Agents: AdvisorX will provide students with automated, personalized academic and career planning guidance, while InstructorX will assist faculty in developing and refining modular course content aligned with national standards.
- NIST NICE-Aligned Training: The project will implement immersive bootcamps, expert seminars, and faculty development workshops, all designed to meet the rigorous workforce framework established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
- Enhanced Computational Resources: A new, high-powered GPU-based workstation will be installed to support real-time AI model development and data-intensive research, significantly boosting Meharry’s computational capabilities.
- Broadening Participation: True to Meharry’s mission, CyberXPert aims to reach over 70 learners, with a strong focus on establishing mentoring schemes for graduate students and researchers from underrepresented backgrounds.
This grant from the MS-CC, which is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), validates Meharry’s growing role as a leader in STEM education and research. The CyberXPert project will provide a scalable, replicable model for how historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) can integrate advanced cyberinfrastructure and AI into their academic ecosystems.
The entire Meharry community congratulates Dr. Ghosh and the CyberXPert team on this outstanding achievement and looks forward to the transformative impact of their work.
