The last 12 months have been a wake-up call. We’re on the cusp of the increasingly digital, automated, and connected future that we’ve talked about for years. Overnight, we’ve changed how we learn, work, live, and play. Information technology, data science and artificial intelligence are increasingly embedded in our infrastructure. It’s become crystal clear that there are many real-world challenges we can solve with these advanced technologies and, together with great ideas, an abundance of opportunities to create the best version of our world — but there are also significant risks.
If you’re a systems thinker and solution seeker who’s passionate and purpose-driven, there’s now a first-of-its-kind collaboration to help you seize this moment and make a lasting, positive difference.
Imagine being one of 10 students selected this year to…
● Advance your education by earning a PhD from a top US private research institution, with a focus on research in cybersecurity, big data, and artificial intelligence.
● Receive financial support in the form of full tuition remission for a highly competitive four-year program, as well as an annual living stipend/salary and the benefits provided to university graduate student employees.
● Gain access to a corporate network and company-building platform to realize your dreams as an entrepreneur or business leader.
● Do all of this from an emerging U.S. tech hub nestled between mountains and lakes, that is attracting a diverse population wanting a mix of big-city attractions and small-town life. If you fall in love with the place and stay for at least two years after graduation, you’ll be eligible for an added $20,000 bonus.
Last year, together with the University of Tulsa (TU), a leader in cyber education and research, and with funding from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, we launched the TU-Team8 Cyber Fellows initiative to attract, train, and educate experts in cyber R&D. We believe transformative breakthroughs will be accelerated through the intersection of academia and entrepreneurship. We also know that great ideas can come from anywhere. The Cyber Fellows initiative gives us — and you — the perfect opportunity to look beyond the obvious places — to a place that’s quickly become a magnet for creativity, diversity, and talent.
TU — Academic Cyber Powerhouse
As one of the top universities for cybersecurity in the country, TU has dozens of highly respected and well-regarded STEM professors conducting relevant research in the field, and counts over 1,500 Engineering & Natural Sciences undergraduate students. With an interdisciplinary approach that combines computer science, engineering, math, law, business, and psychology, TU offers a unique combination of perspectives to enable student innovation. As an NSA Cyber Center of Excellence, TU consistently sends the highest caliber of cyber ninjas to the US 3-letter agencies.
Team8 — Entrepreneurial Savvy and Business Insight
Team8 has the corporate network and platform capabilities to help transform research into solutions for real-life problems. Through our company-building model, we identify big problems and assemble the team, ecosystem, and capital to shape ideas into industry solutions. The ability to support this model with leading research is a game-changing factor that allows us to offer students the knowledge, know-how, and network to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our digital world.
Tulsa — A Wellspring for Great Ideas
A coastal exodus is happening for several reasons — the shifting economy and options for more affordable housing, flexibility to work from anywhere, and desire to live in less densely populated areas with plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Enter Tulsa, Oklahoma. What distinguishes Tulsa from many other medium-sized university towns attracting people moving from the coasts and the big cities is a burgeoning startup ecosystem that’s creating a more vibrant economy. The George Kaiser Family Foundation and Tulsa Innovation Labs have laid the groundwork for this ecosystem to flourish. Tech workers from traditional hubs like California, New York, and Washington, DC are choosing Tulsa and enjoying affordable, easy access to world-class arts and music, an active young professionals’ network, a rapidly growing restaurant and microbrewery scene, and the Gathering Place — an award-winning riverfront park gaining a reputation as the best urban green space in the country.
Sound like the TU-Team8 Cyber Fellows initiative might fit you to a T? Stop imagining! Get a taste of what to expect. Join our TU-Team8 Cyber Fellows Virtual Dinner on February 17, 2021, at 6 pm CT. Or schedule a one-on-one information session.
Applications are being accepted now for the fall cohort of this unique and highly competitive program.
