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University of North Georgia (Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å) alumnus Kian Esmaeili said he prefers to take things to the next level, so it wasn't a surprise when he chose to take his Honors Program thesis one step further and presented his research at IEEE 2026 in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Woodstock, Georgia, resident earned his degree in cybersecurity with a minor in entrepreneurship earlier this month.

Esmaeili's research, will be published in the IEEE conference proceedings and will be available to future students in the ACM Digital Library, as well as in the .

The work focused on how to use artificial intelligence in the cybersecurity landscape.

"I was always interested in seeing how AI could be applied to cybersecurity," Esmaeili said. "I am thankful for Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å and the Institute for Cyber Operations. 'Students First. Always’ was something I experienced firsthand. I'm very thankful for that."

During his four years at Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å, he completed multiple internships at the (GTRI), he was part of Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å's first cyber internship partnership with the , and he was a member of the CyberHawks competition teams across multiple events.

"He gained real-world work experience, networking with other students who have similar interests, getting familiar with the industry-type projects and bridging the gap between academic work and practical applications," Dr. Ahmad Ghafarian, professor of computer science, said of the internships. 

At the GTRI he worked as an undergraduate researcher in embedded systems security through the VIP program where he was selected as a GTRI competitor in the CSAW embedded security challenge. The experience exposed him to a highly technical and research-driven environment focused on solving real cybersecurity problems involving embedded systems and emerging technologies. One of the most impactful aspects of his time at GTRI was being surrounded by researchers, mentors and students who were deeply passionate about innovation and cybersecurity research. The environment encouraged critical thinking, collaboration and persistence when working through complex technical challenges, he said.

“Working on the embedded security challenge strengthened my interest in applied cybersecurity research and helped me better understand the process of approaching security problems from both an engineering and research perspective. It also gave me valuable exposure to the level of technical depth and teamwork involved in advanced cybersecurity research environments,” Esmaeili said.

The experience at GTRI played a major role not only in shaping his long-term goals in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence research, it also reinforced his passion for solving complex security challenges and motivated him to continue pursuing advanced research and graduate studies in the field.

"Together, these experiences complemented the research I conducted at Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å and helped shape my long-term goals in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and advanced research. They strengthened my interest in developing practical solutions to real-world security challenges while continuing to explore how emerging technologies can improve cybersecurity systems and resilience," he said.

His time at the Federal Reserve provided an opportunity for Esmaeili to work within supervision and regulation in cybersecurity, operational resilience, and emerging technology.

"One of the most valuable aspects of the experience was seeing how cybersecurity operates within large-scale and highly regulated financial environments, particularly in areas involving operational resilience, emerging technologies and enterprise security," he said.

Esmaeili also had the opportunity to contribute to AI and automation-related initiatives, which further strengthened his interest in the intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. That experience gave him a much deeper understanding of how organizations approach cybersecurity not only from a technical perspective, but also from the standpoint of risk management, governance and long-term resilience.

"Beyond the technical experience, what stood out to me most was the culture and the people at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Everyone I worked with was incredibly supportive, welcoming and genuinely invested in helping interns learn and grow. The internship program was extremely well organized, and it was clear that a great deal of effort went into creating meaningful experiences and mentorship opportunities for students," he said.

Esmaeili will pursue a graduate degree in cybersecurity at Georgia Tech. Not surprisingly, he plans to take one step further and later add a doctoral degree.