Ryan Riley placed first in CyberStars Qatar, a competition that challenged participants to solve a complicated set of cybersecurity problems. The contest was hosted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Q-CERT, Qatar’s national information security center.

Riley is an associate teaching professor of computer science at CMU-Q, and he took the top spot in the “over-24” category.

“Computer security is a breadth field,” said Riley, who both teaches and conducts research in the area of computer security. “It touches on nearly every branch of computer science, and it is probably one of the highest demand areas in computing, along with machine learning.”

Through the experience, Riley gained some insight into ways to challenge his students. “At CMU, we focus on the theoretical underpinning of computer security. I liked the practical emphasis of the competition, and I think incorporating some of these problems would really enhance my students’ understanding.”

“At CMU, our security courses emphasize both the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of computer security concepts. I found that this comprehensive background gave me an edge in the competition. I liked the practical emphasis of the competition, and I think incorporating problems like these would really enhance my students’ understanding.”

CMU-Q offers an undergraduate program in computer science based on the top-ranked School of Computer Science curriculum at Carnegie Mellon.