Center Fellows

Dr. Seth Hamman is the inaugural Director of the Center for the Advancement of Cybrsecurity. He serves as Professor of Cyber Operations and Computer Science and as the Point of Contact for Cedarville’s Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations and Cyber Defense designations. Dr. Hamman joined the faculty of Cedarville University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science in 2012, bringing real-world experience to the classroom from having worked in the tech industry, both as an employee of a startup dotcom and as a consultant. As a researcher, he is interested in helping shape the young and growing discipline of cybersecurity education and integrating the Christian faith and computer science. Dr. Hamman holds a BA in religion from Duke University, an MS in computer science from Yale University, and a PhD in computer science with an emphasis in cybersecurity from The Air Force Institute of Technology.

Prof. Nick Parry is the Deputy Director of the Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity and Assistant Professor of Cyber Operations and Computer Science. He joined the faculty at Cedarville University in 2022 after 14 years as a software engineer in the cybersecurity industry. He has been employed at Northrop Grumman Xetron, Tenable Network Security, and CrowdStrike. His focus has been on secure cyber systems for the DoD and other government agencies, as well as commercial tools for vulnerability management and endpoint protection.

Dr. Keith Shomper earned his PhD in Computer Science from The Ohio State University in 1993. In 2003, after his retirement from the United States Air Force and teaching assignments at the Air Force Institute of Technology and the Air Force Academy, he joined the Cedarville University faculty in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. He continues to serve that School as a Senior Professor of Computer Science and as a Fellow in the Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity. In these roles, Dr. Shomper assists in the curricular design of Cedarville’s Computer Science (CS) and Cyber Operations (CY) majors. Dr. Shomper also teaches a mix of courses for both the CS and CY majors in C++, algorithms, low-level programming, Linux system administration, and software engineering.

Prof. Patrick Dudenhofer joined the faculty at Cedarville University in 2014 after spending a decade at the Air Force Research Laboratory researching human-computer interfaces for effective supervision of autonomous systems. When not instructing computer science and cyber operation students at Cedarville, Patrick works on his PhD dissertation focused on software reverse engineering automation and spends his summers as a cybersecurity defense contractor in the Miami Valley. His academic interests and research include software reverse engineering, human-computer interaction, cognitive modeling, and cybersecurity.

David Reid is a Cyber Operations and Computer Science double major from Columbus, Ohio. His pursuits at Cedarville include two Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition state titles and numerous other competitions competed in with the cyber team. During high school, he led and participated in several cybersecurity programs, including multiple years of CyberPatriot. As the Chief Student Fellow, David hopes to draw on his extensive experience from Civil Air Patrol to further the Cyber Center’s capabilities while fostering a Christ-honoring culture within the cyber program. In his spare time, he enjoys reading nonfiction and military history books, watching historical documentaries, and playing racquet sports and card games with friends.

Kaicheng Ye is a Cyber Operations and Computer Science double major from Beavercreek, Ohio. His achievements at Cedarville include two Hivestorm competitions, four National Cyber League competitions, one NSA Codebreaker solve, two Collegiate Cyber Defense Competitions, and participation in Hack the Building 2.0 with the cyber team. As the Student Fellow for Cyber Exercises, he desires to create a fun and productive environment in which students can learn and grow together, both in their walk with Christ as well as their cyber skills. Kaicheng seeks to always be there for anyone who needs help. He also hopes to develop Cedarville’s very own live-fire attack-defense cyber competition. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and writing stories, playing music, drawing, and playing card and video games with friends.

Anna Kauffmann is a Cyber Operations and Computer Science double major from Minnesota. She has been involved in many cyber competitions, both as a team captain (Hivestorm and NCAE Cyber Games) and a participant (Hivestorm and National Cyber League team and individual games). She serves as the Student Fellow for Public Affairs, which involves organizing events for cybersecurity awareness, facilitating opportunities for Cedarville students to network with cyber professionals, and creating promotional materials such as flyers, digital slides, and social media content. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and anything artistic.

Stephen Reid is a Cyber Operations and Computer Science double major from Columbus, Ohio. He has participated in the National Cyber League individual and team games, NCAE Cyber Games, and the NCAE-C VIVID competition. As a cadet major in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, he has gained extensive leadership experience that he hopes to contribute to the Cyber Program. He is a distinguished graduate of Cadet Officer School, CAP’s top leadership school, and has participated in several years of CyberPatriot, including a 1st place Ohio Platinum Tier placement in 2020 in the All Services Division. As Student Fellow for Cyber Maneuvers, Stephen desires to foster a collaborative environment in which students can learn through experience and become confident in their abilities. In his spare time, he enjoys reading nonfiction and personal development books, writing, playing pickleball, and spending time with friends and family.