AMMAN, JORDAN—On November 29, the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT), the Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI), and Purdue’s Center for Research & Education in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS), with the support of U.S Embassy in Amman, announced the official launch of the U.S.-Jordan Cybersecurity Youth Academy. The initiative will equip of 50 Jordanians, aged 18-24, from diverse backgrounds with essential technical skills, internships, and a network of mentors. Utilizing a blend of virtual sessions to increase cyber awareness and a hands-on boot camp to foster innovation.
The launch event included participation from U.S. Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs Stefanie Altman-Winans, PSUT President Wejdan Abu Elhaija, PARI/Global Development & Innovation Executive Director John Glover, CERIAS Managing Director Joel Rasmus, PARI/GDI Practice Area Director for Technology & Innovation Maggie McDonough, and representatives Jordan’s public and private sectors, as well as other academic institutions. The launch event marked the commencement of the Academy, designed to enhance cybersecurity awareness, provide foundational cyber skills training, and facilitate exploration of career and academic pathways in the cyber sector.
In the context where social media use is increasing rapidly in Jordan; with over 6.6 million social media predominately aged 18–35, the Cybersecurity Youth Academy strategically addresses the heightened vulnerability of this demographic to cyber threats.
As PARI/GDI Executive Director John Glover noted, “There are currently more than 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs vacant globally, and Jordan is not immune from this dearth of qualified professionals. We are pleased to partner with the US Embassy in Jordan and PSUT to contribute to building a pipeline of young cyber practitioners. Our overall aspiration is to contribute to creating a Jordanian cyber security center to serve Jordanian and regional businesses.”
Counselor for Public Affairs Stefanie Altman-Winans underscored, “The U.S. government is committed to empowering the next generation for Jordan’s digitally advanced future, building specializations and skill sets crucial for its role as a regional ICT leader.” Expressing appreciation for collaboration between the U.S. Embassy, Purdue University, and PSUT, she emphasized, “The Cybersecurity Youth Academy will cultivate well-rounded leaders proficient in problem-solving and creative thinking within a rapidly evolving sector, a critical factor for promoting inclusive economic growth in the country.”
This collaboration supports the U.S. Government’s commitment to strengthening the cybersecurity posture of partner nations, and to engaging youth as a major force for positive change globally.
Participants will be selected on the basis of an open and competitive competition. A second press release will follow with additional details about the application process once the recruitment period opens.
About PSUT: Founded in 1991, Princess Sumaya University for Technology Founded in 1991, PSUT is the only private and non-profit university in Jordan. It is owned by the Royal Scientific Society (RSS), the foremost applied research center in Jordan. Like RSS, PSUT is part of El Hassan Science City located in Amman. PSUT’s mission is to graduate distinguished and qualified students to serve the market and enrich it in the leading technological fields of information and communications technology (ICT), electronics, business, and communication. PSUT is licensed and all its programs are accredited by the Jordanian Higher Education Accreditation Commission, consistently producing graduates that thrive academically and professionally, serving as pioneers in building the ICT sectors in Jordan. In 2011, PSUT launched the first ever master’s program in Jordan focusing on information systems security and digital criminology. As of today, PSUT is home to almost 5,000 students and more than 160 faculty members, with 27 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. PSUT has also successfully delivered more than 40 donor-funded programs, imparting a deep understanding of the requirements for PAS programming. Crucially for the cyber academy initiative, PSUT is a lead partner of Cisco in Jordan; it houses both a Cisco Academy Support Center (ASC) and a Cisco Academy Instructor Training Center (ITC).
About PARI: The Purdue Applied Research Institute is a nonprofit entity that extends the research and impact of Purdue University’s deep research strengths and top-ranked academic programs in engineering, agriculture, science and technology. PARI works to improve national security, global development, infrastructure solutions and to accelerate critical technologies. Through applied research and program personnel, state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure, PARI significantly enhances Purdue’s ability to translate discoveries into innovative solutions and services for mission-oriented government, industry, NGO and foundation partners. PARI is an incubator for advanced development and transition of leading ideas and technology with potential for significant impact through large-scale prototypes, pilots and startups.
About Purdue University’s CERIAS: Purdue University is a globally recognized research institution, based in West Lafayette, Indiana and established by the Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862. Purdue has over 50,000 students representing more than 135 countries, 11 colleges and schools with over 2,000 faculty and staff; and over 400 research labs. Purdue’s cybersecurity major is ABET accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission and ranked the sixth best in the nation by US News World and Report. The Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS) is a cross-cutting institute that includes faculty from eight different colleges and 20+ departments across campus. CERIAS is the world’s foremost interdisciplinary center for cyber and cyber-physical systems with more than 100 instructors and researchers addressing issues of security, privacy, resiliency, trusted electronics, autonomy, and explainable artificial intelligence. CERIAS brings together world-class faculty, students, and industry partners to design, build, and maintain trusted cyber/cyber-physical systems and serves as an unbiased resource to the worldwide community. It has provided programs in cybersecurity training, education and research support to foreign governments, private sector, public sector, and higher education institutions since its inception in 1998.
PSUT Media Inquiries: Dr. Ali Al-Haj, Professor of Cybersecurity Engineering, PSUT (ali@psut.edu.jo)
PARI/GDI Media Inquiries: Maggie McDonough, Practice Area Director, PARI (mmmcdono@purdue.edu)
CERIAS Media Inquiries: Joel Rasmus, Managing Director, CERIAS (jrasmus@purdue.edu)