- Kevin R.B. Butler, Ph.D., has been named the chair of the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering.
- Butler is a professor in CISE and served as director of FICS Research for four years
- He earned his doctorate from Pennsylvania State University
Kevin R.B. Butler, Ph.D., has been named the chair of the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, or CISE.
The search was led by Cherie Stabler, Ph.D., professor and department chair of the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering. Butler succeeds Patrick Traynor, Ph.D., who served as interim department chair for the past academic year.
Butler is a professor in CISE and served as director of the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity (FICS) Research, a well-regarded and internationally recognized hub for computing and hardware security research, for four years.
“My vision is to position the department as a nexus for innovation and excellence in computing research, education and leadership for the university, the state of Florida and the nation,” Butler said. “We’ll pursue this vision through supporting initiatives for innovative and high-impact research programs, curricula that prepare students to be fluent in an AI-powered future while equipping them with technical foundations that transcend individual technologies.”
Butler joined UF in 2014 as part of the university’s Rising to National Preeminence Hiring Program. He was endowed the Arnold and Lisa Goldberg Rising Star Associate Professor in Computer Science prior to his promotion to professor.
Warren Dixon, Ph.D., interim dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, echoed the search committee’s unanimous decision and highlighted the impact Butler has had on the college.
“Butler has made a tremendous impact on our college through his groundbreaking research, collaborative leadership and dedication to advancing cybersecurity education and innovation,” Dixon said. “His commitment to academic excellence and his ability to build meaningful partnerships across disciplines strongly position the department for continued growth and national distinction.”
While focused on the future, Butler is thankful for his predecessors.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to take on the position of chair, and I’m grateful for the support and leadership that has set the department up for sustained future success,” he said. “I particularly want to thank Dr. Juan Gilbert for his decade of leadership as chair and Dr. Patrick Traynor for the tremendous energy he brought as interim department chair this past year. I’m looking forward to serving this great department and our wonderful faculty, students, and staff.”
Butler received his bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University at Kingston, Canada, his master’s degree from Columbia University and his doctorate from Pennsylvania State University.
As director of the NSF Center for Privacy and Security for Marginalized and Vulnerable Populations (PRISM), he is recognized internationally for his expertise in cybersecurity research and education.
Butler’s research spans computing devices, systems, networks and computing technology, including embedded systems and protocols, mobile and cellular system security, cloud infrastructure protection, adversarial machine learning, cyber-physical systems, trustworthy computing and privacy protections for marginalized and vulnerable populations. Many federal agencies and industry partners — from the National Science Foundation to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Office of Naval Research — have sponsored his research.
Butler received an NSF CAREER Award in 2013, is a senior member of IEEE and ACM, and a Fellow of the European Alliance for Innovation.